Dr. Montessori depicted the growth and development of a human being from birth to adulthood based on human tendencies. These human tendencies are exploration, adaptation, work and intellectual abstraction or reasoning. This development occurs in four separate and distinct stages termed as the “planes of development.” As the child transitions from one plane to another, he experiences a transformation of his psychological characteristics.
For example, in the first plane, the child moves from being an orderly, self-focused and concrete learner to a less orderly, more collaborative and imaginative learner in the second plane. While the planes of development are divided into six year periods, the point of transition may not be the same for each child, a child may transition eventually. The childʼs actions and approach to the world are indicative of
his stage of development.
