COSMIC EDUCATION
How does one satisfy but not diminish the child’s mind? How does one bring order to vast knowledge? How does one capitalise on the child’s imaginative tendencies? How does one facilitate moral enquiry? To meet these fundamental needs of the primary child Maria Montessori developed the concept of "Cosmic Education".
"Since it has been ... necessary to give so much to the child, let us give him a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions.... All things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. The idea helps the mind of the child to become focused, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied having found the universal centre of himself with all things." (Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential).
Cosmic education presents the universe as operating to a predetermined design in which all life, including humanity, has a part to play. Cosmic education allows children to develop a sense of awe and gratitude for the universe, their role in humanity and the work of people who came before them. Cosmic education begins with the story of the universe, through which the child sees the inter-relationship of all things. When the child is presented with the story of the universe, an overview, a set of first principles is established. This provides a context for the study of details. Studies are integrated and related to the whole. Different subjects are considered as interconnected, and are presented as such. For instance the history of Egypt is tied to the Nile, to geography, to art, to writing, to geometry - as in the 3-4-5 triangle used to survey following the floods - to flora and fauna and to papyrus, the writing paper used to record the history which was the point where we entered the chain.
Cosmic education provides a framework for all studies - subjects covered include mathematics, geometry, language, history, geography, biology, botany and science. Art, craft and music are also included in the program, and the child uses computers for research and presentation. Excursions which take the child out of his or her familiar environment into a variety of settings in the surrounding community are an essential means of learning for the child and are therefore an integral element in the program at this stage of development.
The Primary years are a great period of expansion, consolidation and intellectual growth. Having acquired a sound grasp of the basics in preschool, children are now ready and willing to acquire culture and to discover the world and their place in it. Their thirst for knowledge is such that by age 12 they will have been introduced to many of the areas of study usually reserved for the secondary years.
Astronomy to Geology Cosmic Tasks
Long ago, the sciences were taught in conjunction with the study of human life. This changed radically with the discovery, by Copernicus, that the Earth is not the centre of the universe—science and religion going their separate ways. This break has lasted till today.
Dr. Montessori pointed out that every element in our world has some important task to perform, a task that will fulfil a need for itself, and in the process—contribute to the need of others. She took the common mollusc as an example. As it draws calcium carbonate out of the seas to build its protective coating, its house or shell, it at the same time reduces the level of this substance from sea water. If the level of this mineral were high enough it would poison all life on earth. This work is the cosmic task of the mollusc.
The lowly common fly, as another example, lays its eggs on dead creatures and its offspring devour the tissues, feeding themselves, and at the same time ridding the environment of dead matter, that would otherwise pile up and pollute the earth: the cosmic task of the fly.
An artist, in fulfilling an inner command to express through paints a feeling that must get out and can be expressed in no other way, brings beauty and/or meaning to others sometimes throughout generations. This is the cosmic task of the artist. We can all discover a cosmic task if we try.
Children explore first the cosmic task of the elements found on Earth and active during the formation of the Earth's crust, then the way living creatures provide for their own needs as they contribute to the well-being of others, and finally humans. As a result of this process a child realizes that he or she also has an important part to play in life.
From the General to the Specific, From the Simple to the Complex
As in all areas of the primary curriculum, Earth Sciences—physics, chemistry, etc., begin with the overview and progress to details. The child learns the functioning of the galaxies, the universe, then solar systems, the formation of Earth, seasons, natural wonders, the weather, rocks and minerals, etc. As he learns about the discoveries in the past he participates in present discovery by means of experiments and research in all areas.
Beginning at age six, physics, chemistry, geography, and so on are introduced and continue until the end of the Cycle 3 class at age twelve.
Older children often come to lessons given to the younger children, and younger children are welcome at lessons given to their elders. Each year the child sees more interrelatedness between these areas because lessons and experiments are going on all the time at all levels. This annual repetition leads to deeper understanding as the child incorporates his own experience each time.
Because the child at this age is very interested in using his imagination, we also give him the mythology of the world by which humans have explained natural laws. He develops language skills by the study and written expression of this work, and math and geometry come alive as tools to measure these discoveries.
Lab Manuals
Children can keep records, in journals, each in their own way, of the work in this area. The scientific method of recording experiments follows a traditional format: selecting an experiment, gathering materials, following the steps to test the hypothesis, observing, and recording the results.
Timelines
Timelines are used in all areas of the primary curriculum. For an interesting timeline, make a long strip of cloth or paper, marking the years in the billions, millions, thousands—like the markings on a ruler—from the beginning of earth's creation to the present.
Next figure out for how long there have been plants and animals and colour this part of the timeline one colour. Then mark, with another colour, the length of time humans have been here. This is a powerful image for children, or adults. Timelines can be made for all different subjects, tracing the history of the natural world, the development of the mapping of the earth, the discovery of elements, and so forth.
The Arts
The arts play a large part of every area of the primary studies. Models, plays enacting historical dramas such as the measurement of the earth, songs, artwork, there is no end to possibilities