SB Online Academy: PMC Module 3 Exercise Of Sensorial Development Solved assignment |Early Childhood (3-6) | Pakistan Montessori Council

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SHAHER BANO

PMC Module 3 Exercise Of Sensorial Development Solved assignment |Early Childhood (3-6) | Pakistan Montessori Council | SB Online Academy

PMC Module 3 Exercise Of Sensorial Development Solved assignment

Assignment Module 3

Write answers in your own words. Your answers should be at least 2 typed pages or 3 handwritten pages. Please don’t forget to write your name and roll number on each page of the assignment.

Q1: Write a comprehensive note on the importance of sensorial exercises.

Answer No 1

In our lives senses play an important role. They are the source of connect ion to the environment through which outside information passes into the mind. The word sensorial is derived from the word sense. It refers to the sensation that a sense send a signal to the brain at the time of receiving a stimulus from the environment . Sensorial exercises are those exercises which sharper the ability to use the senses and able the child to concentrate on the refinement of all his senses.

Importance of Sensorial Exercises:

Sensorial exercises are very important for children. The child needs to acquire clear, conscious information that one can perceive from environment. So, the sensorial exercise are very important to get better abilities to use the senses in order. They also help broaden and refine a child’s senses during sensitive periods. It helps them to become more logical .

The old common belief that our senses are fully developed as soon as we are born is discarded. Modern research proved that though a new born baby can see , hear, feel, smell and taste but the ability to use the senses is very poor. The modern research proved that that ability to use our senses develops during the first six years of life as the nervous system also developing at this time periods.

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that sensorial experiences began at birth .through his senses the child studies and observe his environment and then began to understand his environment very well.

In Montessori, there is provided a proper environment to utilize and refine the senses which are helpful for children development. The child has inner urge to explore this world through using their five senses. In Montessori, Sensorial exercises have materials and activities related to the function of five senses for example to discriminate the size, color, shape and patterns etc. Many children have reversal problems and get mixed up between “b” and “d” and “p” and “b” and claim that they are look the same. The point which needs to be understand that basic thing is to learn the ability to distinguish line, shape and position in space first. Sensorial exercises help the

children in development and have a great influence on intelligence and ability to read, write and do anything. Without our senses, our mind would not have any way to receive any information at all. Our potential for development , learning and success is tied to our perceptual development and our ability to use our senses is related to our early experience. Lack of proper early experience limits future possibilities.

Senses are categories in eights groups due to the size, shape matching, weight, texture , loudness and softness, composition and temperature etc.

· Visual Sense: Visual exercises are very important part of Montessori sensorial training program. Through these exercises the child learn to develop his ability to discriminate between objects having similar shapes and color but varying in length, width, height or thickness etc. No use of the visual sense led to no development at all.

· Auditory sense: The child can differentiate between different sounds through auditory sense exercises. Through practicing these exercises child can improve their sense of hearing .

· Tactile sense: In the tactile sense exercises, the child learns through his sense of touch. “Although the sense of touch is spread throughout the surface of the body, the Exercises given to the children are limited to the tips of the fingers and to those of the right hand.” This able the child to focus on what he is feeling, through a concentration of small part of his body.

· Baric Sense: In this exercise, child learn to sense the difference of pressure or weight of different objects. This sense is sharp through the use of a band or of closing your eyes.

· Thermic Sense: In this exercise child works to enhance his sense of temperature.

· Stereo gnostic Sense: Stereo gnostic sense is the combination of tactile sense and muscular memory. It is the sense to recognize an object just by feeling it. With Stereo gnostic exercises children are challenged to try to guess an object by feeling it with their hands without seeing. Stereo gnostic exercises include Sorting Trays and Mystery Bags.

· Olfactory Sense: Children love activities that involve development of their senses of smell. In these kind of exercises children show great interest while exploring different smells. In these exercises substance may consist of Dry or Liquid.

Dry Substance: sweet smelling herbs, lemon or orange rind, dried lavender and spices.

Liquid Substance: Vanilla or other cooking essence, vinegar, perfume and rose water.

· Gustatory Sense; The sense of taste playa a very vital role in our lives and provide vital information for survival. In Gustatory sense exercises taste may be bitter, sour, salty or sweet.

