Supporting How Children Learn: Introduction, Recognition and Recall

Dr. Montessori identified and outlined three stages through which children learn, which she referred to as periods.  She found that they absorbed all information (particularly language and math) through this manner and therefore, designed all activities for the child around this concept.  By understanding this process and the stage your child is in, both teachers and parents can help children through the stages of learning and set them up for success.

Introduction: The First Period

The very first experience a child has with a material, or anything for that matter, is considered the introduction.  It is when we tell the child what something is.  This could be a word, a sound, a number, a color, etc.  It is the moment a child first hears something identified.  We label a child as in the “1st Period,” if they are first hearing what something is.  It may even be the second or third (or even tenth) time they have heard something, but if it still seems new to the child, he/she is in the first period.

Recognition:  The Second Period

Once a child begins to process what has been labeled, it enters into his memory through recognition.  This means that a child may not be able to remember what the name of something is when you ask him, but when it is named for him, he can point to it or find it.  Children rarely skip this step, particularly at age three, and can often remain in a period of recognition for a long time.  This may mean that when you ask “what color is this?” they are unable to tell you even though you have introduced it to them many times.  However, when you ask “which one is blue?” they can easily identify the blue object.  When a child is able to do this, the are in the second period, the stage of recognition.

Recall:  The Third Period

When a child can identify something by name, he has reached the third and final stage of the learning process: recall.  The child is asked what something is and can simply recall the answer.  At this point, we know that the child has the information.  This does not mean that a child cannot occasionally forget and slip back into recognition.  If this happens, a few more introductions usually helps the child return to a stage of recall.  The most important transition in this process is the transition from recognition to recall, and this transition can take a long time.  Particularly with reading, a child may recognize sounds long before he can produce them himself.  In fact, the recognition process is facilitated by word-building while reading requires the skill of recall.  Supporting the process of recognition is the best way that parents and teachers can help a child develop the ability to recall the information they have been introduced to.

Using the three periods to help a child be successful:

At home, parents can use this information whenever their child is learning something.  Understanding which period your child in can help you to know what to do next and not be discouraged if he is not answering correctly.  Always remember to introduce and introduce again.  If your child cannot answer, see if they can recognize the object when you provide the word.  Repetition is how children learn, so give them time.

Introduce concepts without correction.  In the Montessori classroom, understanding these three periods allows us to give a lesson and make sure that the child is successful at all times during the lesson.  It is important for a child to feel successful in order to ignite and maintain a love of learning.  We first introduce a concept (eg. “this is blue”).  Then we test to see if the child has reached a period of recognition (eg. “which one is blue?).  If the child incorrectly identifies blue, we reintroduce rather than tell them they are wrong (“ok, put it back down.  This is blue.”).  Children do not need to be pointed out they are incorrect, only continually introduced to the concept again until they have it.  Telling them they are wrong is discouraging, reintroducing is teaching.

Give your child time with new information.  Children need time to process information, so don’t worry if, for a long time, they recognize something but cannot recall it yet.  Give them time to learn things they have been introduced at school without rushing them to learn new things.  Stick with the things the teacher has introduced.  However, always feel free to introduce something if your child asks you what it is…interest is the key to learning (with regard to letters, always use sounds not letter names to support what your child is learning in the classroom).

Repeat yourself.  While repetition can be frustrating, it is a necessary part of the learning process.  The more a child hears something, it helps him transition through the three periods of learning.  If is interest is sparked, use the opportunity to give new language over and over again (colors, letter sounds, number names, new vocabulary, etc.).

Make it fun.  Creating new ways for children to recognize information lets them repeat learning until they internalize the information.  If the child is successful at identifying blue, we come up with different ways for continuing to do this (“can you hide the blue one?” “can you find all the blue things in the room?”).  Occasionally in this process we will ask “what color is this?”  If the child answers correctly, we know they have reached a period of recall and we can move on to teaching the child something else.  If the child cannot answer or answers in correctly, we simply go back to the recognition questions and games.  If you are exploring something new with your child and looking for ways to repeat yourself, make a game out of it.  Find all the things that are blue in the house.  Count 5 of everything you can find.  If your child is working on a sound at school, look for that sound on road signs or in newspapers.

Learning approaches outside the home should be the same as in school.  If your child is bringing something home they have learned at school or is showing interest in learning something, make sure to do things similarly to the way they are learning in school.  Use letter sounds when your child points out a letter, not letter names.  Write letters in cursive and lowercase, not uppercase.  Use real objects that make the idea tangible (eg. count actual objects rather than teach your child rote counting which has little meaning to him).  By being consistent with the way things are done at school, your child will find it easier to learn something.

Don't schedule or push learning, give the brain a chance to rest.  While it is a great joy to help a child learn when they show interest, it can be detrimental to your child to force learning on him when he is not engaged or when he is tired.  Learning outside of school should be spontaneous; supported but not required.  If learning is pushed too much outside of the school environment, your child will not focus on it during school; children need down time.  Rather than schedule learning times at home if you want to encourage your child’s learning, trust the process and let the brain rest.  Information absorbed is processed during rest periods.  The brain needs rest to learn.

Trust the process.   At school, your child’s teacher will be doing all of these things to help your child transition from recognition of something to recalling it.  With letters, your child may do a lot of Moveable Alphabet work (in which they use letters to build words).  This is the best way to strengthen the child’s recognition skills and move them to recall.  Children will work with objects they can manipulate in order to count and really understand what numbers mean.  These processes will take time, but they work.  Encourage children to continue along their current path rather than redirect them to avenues of learning they may not be interested in.