The term normalisation is particular to Maria Montessori and was discussed by her
(Montessori, The absorbent mind, chapter 18). Here she described normalisation as a
'transition shifting from one stage to another, a transitional process'.
In many ways the term could be linked with the modern word socialisation which basically
is used to describe the steps through which a child successively passes on their way to
maturity.
Montessori found that there was much more to childhood than was previously
recognised. She saw the 'normalised' child as a new level of humanity and with the right
environmental aspects, learning was open to every child and not just the select few. For the
transformation to take place, not only did certain factors have to be present, but they had to
be freely chosen by the child, completed without interruption, and occur frequently to allow
the child to develop new habits of behaviour and to satisfy their biological, emotional and
intellectual needs.
Montessori found that no matter what sort of child it was, the 'normalised' child had
the same characteristics. EM Standing, Chapter 10 lists them as: love of order, love of work,
profound spontaneous concentration, attachment to reality, love of silence and working alone,
sublimation of the possessive instinct, power to act from real choice and not from curiosity,
obedience, independence and initiative, spontaneous self-discipline and joy.
The teachers role is that of a facilitator to guide the children, actively observing them,
maintaining an inspiring learning environment and giving new lessons at the appropriate tim ...