Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method: 

 

Dr. Maria Montessori was a physician, professor and educator. She opened her first school in 1907 because she saw a need for young children to have a place to learn that fit their developmental stage. At the time, there were no options for children under the age of 7. Dr. Montessori’s Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House, encouraged writing, reading, mathematics and generally supported independence and social etiquette in a way that was shocking to the general public. Dr. Montessori believed that education begins at birth. She viewed education as a means to social reform and believed that all children are entitled to an education. In her lifetime, Dr. Montessori changed the public’s perception on what children, especially young children, are capable of. Overtime, people began calling her schools Montessori schools and her pedagogy the Montessori method. 

 

Through observation, Dr. Montessori identified four core principles that remain pillars of the Montessori method of education today. Children should have: the freedom to move, the freedom to communicate, the freedom to choose and the freedom to repeat. Dr. Montessori also identified that an uninterrupted three hour work cycle in the morning (and a two hour work cycle in the afternoon for older children) was an appropriate block of time to allow for free flowing engagement and concentration with all learning opportunities in the environment. Within a Montessori environment there are many learning materials available to children. It is the lead teacher, or Guide’s, responsibility to introduce the materials to the children based on their developmental stage, ability and interest. After a presentation, or lesson, the children can use the materials as often as they choose. Maria Montessori understood that engaging with these materials was developmental work for the child. She chose to use the word work instead of play to elevate the significance of the child’s activities. It is through their own actions that they are creating themselves.