Through these exercises, the child enable to adjust in all kind of circumstances .

Q2: What is stereo gnostic sense and how can we develop it?

Answer No 2

Stereo gnostic sense is the combination of tactile sense and muscular memory. It is the sense to recognize the object just by touching or feeling it. The stereo gnostic sense refers to the ability to identify objects and discriminate between different sizes, shape, texture and weight based on touch alone, without seeing them. The exercises include also movement of the hand and arm around the object, creating an impression of movement as added to the sense of touch, resulting in what is known as muscular memory.

v How to develop Stereognostic Sense:

The development of the stereognostic sense is an important part of the child’s work in the sensorial area. It is also important as of any other senses. Stereognostic sense allows the child to discriminate size and shape through the use of touch. The use of this sense allows the child to have a mental picture through the use of touch and movement. Once the child knows how to feel the object in the hand and is familiar with it, the objects are then used with the blindfold. In addition to using our sense of touch to determine texture and weight, our sense of touch can also provide information about size and shape.

Some exercises that can helpful to enhance this sense including Sorting Trays, Mystery Bags, Geometric Solids, puzzle Maps and Sandpaper Globe. The directress should perform all the activities in front of the child herself first and then invite the children to do. The stereo gnostic activities are first done with open eyes and then by using blindfold. But try not to force children to use blindfold. By doing very simple but interesting exercises that can start developing strong stereo gnostic sense.

· Sorting Trays:

A tray having four or more saucers. Each saucer contains different kind of grains, seeds, beans, peas or rice etc separately. Another tray of same quantity of saucer but empty. Child first check s all these things by their hands and feels them. And then put each item in the second tray’s saucer separately. Then child closes his/her eyes or used blindfold. Again feel the same items , named it and then put it into the second tray. Then open his eyes and sees how perfectly he/she done. It can also be done by changing this exercise as by mixing all these items in one bowl and child needs to separate them in different saucers.

· Mystery Bags:

A bag that has a drawstring to hide the contents . Fill that bag with amazing 10-20 small things, well known by the children but different from each other such as a key, a cotton ball, a pine cone, a button, a small basket etc and anything else you find interesting. Child look all these objects , feel them by touching with hands and introduce names of each item. Then close his/her eyes or used blindfold, put his/her hand in the bag , feels the object and named it and then take it out from the bag. Open his/her eyes and sees what it is.

· Puzzle Maps:

A puzzle map of Pakistan and a Globe. Let’s take the puzzle map of Pakistan , where puzzle are divided in provinces. Show the child a globe and the complete map of Pakistan. Show the child where is Pakistan in the globe. After that put the glob aside. Focus on puzzle. Child point out the outline of each province and name the province. Slowly and carefully put all pieces of puzzles one by one back into the puzzle.

· Geometric Solids:

Arrange a large basket enough to contain ten geometric wooden solids in blue. A triangular prism, A rectangular prism, A cube, A cylinder, A sphere, an ovoid, A cone, An ellipsoid, A triangular pyramid, A square pyramid..

Have the child choose 3 to 4 solids. Place these in a separate basket and cover with a cloth. Reach your hand under the scarf, feel one of the solid underneath, and say out loud what solid you believe you have in your hands. Take out the solid from under the cloth to reveal the solid you have. Work in this manner until the child can place the cloth over all the solids and still feel and guess correctly.

Allow the children to try as many times as they want to. Don’t force a child to do it. However , the teacher should see that everyone who wants to try does get the opportunity to do so. These are great group and individual exercises that children can play anywhere.

· Sandpaper Globe:

You will require a world globe for this exercise where the land areas are covered with sandpaper while the water areas are painted blue. Let the child hold the globe and call its name. Allow him/her to identify and clearly name the different areas on the globe as being either land or water areas.

Q3: Write a note on Three Period - Lesson and Memory Games.

