Montessori Background

Who Was Dr. Montessori?

Maria Montessori lived from 1870-1952. She was the first female Doctor of Medicine in Italy. Through her work with handicapped, developmentally delayed, and socially deprived children, she began to develop her unique educational philosophy. In 1907, she opened the first Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) in Rome. She achieved tremendous international acclaim when her disadvantaged children were able to pass public school examinations with high marks. She was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize (1949, 1950, & 1951). She had a tremendous impact on the field of education in general and on the way we understand and teach children today. Many of her insights into education and neural development are being confirmed by contemporary researchers. Today, there are more than 22,000 Montessori schools on six continents throughout the world.

What Is the Montessori Method?

Hallmarks of a Montessori education are:

• Respect for each child’s individual process of self-completion through recognized developmental milestones.
• Recognition that the young child is a sensorial explorer with a need for a highly- ordered, language-rich environment that permits extensive exploration, hand’s on activities, independence, and development of motor coordination.
• Children work at their own pace by freely choosing among activities that are carefully designed to facilitate their development and absorption of knowledge.
• Mixed age groupings which permit younger children to learn through older children, who in turn take pleasure and solidify their understanding by aiding younger children.
• Carefully prepared classroom environments designed specifically to meet the needs of small children and support their desire for independence.
• Nurturing, specially-trained Montessori guides who carefully observe each child and foster independence, language development, and development of gross and fine motor skills through communal and parallel activities.
• Specially designed Montessori teaching materials that appeal to the child’s natural curiosity and entice them to activity. The materials have built in control of error and permit manipulation, discrimination, exactness, repetition, and refinement of movements. They help the child to develop confidence, self-esteem, consideration of others, and basic cognitive understandings.
• A profound concern for the welfare of children and a passionate desire to aid and protect children’s natural curiosity and intrinsic love of learning without the need for external rewards for achievement.

Recommended Reading about Montessori:

• Britton, Leslie (1992). Montessori Play and Learn: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six. New York: Three Rivers Press
• Eissler, Trevor (2009). Montessori Madness: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education. New York: Sevenoff Press
• Gettman, David (1987). Montessori: Learning Activities for Under-Fives. New York: St. Martin’s Press
• Hughes, Steve. Good At Doing Things: Montessori Education and Higher Order Cognitive Functions [Website]
• Lillard, Angeline (2007). Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius. New York: Oxford University Press
• Lillard, Paula & Jessen, Lynn (2003). Montessori from the Start. New York: Schocken Books
• Lillard, Paula (1996). Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood. New York: Schocken Books
• Lillard, Paula (1980). Montessori in the Classroom: A Teacher’s Account of How We Really Learn. New York: Schocken Books
• Montessori, Maria (1995). The Absorbent Mind. New York: Henry Holt and Company
• Montessori, Maria (1991). The Advanced Montessori Method. Oxford: Clio Ltd
• Montessori, Maria (1965). The Discovery of the Child. New York: Random House Publishing
• Montessori, Maria (1964). The Montessori Method. New York: Schocken Books
• Montessori, Maria (1966). The Secret of Childhood. New York: Random House Publishing
• Schmidt, Maren (2009). Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents. Dog Ear Publishing
• Seldin, Tim (2008). How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way. New York: DK Adult
• Standing, E.M. (1984). Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. New York: Penguin Books
• Wolf, Aline. (2009). A Parent’s Guide to the Montessori Classroom. Parent Child Press