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# Emacs and Montessori Philosophy


As a former Montessori guide and now parent, I often think about the
relationship of this particular educational philosophy and how it manifests
in my work with software, Emacs in particular. This talk introduces the
concept of Emacs as an educational environment and how it expresses elements of
Montessori psychology regarding "Human Tendencies". Human tendencies are innate
drives present in everybody that allow us to explore and make sense of our world.



# Outline

-   5-10 minutes: (brief description/outline)
    Quick overview of a Montessori classroom environment:
    
    -   the adults or guides primarily observe and present material
    -   the children are free to explore materials as they choose (within limits)
    -   the environment itself is prepared specifically to foster engagement
    
    Enumerate the "Human Tendencies":
    
    -   Abstraction
    -   Activity
    -   Communication
    -   Exactness
    -   Exploration
    -   Manipulation (of the environment)
    -   Order
    -   Orientation
    -   Repetition
    -   Self-Perfection
    -   Work (also described as "purposeful activity")
    
    How does Emacs express these things?
    
    -   in the short version, pose the question, and perhaps give one example.
    -   Emacs is an environment that provides facilities for individuals to
        find their way to proficiency through their Human Tendencies.
    -   We are all both learners and guides, Emacs is our classroom

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-   20 minutes: (brief description/outline)
    This would follow the same outline as above, but go more deeply into how
    Emacs fosters understanding and growth by allowing individuals to express
    the various Human Tendencies.

-   40 minutes: (brief description/outline)
    I don't have in mind to do a 40 minute talk, though a friend and fellow Emacs
    user is also a former Montessori guide and we had talked about sharing our
    experience together in this presentation. This would include more anecdotal
    evidence of what we experienced ourselves observing children as well as our
    journey to competency as software developers through the classroom of Emacs.
-->


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