“Normalisation” is a Montessori term that describes the process that takes place in Montessori classrooms around the world, in which young children, who typically have a short attention span, learn to focus their intelligence, concentrate their energies for long periods of time, and take tremendous satisfaction from their work. A Normalised child is characterised by a love of order, a love of work, profound spontaneous concentration, an attachment to reality, a love of silence and of working alone, sublimation of the possessive instinct, obedience, independence and initiative, spontaneous self-discipline, joy, and the power to act from real choice and not just idle curiosity.
(Maria Montessori: her life and work, E.M. Standing)

Last updated on 7 08 10 by Carol-Ann McKinley