Answer No 3

v Three Period – Lesson:

The purpose of Three Period _ lesson is used for teaching new words to the children. The related vocabulary of a material is given after the child has mastered using it. The directress aim should be not only teach children the names of the material but also their qualities: Positive, Comparative and Superlative. The Three Period _ Lesson are as follows:

· Naming period , First period: The directress will arrange three objects with clearly distinctive features and place them out on a mat. She will then proceed to touch and feel the objects, encouraging the children to do the same to get a sense of familiarity, followed by putting them back in their place. She then subsequently places her fingertip on each object and clearly identifies it by its name, repeating the name – calling exercise once more to reinforce. For example

Positive: This is a big cube.

Comparative: This cube is bigger than this.

Superlative : This cube is the biggest.

· Recognition and Association period, Second period: After the exercise of naming the objects, the directress now effectively tests the students by asking them to identify the objects by their name by calling out the names of each object and requesting them to point at the relevant object. For example

Positive; Show me big cube..

Comparative: Show me the bigger cube than this.

Superlative: Show me the biggest cube from all of them.

· Pronouncing period, Third period: When the directress is sure that child has learned and is capable of identifying the object, she proceeds to challenge the child to name the object itself on their own..She may do this , for example, by pointing at the object and asking the child what its name is. For example

Positive: What is this?

Comparative: Which is the bigger?

Superlative : which is the biggest?

v Memory Games:

Memory games are to be introduced to the children when the children interest in the materials is waning and to bring new interest to the material the child already know very well. These games could also be shown to bring the older to revisit the material and can be given before or after the language given, depending on the game itself. And finally the games help the children make classification before moving on to another piece of material.

Example of these games are :

1. Matching at a distance:

The directress places two different tables or mats at a distance. She then puts a pair of similar materials on each of the tables/mats. The directress then select one of the pairs, allowing the child to hold and feel it. Finally she asked the child to fetch the matching pairs from the other table/mat and repeat this exercise until all the items have been matched against each other.

2. Grading from a distance:

(A) From an Extreme : Once two tables or mats have been placed at a distance from one another, place the grading materials at random on one of the mats/tables. Pick up one of the extreme (for example the largest cube in the pink Tower), and place it on the other mat/table. Then have the child bring over to the second mat, the next size up. Work you up to the smallest cube.

(B) From a Point: Once two tables / mats have been placed at a distance from one another, place the grading materials at random on one of the mats/table. Pick up one of the piece near the middle ( for example one of the middle sized cube in the Pink Tower), and placed it on the mat/table. Then have the child bring to the other mat the next size up or down.

3. Stereo gnostic Games:

This game is to be done in a group. The directress make the students sit around a mat in a circular formation, As she hands out the material (for example one cube of the Pink Tower to each child). The children hold the cube behind their backs and feel them . The directress then asks for the largest cube to be placed on the mat. By feeling their cube, the children are being asked to feel for the recognition of the size of the cubes. The directress then continues asking for certain cube working the biggest cube to the smallest cube, until all the cubes have been placed on the mat.

4. Material to the Environment:

After a mat has been rolled out , place the color tablets onto the mat at random. The directress can point to one of the colors or shades and ask the child to find something in the environment of that same color or shade. Repeat for all of the colors or all of the shades of color.

5. Environment to the Material:

This is a similar game to the above, but this game, the child will be asked to find the piece of material that is closest to something specific in the environment. After a mat has been rolled out, place the red rods or the color tablets random onto the mat. The directress will then show the child something in the environment, for example a leaf or the length of a table, and ask the child to find color tablet closest to the color of leaf or the rod closest to the length of the table.

Q4: Explain all exercises briefly in chapter 4.1 Exploring Dimension , Make illustrations/diagrams and mention vocabulary also.

Answer No 4:

Exploring Dimension are visual exercises and are very important part of sensorial development. In this group of exercise children learn to develop their ability to discriminate between objects having shapes and colors similar but varying in length, width, height or thickness.

Exercises:

(1) The cylinder Blocks:

(a) Materials: Four lightly varnished wooden blocks each containing ten cylinders. The cylinders vary in size in a regular way. Each cylinder has a wooden knob to hold it by.

Blocks difference

Block 1: The diameter increases from 1cm to 5.5cm.. The height remains constant at 5.5cm.

