The Ultimate Montessori Blog

The Philosophy of Movement

The world of Man cannot be imagined without movement. Life is indicated by movement. In animal/bird/fish life we can realise that immobility is impossible. Even those classified as immovable (plant life) manifest their life by movement.

The human kingdom isolates itself from other non-human living beings by their capacity to work which is possible only by directed movements. There is movement in every area of human work-personal care, care of the environment, social behaviour, intellectual work etc. When we consider the Child as part of the human family we need to consider the importance of movement in his Life and Development.

Movement in the human body

In the general development of the human being we can see the role of the brain, the senses and the muscles. Among these the muscles are the ones which execute the movements. These movements can be considered as voluntary when they are controlled by the brain. This control is made possible by the senses feeding the brain or intelligence with the right messages. When these capacities work in co-operation, the last stage remains with the muscles which make the movements. ‘Movement thus becomes the last part that completes the cycle of thought’ says Dr. Montessori. This co-ordination creates the unique characteristic of Man namely WORK possible.

Movement is a mode of human expression. Animals too express themselves by their movements. Dr. Montessori asks “Can we ignore this fact in Man?” Movement becomes a system of healthy relationship with Man’s environment (establish, maintain and restore conditions). We see the importance of movement without which no expression is possible(sign language, body language, writing, etc).

Man’s aspiration at the highest level is that of spiritual perfection. Dr. Montessori asks “Is that enough? Can Man be selfish? Does he not circulate his experiences and thereby express them?” Movement should occupy the place of a servant of the whole life and the spiritual economy of the world.

Mental life and development depends very heavily on senses–development of speech on hearing and observation and understanding depends on the sight. This co-ordination of the brain and the senses has to be made in the very beginning. Then and only then can there be any human expression.

Dr. Montessori says “Here is a very good reason why Nature keeps the human being very immobile during infancy; when the co-ordination starts Nature gives the human being the facility for locomotion”.

In a child we see movement/work as a manifestation of the development of the mind. While he acts on the direction of the intelligence there is an extension in the understanding. Scientific observation shows that intelligence is developed through movement; movement helps psychic development. Again Movement has a great contribution to offer in the conquest of language which is one of the most fundamental conquests to be made by the psyche of the child.

When the child performs work it becomes a co-ordination of the brain, senses and muscles. In Man, the mechanism of grace is not evident at birth but has to be created by physical experiences working at the environment, done with co-ordination. None of this co-ordination is established at birth. But there is a wide possibility of movements. The variety of movements is immense-massive to minute (ballerina–gymnast). Dr. Montessori calls it ‘harmonised opposition’. The child is endowed with the capacity or potentiality to co-ordinate these movements. Man has a great diversity in skill in action but must create it by will, subconsciously or voluntarily. The combination of the brain, the senses, and the muscles in collaboration with emotional and social development can lead one to what we term ‘grace’.

The variety is created by the human being himself and therefore he can decide which ones to develop. But there is a price to pay. He has to work at it repeatedly to obtain that versatility. Because of this factor, the capacities vary from person to person. This individuality is very easily seen in the human beings. The muscles are too numerous for all to be exercised; but there is a certain number of exercises below which it is dangerous for psychical life to go on. The human being may also perish.

We need to remember that, when a person trains on very large gross movements the mind also remains so. When he works on more refined movements the psychic capacity also becomes more refined. It has also been proved that the quality of possible movements of a person has a close relationship to the quality of mental capacities.

Development of human movement

Man shares the characteristics of mammals by having four limbs. Mammals develop all the four limbs simultaneously and according to the species the form and function vary. They are predetermined. Among the mammals Man is an example of developing the limbs two at a time. The form and the functions are different.

Considering the development of the legs and feet we can see them from three different points of view.

• Biological - Stand on two feet
• Physiological - Balance and walk
• Anatomical - Keeping whole feet on the ground

The legs have a task of gaining and maintaining equilibrium. Biological guidance for the development of feet, to put the whole foot down in order to get the equilibrium is given by Nature. We can identify four steps in the process.
Sit—Roll—Stand with support (Stand without support) — Walk with help (Walk without help)

The logic of Nature seems to be to stand upright, walk and become steady and move to take part in the life around. This indeed is a great achievement of independence on the part of the human being but very predictable.

Walking as a human conquest made by the child is proclaimed as not only an achievement made at the physical level but also as booster for the most necessary ingredient in human life and development—self confidence and self reliance. This is recognised by the modern psychologists. It throws open varied scope for mental activities also.

The other two limbs meaning the hands seem to have a different method of development. In the history of evolution we see a great landmark when the thumb starts acting against the fingers and not along the same direction as seen in earlier rungs of the ladder of evolution.

