One of the wonderful things about the Montessori materials for math is that the students are able to revisit a materials in new ways. "The Montessori math materials will produce a much deeper kind of learning that will stretch the brain to its fullest potential" -–Michael Duffy "Math Works" (2008, p. 57).
This week, students are working with the racks and tubes, a long division material. The material focuses on the hierarchical families and each step of the division process can be observed. In upper elementary, students add recording the process as they go, which is a step towards abstraction. This group loves a challenge!
Fraction circles allow students to find equivalencies and rename fractions. In the picture, these students are trying to rename fractions so that they may add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators.
As they continue to grow their "mathematical mind" (Dr. Montessori), students experience brain growth through process and self discovery. It's wonderful to see their social growth through collaboration
"They simultaneously engage multiple areas of your child’s brain, including all four lobes of her cerebrum. Her occipital lobe sees the colors and shapes of the materials. Her temporal lobe takes in the auditory cues that accompany their use and triggers memory associations. Her parietal lobe is engaged in the purposeful movement of the materials. And her frontal lobe provides the problem- solving processing to put all the sensory input together and find a solution to the problem. The simultaneous activation of all four lobes creates a multiplicity of neural connections and builds a network in your child’s brain.” -- Michael Duffy, "Math Works" (2008, p. 55)
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