Introduction to Mathematics

The human tendencies, order, exactness, repetition, and abstraction exist in all human beings. Montessori said this is a propensity for the mind to think mathematically. The goal is to first introduce the concept through the child’s senses then through her intellect. The result will be the abstraction of a concept. The same is true for the math materials, after lots of work with the math materials sensorially the language is than given. We do not want to start with abstraction or symbols. Math materials involve logical sequencing. Math has many concrete materials to encourage exploration and practice. Presentations (lessons) follow the pattern of simple to complex and general to specific. One concept is given at a time and the guide does not move on until the concept is understood. Each new material is built upon the previous isolation of difficulty. The first three groups of math deal with grouping, number and quantity. The first group is focused on the numbers one through ten. The second group is the introduction to the decimal system. While the third group is focused on the teens and tens. A general pattern is followed; the child is first given a concrete experience in quantity so the child can manipulate the objects and count orally. For example the number rods, the child is able to physically manipulate each one and is than able to show what each one is, “this is one”. We then give lots of practice through exercises, next the guide gives the symbol for the spoken language already mastered. Lastly, the child associates the quantity and the symbol together.