Hands depend, for their development, not only on the psyche but also on the psychical life of different epoches in time in different racial groups.

Intelligence of the child will reach a certain level without the use of the hand, but with it a still higher level is reached and the child who has used his hands invariably has a strong character.

In the individual’s development of hands we see the attempt in grasping and that grasping made as an intentional movement.

• 1st step - Grasping - prehension instinctive to conscious movements
• Six months - Intentional movements
• 1st year - Hands and feet exerting the maximum, Creating challenges, Imitation of characteristic movements, Making efforts to fit himself for life and independence

There is nothing biological or physiological in this. Hands can perform an immense variety of movements. They are not predetermined but depend on the individual. Therefore there is every reason to believe that it has something to do with the development of the mind. Dr. Montessori would take it even to the soul or personality. The hand thus become instruments of learning and the variety in these movements depend on what activities they have opportunity to perform.

Around the time the child is one-and-a-half years, the leg movement and the hand movement co-ordinate. For instance, carrying a heavy object. This is another milestone in development. Nature prompts the child to exert the maximum effort.

Dr. Montessori talks at length of the study of history and ancient civilizations being made available to us only because of the work of hands which also reflects the mental height of those who created the masterpieces. Civilizations—artifacts, historical relics reveal that hands combined with the emotional lives reveal the quality of the lives of people. Hands seem to have followed the intelligence, the spirit and the emotions.

Dr. Montessori says “Child’s intelligence can develop to certain level without the help of hands. But it raises to greater heights with hand work. The strength of character becomes conspicuously stronger.”

Dr. Montessori would exhort us about the misconception with regard to human movement, “Educational theory thinks that people have to sit still for intellectual activity.” Therefore educationists try to separate movement from thought. This even leads to alternating mental and physical activities in schools.

Montessori refers to it as the coordinated work of the red and the white man as an intimate reciprocal relationship. The red man indicates the circulatory system and the white man refers to the neuro-muscular system. Maturation is a great factor in this development.

The Senses gather knowledge for the intelligence and the intelligence together with the Will carries on the work with the help of the muscles. Separation of movement and thought is injurious to development. To consider strengthening the muscular capacity alone as a means of strengthening the physique can be detrimental. It would be like making a prince (muscular system) live like a slave to a shepherd(mere vegetative life—for creating appetite or strengthening the lungs). It must become a contributory factor to mental development. Eventually it should lead to emotional and spiritual enrichment.

Some thoughts about handedness: Handedness means predominant use of one hand. Two factors determine the ‘handedness’–the preference for one hand as compared to the other, the proficiency or skill with which the hand can be used.

Studies of handedness has shown that at birth the child is ambidextrous Earlier it was believed that the child was born either right or left handed. It has been proved otherwise. During the first year of life the child uses both hands without any particular preference. In the second year usage of left and right is done shifting as the necessity occurs—for instance the proximity or the angle in which an activity has to be performed. Between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half years the child is ambidextrous using both hands with equal proficiency and frequency. The bilaterality is very marked at this stage. From the age of four to six years there is a preference to unilaterality or a predominant preference to using one or the other hand. Such preference can be observed in the speed, accuracy, strength and steadiness in the movements.

There are some advantages in being right handed.

1. learning is facilitated because many gadgets or other equipment are manufactured considering right handedness as normal.
2. Guidance and demonstration are meaningful (as demonstrators are right handed).
3. Skills are speedier and less fatiguing. Left handed people are handicapped by the lack of clarity when the demonstrations are by righthanded people.
4. Left handed people seem to be different in a group where the majority is right handed.
5. Left handed people seem to be different in a group where the majority is right handed. This can be a social handicap.
6. All this singly and collectively can affect the development of the integration in the personality.

Forcible attempts at changing the child’s handedness may result in psychological damage in great extent and duration. Certain conditions may be recorded as those which may reduce the extent of damage—the child’s inclination to change, the age of the child when such a change is attempted, the child’s experiencing an advantage in changing, the child’s personality development so far.

The educator’s contribution

While we accept these facts about the development of movement in a human person and the contributory nature of this in the total holistic development, it is but imperative that we acknowledge the same in the development during early childhood.

Childhood is the best period for this development because of various reasons. One being that the muscles are more pliable and muscular movements are not painful. Learning new things is not difficult for the child as he has no conflicts with previous learning. During the sensitive period for motor accomplishments there is an eagerness for making conquests of complex movements. Moreover the child enjoys repetition which is the basis of acquiring motor control in movement.

The question naturally arises about what we as educators should do in this respect. Realising the importance of directed movement in the well being of the person is, perhaps, the first step. This should lead to not restricting the movements of the child in any manner. Probably we should be encouraging the child to make his own attempts in a variety of movements. The importance of freedom of movement in the educational environment and in the home situation cannot be overemphasised. Self motivated movements build self confidence and self reliance. It will be necessary during the early trials at locomotion the child will neeed an understanding, non interfering protection from the adults.

