Maria Montessori’s Four Planes of development

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“Maria Montessori’s Four Planes of Development”
Montessori’s planes of development involve the holistic framework which encompasses human development right from birth to maturity perhaps at the age of 24. It considers various aspects of a child’s spiritual, moral, emotional and academic development. Traditionally, it is assumed that human development is perfectly linear such that a person learns more and more every year until they reach maturity, knowing what there is to know. However, Dr. Montessori has a different view. She argues that development is not perfectly linear (Prowant N.p). Instead, learning occurs in cycles such that there are valleys and peaks as represented in the chart below. Every plane has distinctive development objectives, and the child will develop specific abilities or sensitivities at every stage to meet these objectives.

Figure 1: Four Planes of Development
Each plane typically starts anew, bringing a new set of behaviors, characteristics, and needs. While reaching its peak, a plane starts to recede, preparing for the transition to a new stage. Montessori referred to this as the “constructive rhythm of life.” The stage sensitivity will guide the development and also determine the movement rhythm through the planes. As much as the planes are distinct, there is an aspect of parallelism between these four planes. The first and the third planes (early childhood and adolescence stage) are known as the most creative and dynamic stages.

On the contrary, the second plane and fourth plane are more calm and stable stages of development. As much as the creative stages of the second plane and fourth plane may not be dramatic, a person’s personality is still forming. The first and the second planes represent the years of childhood while the third and the fourth planes represent the passage to adulthood. The infancy stage (first plane) is for the formation/creation of a person while the childhood (second plane) stage is for the development of the person. The adolescent stage (third plane) also brings another creation while the fourth plane develops this creation. It is vital to note that each plane has two sub-phases which last for about three years and parallel to the creation and development movement. The first three years are for creation while the last three years are meant for development/crystallization.
It is argued that the most vital time of human development is the first plane because it is when a child is creating his/her self (Prowant n.p). It is the age of 0-3 where the foundation is laid for the child’s personality, likes, dislikes and quirks among others. It is characterized by the development of absolute mind and individual character. It is also the time when the child organizes herself/himself physically and also learns to crawl, speak, and walk. Therefore, thinking of it this way, Montessori argues that a parent should, therefore, not blame their kids for being egocentric. A child at this stage has an absorbent mind. The child soaks up everything about his/her world just like a sponge, without any effort. It is the unconscious and absorbent mind. The enormous learning tasks are made more manageable through this sensitive period.
Based on Montessori’s Four Planes of Development, a child is quite unique at each development stage hence needs different conditions to thrive. Its plane brings with identifiable physical and mental characteristics thus the child’s environment needs to change in response to these characteristics. However, as much as every plane consists of unique need as well as characteristics, every plane depends on the previous one.

Work Cited
Prowant, Anne. “Montessori Philosophy Explained: The Planes Of Development.” Stepping Stones Montessori School. N.p., 2015. Web. 22 June 2018.