Maria montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician,
educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her
educational method that builds on the way
children naturally learn. She opened the
first Montessori school—the Casa dei
Bambini, or Children’s House—in Rome on
January 6, 1907.
Subsequently, she traveled the world and wrote extensively about her
approach to education, attracting many devotees. There are now more
than 22,000 Montessori schools in at least 110 countries worldwide.
Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870, in the provincial town of
Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father was a financial manager for a state-run
industry. Her mother was raised in a family that prized education. She was
well-schooled and an avid reader—unusual for Italian women of that time.
The same thirst for knowledge took root in young Maria, and she immersed
herself in many fields of study before creating the educational method
that bears her name.
Beginning in her early childhood years, Maria grew up in Rome, a paradise
of libraries, museums, and fine schools.
Breaking Barriers
Maria was a sterling student, confident, ambitious, and unwilling to be
limited by traditional expectations for women. At age 13 she entered an
all-boys technical institute to prepare for a career in engineering.
In time, however, she changed her mind, deciding to become a doctor
instead. She applied to the University of Rome’s medical program, but was
rejected. Maria took additional courses to better prepare her for
entrance to the medical school and persevered. With great effort she
gained admittance, opening the door a bit wider for future women in the
field.
When she graduated from medical school in 1896, she was among Italy’s
first female physicians.
Birth of a Movement
Maria’s early medical practice focused on psychiatry. She also developed
an interest in education, attending classes on pedagogy and immersing
herself in educational theory. Her studies led her to observe, and call into
question, the prevailing methods of teaching children with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
The opportunity to improve on these methods came in 1900, when she was
appointed
co-director of a new training institute for special education teachers.
Maria approached the task scientifically, carefully observing and
experimenting to learn which teaching methods worked best. Many of the
children made unexpected gains, and the program was proclaimed a
success.
In 1907 Maria accepted a new challenge to open a childcare center in a
poor inner-city district. This became the first Casa dei Bambini, a quality
learning environment for young children. The youngsters were unruly at
first, but soon showed great interest in working with puzzles, learning to
prepare meals, and manipulating materials that held lessons in math. She
observed how they absorbed knowledge from their surroundings,
essentially teaching themselves.
Utilizing scientific observation and experience gained from her earlier
work with young children, Maria designed learning materials and a
classroom environment that fostered the children’s natural desire to
learn. News of the school’s success soon spread through Italy and by 1910
Montessori schools were acclaimed worldwide.
