The Montessori mathematics curriculum allows the students to construct their learning using specially designed materials, then move towards abstraction at their own pace. The Upper Elementary Level 1 students build the decanomial square, which is a concrete representation of the multiplication tables from 1-10. Next, they were introduced to a visual and tactile experience of “squaring” where they could actually count the squares of numbers (2×2, 5×5, 9×9, etc) and physically see that they are, indeed, squares. Finally, they labeled the decanomial square using multiplication facts. It was a two-day, collaborative lesson complete with follow-up work that included making their own decanomial square on paper to keep in their notebooks.
“Children display a universal love of mathematics, which is
par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.”
Maria Montessori: Her Life and Her Work
