Maria Montessori

Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori was an Italian physician and educator. She lived from 31 August 1870 to 6 May 1952. She created a special way of teaching children called the Montessori method. This method is used in schools all over the world.

When she was young, Maria wanted to study medicine. She went to the Sapienza University of Rome and became one of the first women in Italy to finish medical school. She graduated with honors in 1896.

Maria’s ideas about helping children learn have changed many schools. Her philosophy of education helps children learn at their own pace.

Life and career

Montessori was born on 31 August 1870 in Chiaravalle, in the province of Ancona, Italy. Her father worked for the government, and her mother supported her learning. Montessori’s family moved often because of her father’s job, living in Florence and then Rome.

At a young age, Montessori attended a technical school and later studied medicine at the University of Rome, becoming one of the first women in Italy to do so. She graduated with honors in 1896. After her studies, she worked with children who had learning difficulties and began to develop her own approach to education.

In 1906, Montessori began working with young children in Rome, watching how they learned and played. She created materials and methods that let children explore and learn at their own pace. Her ideas spread quickly, and she started training other teachers. Over the years, Montessori’s work grew internationally, influencing education in many countries. She continued to develop her methods until her death on 6 May 1952 in the Netherlands.

Educational philosophy and pedagogy

Main article: Montessori education

Maria Montessori’s ideas about teaching children started from the work of other teachers who helped children learn with their senses. Her early work with children who had trouble learning helped her make special tools and activities. These let children learn by touching, seeing, and smelling.

Montessori believed that teaching should be based on science and watching children. She thought schools should change to help every child grow. In 1907, she began working with children in a classroom called the Casa dei Bambini. There, she let children choose their own activities in a room made just for them. She saw that children could focus for a long time, repeat activities they liked, and keep their space clean. These ideas shaped her teaching methods, which are used in many schools today.

Montessori method

Maria Montessori created a special way of teaching called the Montessori method. This method helps young children learn by letting them explore and play in a way that suits them best.

It allows each child to grow and learn at their own speed, giving teachers new ideas about how children develop.

In her book, The Montessori Method, she explains how this way of teaching works. Teachers who use this method create special spaces for children in three age groups: 2 to 2.5 years old, 2.5 to 6 years old, and 6 to 12 years old.

Children learn by doing activities that help them explore, handle objects, organize things, repeat actions, think about ideas, and talk to others. For the younger groups, teachers encourage children to use their senses to discover and work with things around them. Older children focus on more complex ideas, using their growing skills to think, imagine, and be creative.

Legacy

Many schools use the name Montessori today. These schools let children of different ages learn together. Students can choose their own activities and have long periods of time to work without interruption. Teachers in these schools have special training, and the learning space is designed just for them. Research shows that the Montessori method works well. Montessori and Montessori schools have appeared on coins and paper money in Italy, and on stamps in several countries. An airplane from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with the registration PH-KCB, was named after her. In 2019, Time made special covers to honor important women, and they picked Montessori for the year 1931.

Works

Maria Montessori wrote many books and articles during her life, often in Italian but sometimes in English first. Her important books, such as The Montessori Method and Pedagogical Anthropology, were written in Italian and then translated into English. Many of her later works came from her lectures and were published as books later on. Her major books are listed below in the order they were first published.

• The Montessori Method: Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in the Children's Houses
• Pedagogical Anthropology
• Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook
• The Advanced Montessori Method, Vol. I: Spontaneous Activity in Education
• The Advanced Montessori Method, Vol. II: The Montessori Elementary Material
• The Child in the Church: Essays on the Religious Education of Children and the Training of Character
• The Child in the Family
• Psychogeography
• The Secret of Childhood
• From Childhood to Adolescence
• Peace and Education
• The Formation of Man
• The Absorbent Mind
• Education for a New World
• To Educate the Human Potential