Lack of adult superintendence does not deprive the child the ability or will power. Children learn to carry our actions as and when necessary and also learn to be motionless at appropriate moments. We, as educators, should supply the means of development for separate actions and also the liberty to make use of them. His inner sensibility will help use the actions at the right place at the right moment.

Movement is an essential feature of life. Education cannot be conceived of as a means of moderating or inhibiting it; education should aim to a better expenditure of energy, while normal development is allowed. Modification of movement is innate in children and is associated with differing proportions of the head and the body of the growing child. The postures of relaxation also vary accordingly. This needs to be understood.

Creating opportunities and providing stimulation for the child to perform well-directed movements will become necessary when the child starts co-ordination the leg and hand movements.

The adult will be well advised not to equate adult ideals to child life. Efficiency in adult life would direct to minimum effort for maximum results. In Child Life repetitive actions are performed until the control in effort and direction is achieved. Nature ensures that the child has the innate urge to repeat the actions. We should be capable of abetting such urges. It is often observed that the child stops or slows down repetition naturally when mastery over the particular action is achieved. Exerting maximum effort seems to be child nature.

The analysis of movements which form part of the presentation of exercises of practical life show that every complex action is made up of successive incidents quite distinct from one another. Trying to recognise and to execute them exactly and separately is analysis of movements. Analysis helps synthesis and vice versa.

Positive help is offered in analyzing our movements during our presentations of exercises of practical life. This goes a long way in helping the child in not only knowing what movements are to be made but also how and in what succession they have to be made. It also ensures that unnecessary movements are pruned off.

Choosing activities to be offered to the child in the realm of exercises of practical life must be done taking into consideration the possibility of making large, small and minute movements in isolation and combination. So also consideration is given to hand movements, leg movements and both in coordination.

The exercises of practical life are not regarded as gymnastics but work, Interest in the familiar work and variety in them combat fatigue. They serve the intelligence and help in the functional unity of the human personality. Movement in itself may seem a crude affair but with the desire of perfection its value increases. To initiate the children to perfection at this time of life when the sensitive age for movements is alive makes life immensely productive, educationally speaking, because the teacher is giving definite knowledge to people who are avid for it.

Activities like Walking on the line and Silence Activity go a long way in helping the child in the inhibition of movements in a controlled manner, Mastery in the movements is to be acquired in both the exercise and the control of movements. Economy in movements is the essence of grace in movements.

Offering motivation or stimulation to perform activities becomes part of the guidance given by the adults. It is not sufficient to offer stimulation verbally or otherwise but it will be essential for the adults to act in the same manner as the children should perform the movements in order to develop the control over movements. Living and acting models are offered in the teacher’s indirect presentations. Though teaching or acts of trial and error are accepted methods, imitation becomes the most effective assistance in motor development.

Though extreme caution and care is taken with regard to the presentation of movements in the exercises of practical life it is quite commonly noticed that this is not exercised in other group of activities, namely Language and Arithmetic activities which also need guidance in movement patterns to be acquired and stored in the muscular memory. (Writing and Recording)

Even after the sensitive period for acquiring mastery over complicated complex movement pattern fades off we continue to pay attention to the control of movements realizing the high educative value of having the capacity to perform well directed movements.

“Very often the educator can be the strongest obstacle in the child’s education on movement.” —Dr. Montessori. It may be worthwhile to contemplate on some of the psychological damages that can occur if the child does not receive proper conditions that he needs to develop his motor capacities and co-ordination. One of the main difficulties is termed as awkwardness in movements. “Studies in motor coordination in childhood have shown that the psychological damage of awkwardness is, in many respects, even greater than the physical.” Inferiority, jealousy with other children, resentment, dependance, boredom are some of the psychological impairments that have been indicated by awkwardness. Among many other causes cited as causes of awkwardness, lack of motor coordination or capability is the one which seems to be predominant. Certain reasons like excitement or rapid development period like adolescence may also be the reasons why awkwardness happens. But these are temporary and so does not affect the personality totally and does not leave psychological scars.

Perhaps the next time we are tempted to say “KEEP QUIET” or “CAN YOU NOT SIT STILL” to a child, it may be good to think of what movements can do to development.

Further reading:

For an overview of the Montessori method education visit http://indianmontessoricentre.org/tsep.0942/method/content.php.

To get a hang of the Montessori Philosophy visit the url http://indianmontessoricentre.org/tsep.0942/philosophy/overview.php.

And to know about the founder of Montessori method of education visit http://indianmontessoricentre.org/tsep.0942/maria_bio/maria_01.php.