Many people believe that Montessori cultural education does not involve art, or does not pay attention to art. In fact, the artistic imagination and creativity displayed by children in Montessori schools are amazing, but this achievement is not achieved through classroom teaching in the usual sense, with teachers guiding children to practice a lot of techniques. It exactly reflects the core views of Montessori's art education -

First, any education should be child-centered, not adults. Let children become active learners;

Second, prepare a well-prepared environment for children so that they can complete self-education.

Third, sensory education is the foundation, and everything starts with perception.

Montessori believes that human beings’ various intelligence and physical abilities develop by adapting to the environment. Children’s psychological development is the process of them actively absorbing the environment. “Children use everything around him to shape himself". During the period when children have absorptive minds, provide them with a prepared environment so that they can absorb a large amount of beneficial ingredients in the prepared environment. This is the guiding ideology of Montessori art education.

Following this idea, based on children's interests and intrinsic needs, and based on children's natural development, we provide children with a relaxed, free and harmonious art learning environment where children can operate, experience and create. , grow into a person with personality, independent thinking, perception of beauty, and artistic creativity.

(1) Enter a higher spiritual realm.

Art, with its distinctive personality, abundant emotions, and strong appeal, enables children to enter a higher spiritual realm and become a person with noble sentiments. Art education plays a particularly important role in cultivating and improving people's emotions. In the process of art appreciation and art creation, children can freely stretch their inner emotions, which helps to build a healthy and complete personality.

Science can make people become technical experts, and art has a comprehensive impact on people's wisdom and soul. This impact touches every corner of the human spirit. Through art, children re-understand the world from a higher level, including their natural environment, social culture, and psychological world, and form their own aesthetic and value judgments.

(2) Let children be themselves

Montessori believes that the goal of education is to "stimulate life and let every child become himself". Under this goal, The contribution of artistic activities is self-evident. "Children will achieve the goals of their talents through free creation."

Through artistic activities with full freedom, children are encouraged to perceive and express their inner thoughts, rather than being influenced by other people’s thoughts; children are encouraged to create and express their individuality, rather than having to compete with teachers or Like others, let the child truly become himself and build a gradually stronger inner strength.

(3) Develop thinking ability

Various artistic activities are conducive to the development of children's movements, sensory systems and spatial abilities, including concentration, understanding and expression, and imagination. , the development of various abilities including creativity.

The content of art teaching should not be limited by rigid classroom formats. Whether it is art creation, manual work, music or dance, the following principles of art enlightenment education must be followed.

Principle 1: Build an environment with artistic temperament

Montessori believes that the environment itself is the most important art education. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to provide children with a colorful, beautiful and culturally rich living environment, allowing them to experience and perceive, while developing the skills they need.

Montessori is a pioneer and advocate of environmental aesthetics. She believes that the aesthetics, taste, and balance of the environment play an important role in the development of children. In the early environment where children grow up, it is advisable to adopt simple and elegant space decoration, beautifully arranged and carefully selected works of art, and use equipment and teaching aids with exquisite, coordinated and attractive shapes and colors. Such an environment can educate children. That is the best aesthetic education.

Montessori said: “If we are based on scientific principles and think about the most suitable place for human life, it will be the place for art.

Therefore, kindergartens must have a sense of beauty... A kindergarten with a beautiful environment and rich spirit will guide children's spirits toward beauty and calm their tired hearts." "Appropriate interior decoration will not only not distract children who are concentrating on work, but also It can guide children towards beautiful things and achieve the effect of calming down tired psychology. This is the same as the church that helps people calm down and meditate, unifies all beauty, inspires genius, and produces supreme inspiration. ”

Imitations of some great works, such as prints, cards, or displays in books, or music, or reading and telling stories, can stimulate the recognition and understanding of beauty in children of all ages; we can These art materials are placed in the child's environment or entered into the work area and become operable art cards; good children's books, such as excellent picture books, are also good materials for children to perceive art; in the environment, courses and activities The music played is an important way for children to cultivate music and art, and it must be carefully selected.

In addition, the more important factors in children's environment are people, parents and teachers. At heart, he is obsessed with the beauty in life and nature. If he likes photography, likes doing handicrafts, playing with small objects, likes collecting, likes singing or dancing, and likes playing an instrument, then such a person will take his children to live and nature. To feel, discover, and create, allowing children to use their imaginations, is the best example for the development of children's aesthetic and artistic abilities.

