The Four Planes of Development
“We must take man himself, take him with patience and confidence, across all the planes of education. We must put everything before him, the school, culture, religion, the world itself. We must help him to develop within himself that which will make him capable of understanding. It is not merely words, it is the labor of education. This will be a preparation for peace, for peace cannot exist without justice and without men endowed with a strong conscience and personality.”- Dr. Maria Montessori (Page 12, The Four Planes of Education).
This is one of my favourite quotes by Dr. Montessori. I feel like it encapsulates the true purpose of education, as she calls it- the labor of education. Our ultimate goal is a peaceful world, for which we need social justice. And this cannot happen without individuals who have a strong conscience and feel a deep connection with and sense of responsibility for the world.
So how do we get there? By starting at the beginning of course!
According to Dr. Montessori, every individual goes through four stages of development in childhood, each of which can be referred to as a type of ‘rebirth’. Each stage is different from the other, and can be compared to a metamorphosis.
All four stages are connected with one another and are dependent on each other. If there are gaps in any of these stages, the subsequent stages will be impacted and these gaps will always remain. What is acquired in the first three years in each stage is refined in the next three years.
Dr. Montessori says that children are born with limitless potential. The first plane of development is the period between birth to six years of age and is referred to as infancy. This is a creative and volatile period for children, which is marked by physical and biological independence. This stage lays the foundation for all that is to come next. Children learn to speak the language around them, as well as absorb and internalise the culturally appropriate human moments. They gradually move from dependency to independence during this period. During this time, they lay the foundations of their personality. They are sensorial explorers and natural learners- they use all senses to explore and discover the world around them. They have a strong desire and capability to acquire, a lot of which happens through social interaction. This also facilitates the acquisition of language, which is very critical during this time. Their special mind effortlessly absorbs all that is around them, helping in the process of adaptation to become part of the environment.
The second plane of development is between 6-12 years of age and is referred to as childhood. During this time, not many changes are observed. It is a relatively calm period with minimal physical as well as psychological changes, especially in comparison to the first plane. The task of the child in this plane is social adaptation and the role of the adult is to provide cosmic education, emphasising the connection between all the cultural elements in the world. The reasoning mind of the child ensures that they are an intellectual explorer during this time, with the adult only facilitating this development. Children at this time have strong ideas of right and wrong, and morality. Their reasoning mind wants to know ‘why?’.
The third plane of development between 12-18 years is called adolescence and is similar to the first plane again with lots of changes and creation. Psychological characteristics of this plane include empathy towards others which demonstrates the true nature of children. Their task becomes to establish their identity and awareness of self. They enjoy taking up responsibility and demonstrate strength of character. This stage is also marked by many physical changes. They seek for an identity and tend to ask questions such as ‘who am I in society?’ and ‘what is my role?’ Dr. Montessori recommended that these children live together in an Erd Kinder or farm school where they engage in communal work, instead of being in a classroom. She recommended that adults during this time need to show empathy to the children and understand that some of the characteristics that they display such as moodiness and isolation are not their true nature.
The fourth and final plane of development between 18-24 years is the stage of maturity without many changes and an overall calm period. If all other planes have gone well well, the children know what is their role in society and there are minimal challenges during this time. The child at this stage becomes a contributing member to society and enjoys harmonious living with all beings. They tend to ask the questions ‘how do I contribute to society?’ and ‘how do I give back?’.
Thus ends the stage of childhood with the adult now becoming a mature, positive, responsible, contributing member to society.
Did you know about the four planes of development? Isn’t it so fascinating? Just having this knowledge helps us understand, prepare for, and respond to our children’s needs accordingly.
