Maria Montessori’s vision of human development was the inspiration of her theory Cosmic Education. Cosmic in this sense meaning comprehensive, holistic, and purposeful. She described Cosmic Education as the path through which children develop a global vision. The children in the 6-9 age plane of development begin to gravitate towards others; they are not so self-centered, and begin choosing to work with others.
Her Cosmic Plan gave a set of principles that would guide the teacher in her efforts to nurture the spirit of the child and to encourage his/her desire to explore and respect the world and their place in it. (Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential).
Thus, in the Montessori Elementary school years, Cosmic Education is an organized and integrated framework in which the children learn. It brings about that sense of awe as the children examine the origins of their existence and how incredibly inventive humans have been over time. This helps to cultivate an appreciation for the diversity of mankind and a feeling of gratitude for the things that happened before (serving as examples for mankind to work from).
Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary classroom helps children to realize that everyone shares the same origin but each person has a unique role to play to make it all work together.
