Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

Maria Montessori was the first woman physician to graduate from the University of
Rome. She first became involved with education as a doctor treating underprivileged
children. After studying the work of Itard and Sequin and after much compassionate
observation of young children, she designed special materials and a scientifically
prepared environment. These succeeded brilliantly and won world acclaim. She devoted
her energies and further studies to the field of education for the remainder of her life.
The first "Casa Dei Bambini" or the "Children's House" was opened in 1907 and since
then Montessori schools have been established in over fifty countries. Her work has
made a significant contribution to improving the standards of education for young
children, and her methods and materials have been adopted in public and private
schools around the world.
Montessori Philosophy
The foundation of Maria Montessori's approach is respect for the child as a worthy
individual, occupied with the task of developing himself into a mature human adult. She
observed children's need for independence, for self-confidence as adequate people, for
control over their own impulses and emotions and a natural curiosity and desire to learn.
She observed in young children a phenomenon she called the "absorbent mind".
Children can absorb information from their surroundings without any conscious, tedious
effort. Learning does not have to be forced upon them. If the environment is orderly and
readily accessible and if the children are free to work through their own cycles of activity
at their own pace, they can learn to read, write and calculate in the same natural way
that they learned to walk and talk.
Dr. Montessori wrote, 'The most important period of life is not the age of university
studies but the period from birth to age six." It is now commonly accepted that from
conception to age 4 the individual develops 50% of his/her mature intelligence; from
ages 4 to 8 another 30%. This indicates the rapid growth of intelligence in the early
years and the importance of the early environment on this development. It is also true
that children mature at very different rates and their periods of readiness for academic
subjects vary greatly. Montessori observed that a young child has periods of intense
fascination for developing various skills such as climbing stairs or counting. During these
sensitive periods it is easier for the child to acquire particular skills than at any other
time in his/her life. The Montessori classroom allows each child freedom to select
activities which correspond to his or her own periods of interest and readiness.

By answering a child's needs as they arise, some children in a Montessori class begin to
read and calculate at a very early age. However, early learning was not Maria
Montessori's objective. Her ideal was that the learning experience should occur naturally
and joyfully at the proper moment for each individual child. "It is true we cannot make a
genius," she wrote. We can only give each individual the chance to fulfill his/her
potential to become an independent, secure and balanced human being.