Block 2: The diameter increases from 1cm to 5.5 cm . The height increases from 1cm to5.5cm

Block 3: The diameter increases from 1cm to 5.5cm. The height decreases from 1cm to 5.5cm.

Block 4: The diameter remains the same. The height increases from 1cm to 5.5cm.

(a) Exercise: The directress starts by removing the knob of the first cylinder gently and quietly putting it on the table, repeating this until all knobs are removed. She then selects the largest knob and place it back into its respective hole quietly. After she is done, she will ask the children to repeat the exercise, then moving to Block 2, 3 and 4 as they progress.

(b) Vocabulary:

Block 1:

· Big, Small

· Big, bigger, biggest

· Small, smaller, smallest

Block 2:

· Deep, Shallow

· Deep, deeper, deepest

· Shallow, shallower, shallowest

Block3:

· Thick, Thin

· Thick, thicker, thickest

· Thin, thinner, thinnest

Block 4:

· Tall, Short

· Tall, taller, tallest

· Short, shorter, shortest

(1) Pink Tower:

(a) Materials: The material consist of ten wooden cubes varying in size from 1cubic centimeter to 1 cubic decimeter and pale pink in color.

(a) Exercise: The directress spreads out a mat on the floor. She picks up the largest cube and brings it closer to the cubes and analyses the relative sizes of the cubes. She then puts the biggest one on the mat and look for the cube a size smaller than it to place it next to it. She repeats the same down to the smallest cube. She then motion her hands from the biggest to the smallest to reinforce the idea of the tower gradually becoming narrower.

(b) Vocabulary:

· Cube

· Large, Small

· Large, larger, largest

· Small, smaller, smallest

(1) The Broad Stairs:

(a) Materials: The material consist of ten brown wooden prism. All the prisms have the same length 20cm but varying in height and width from 1cm to 10cm.

(b) Exercise: The directress spread out a mat on the floor and mixes the prisms on it such that they do not touch each other . She picks up the largest prism and holds it against the others to compare and ensure that she is indeed holding the largest and thickest one. She then places it towards the far left side of the mat such that the squared side faces towards her. She follows by looking for the second largest and thickest prism, bring it closer to the largest and places it next to it such that there is no space between the two. She continues by repeating the exercise until all the prism are arranged in the same way according to their size.

(c) Vocabulary:

· Prism

· Broad, Narrow

· Broad, broader, broadest

· Narrow, narrower, narrowest

(2) The Long Rods:

(a) Materials: Ten wooden rods of constant height and width. The length increase by ten centimeters from the shortest rod which is 1 decimeter , to the longest one, which is 1 meter.

(b) Exercise: The directress places a large mat on the floor and arranges the rods randomly on the mat, without the shortest near the longest for visual contrast. She looks for the shortest rod and places it in the lower left corner and double checks for reinforcement that she does indeed have the shortest rod. She continues to do this, going from the shortest rod to the longest until the stair has been completed.

(c) Vocabulary:

· Long, Short

· Long, longer, longest

· Short, shorter, shortest

(1) The Knobbles Cylinders:

(a) Materials: Four sets of 10 cylinders, each of a different color, Yellow cylinders vary in height and diameter (the widest cylinder is also the tallest), Green cylinder vary in height and diameter( however, opposite to yellow so that the widest cylinder is also the shortest), Red cylinder vary in diameter and blue cylinder vary in height.

(b) Exercise: The directress arrange a table/mat. She teaches the child how to open the lid of the cylinder boxes and places all the cylinders on the table/mat randomly. She picks up the largest cylinder, compares it with others and puts it on the centre of the table/mat. She then takes the cylinder that is one size shorter from the previous and carefully places it on top of the former, aligning it properly so it rests perfectly on top of it. She continues this until she has placed all the cylinders on top of each other and the tower has been built.

(c) Vocabulary:

Yellow Box:

· Large, Small

· Large, larger, largest

· Small, smaller, smallest

Red Box:

· Thick, Thin

· Thick, thicker, thickest

· Thin, thinner, thinnest

Green Box:

No vocabulary

Blue Box:

· Tall, Short

· Tall, taller, tallest

· Short, shorter, shortest

Q5: How does Montessori program help to develop Tactile Sense?

