As a foundation for writing and arithmetic the child has learnt (in a cognitive fashion), “concrete” experiences through the sensorial and practical life lesson activities. These are a vital precedent to beginning Maths activities as they introduce size and dimension through the senses.
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All these early sensorial and practical life activities which have brought order into the child’s mind, would be wasted were they not firmly established by means of written (abstract) language and of (abstract) figures, and this is described as the process of moving from “concrete” to “abstract”.
Once this process is established via the Montessori Method, the child is open to an unlimited field for future education. What we have done, therefore, is to introduce the child to “abstract” concepts through the a process of “concrete” cognition.
By contrast, in mainstream schooling methods we try to teach abstract concepts not yet grounded by relevant concrete experiences, and these “concrete” experiences and the progression of then into the “abstract” are an absolutely vital foundation to enable a child to progress to abstract learning in the first instance.
Similar to the process of building a house, by applying the Montessori Method in Maths, we establish a firm foundation first, to prevent the house from being structurally weak over time, even if the house appears all in order from the outside.
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