In the field of art, the environment is far more nurturing than anything else. This kind of curriculum is much more powerful. Children who grow up in an artistic environment will have different temperaments, sensitivities, and aesthetic levels.

Principle 2: Art comes from richness.

When talking about art, we tend to think of those works of art that amaze us, but we often ignore the art that exists around us. It’s not just limited to classrooms and art galleries. The architecture of the city, the decoration of the rooms, the food we enjoy, and the natural environment we live in all permeate with the atmosphere of art. Children’s first task is to learn to understand and appreciate us. Art in life.

Montessori said: "The closer art is to reality, the more perfect it is." She believes that art for children is to learn to appreciate and appreciate the art in our lives. And master the skills required for artistic creation, and what teachers and parents have to do is to help and assist children to find those beautiful things. “Have a pair of eyes that can discover beauty, a pair of hands that can turn waste into treasure, and a pair of hands that can perceive. The soul of this world. ”

Rich experiences are the source of inspiration for artistic creation. The richer the emotions, longings, and impulses generated in the heart, the more a person will be full of artistic creativity. When children enter life, they have reality If you feel touched and have the desire to express, you will naturally create. A person without perception cannot become an art creator. Therefore, if we want our children to have certain development or literacy in art, we first need to do so. Cultivate children to love life and have a sense of beauty.

We must not separate art from other aspects of life. The most important thing is to help children have the soul of an artist - something that can be captured. Art scattered in life.

Principle 3: Encourage individualized free expression and reduce adult guidance and evaluation

Artistic expression is a highly personal matter, and it should not be There is a unique and correct evaluation standard. A good art enlightenment teacher will focus on guiding children's individual expression, encourage them to follow their inner feelings, encourage free creation, remove stereotyped requirements, and reduce adult judgment in the field of art. In teaching, teachers do not need to be art masters. What is more important is to prepare the environment, lead children to experience art, and allow free creation.

For example, compared to the so-called art that is mainly based on imitation. Courses and free graffiti are the best ways to stimulate children's art development. Compared with collective creations or models made by teachers, children's spontaneous creations are more meaningful to them.

The quality of the child's final work is not important. What is important is the process of learning and application. It is through the hands-on manipulation of these materials that children improve their self-creation abilities - tearing, cutting, pasting, coloring, painting, and playing. Clay, paper, wire, string and paper mache models to create kinetic works and sculptures.

Principle 4: Provide convenient and diverse creative materials

Taking art enlightenment as an example, in a Montessori environment, it is very important to prepare a great art area. Necessary. Here are all the things children need for free creation for them to use freely: certain tools, including brushes, paints, easels, drawing board clips, picture frames, cardboard, scissors, paper cutters, tool boxes, etc. Various papers, various materials that can be used to create. Creation can be done anywhere, not limited to the drawing board. For example, you can paint on rocks, graffiti walls, trees, bodies, cloth, boards, and sand.

Principle 5: Experience the diversity of art forms

The world is diverse, and the themes, viewpoints, content, and artistic expressions of art are also diverse. Art is a very personal expression, and it also varies greatly depending on the artist, country, region, culture, and race. Through art activities, children are led to perceive these differences. While children develop their personalities, they also learn to accept, understand and respect the differences of others, and build an understanding of the diversity of the world.

Principle 6: Art education is integrated and open

Art education is not an isolated activity. It should penetrate into all aspects of teaching and life, not just art courses. middle. Art education is inseparable from sensory education, daily life education, language education, and even mathematics.

For example, watching a seed grow into a plant can inspire children to do many things: draw a plant, make leaf rubbings, sculpt a plant, or create their own creations with watercolor or tempera paints. Not only that, building blocks, visiting museums, listening or composing music, compiling ethnic recipes - these activities can guide children to spontaneously create art.

For example, you can take your children to create art using light and shadow. Sunlight alone is a great painter, and it can make everything in the world glow with different shapes and colors. For example, Montessori often works on color cards. It is also a very interesting experience for children to find objects in nature that are close to the color of the color card.

Yunfei

February 20, 2019

At Beijing Valley Forest Nature Education Camp