Answer No 5

Tactile Senses refer to the child’s ability to perceive the world through touch and from a sense of understanding about it. Children are hand_ minded and they find it irresistible to explore with their sense of touch and are always desiring to touch. Therefore it is important to help refine this sense by encouraging them actively but safely explore objects around them through touch and attribute qualities to them by using descriptive words/adjectives, for example this object is hot or cold.

Tactile exercises are classified into four division are as following:

· Exploring Texture: Touch Board, Touch Tablets, Touch the Fabrics etc.

· Exploring Weight: Baric Tablets.

· Exploring Temperatures: Thermic Bottles, Thermic Tablets etc.

· Exercises of Stereognostic Sense: Sorting Trays and Mystery Bags.

(1) Exploring Texture:

Touch Tablet: Arrange a blindfold or black glasses, a box containing five pairs of wooden tablets with varying degrees of roughness . Take out two or three pairs with greater contrast and place them on the table before mixing them. Sensitize fingertips and have the child sit to your left. Follow by picking up one tablet at a time as you feel it in your hand by gently stroking it and then put it aside and tell the child “ I am going to find the tablet which is similar to this” Feel the first board and then the second board. Continue with same manner until all the tablets have been matched.

Mixed up the tablets and allow the child to match .Practice first with eyes open an then blindfold.

This exercise helps a child develop the tactile sense of differentiating between rough and smooth. The addition of the blindfold additionally helps refine and sharpen individual sense..They also learn the names of the objects as well as their qualities/adjectives through the Three period Lesson, improving upon their vocabulary as well, like rough, rougher, roughest or smooth, smoother, smoothest.

(2) Exploring Weight:

Baric Tablets: First arrange a blindfold and three boxes with six polished wooden tablets in each. Each set must be a different weight, color and wood from the other, however their shape and size must be the same. Bring two boxes on the table which contain the heaviest and lightest tablets. The directress then shows the child how to hold the tablet in the palm of their hand, making sure their hands are not stiff. She continues by feeling the heaviest tablet in her own hand and then lets the child repeat the act. When it is clear that the student is able to handle on their own. Repeat the exercise with blindfold this time.

This exercise helps the child develop the tactile sense of differentiating between different weights as well as for complex skills they will need in the future for mathematics . They also learn the names of the objects as well as that of their qualities/adjectives through Three Period Lesson, improving vocabulary as well , including words like heaviest and lightest.

(1) Exploring Temperature:

Thermic Bottles: The directress needs to arrange four pairs of metal containers, each containing water at various temperature as follows:

· Bottle Pair 1: 37 degree (Room Temperature)

· Bottle Pair 2: 27 degree ( with tap water)

· Bottle Pair 3: 17 degree ( with refrigerated water)

· Bottle Pair 4: 47 degree( with warm water)

The directress then takes out each pair of bottle at a time and feels it for herself as well as lets the child feel it, after which she communicated to the child how she will attempt to find a bottle with the same temperature. She then lines up the bottles and allows the children to feel for their temperature, repeating the same with each set . Finally, she mixes them all and allows the child to do it independently, assigning as when needed.

This exercise helps the child to develop the tactile sense of differentiating between degrees of temperature based on touch and feel which can be helpful for many instance in practical life. Also learn the names of the objects as well as their qualities through three period lesson. Including words cold, colder, coldest and hot, hotter, hottest.

(2) Exercise of Stereo gnostic Sense:

Mystery Bags: The directress will arrange a bag with a drawstring to hide the contents inside. She will fill the bag with a variety of exciting things like pebbles, feathers, colorful ribbings, miniature cars, marbles and keys chains etc. She will allow the child to observe and feel these items as she introduces them one by one, followed by asking the child to close their eyes or blindfold , again repeating the exercise of feelings the objects in their hand and attempting to identify what it is. First with open eyes and then with blindfold and see if they guessed right.

This exercise helps the child to refine their tactile stereo gnostic sense of differentiating between different objects based on their shape and size. They also learn the names of the objects as well as their degrees through three period lesson.

Q6: Prepare material of Smell Bottles and Mystery Bag and send it along with your assignment paper.

SMELL BOTTLES