Maria Montessori
Another in our occasional series of posts from Brin Best about the men and women whose research or ideas have influenced education. This week, Maria Montessori:
MARIA MONTESSORI
Maria Montessori (1870—1952) was an Italian doctor who is famous for developing a method of early childhood education that still bears her name.
Montessori specialised in paediatrics at the University of Rome and in 1896 was the first woman in Italy to be awarded a medical degree. After graduating she developed a special interest in the welfare of children from deprived backgrounds, especially those with special educational needs. This led Montessori to study the major publications on educational theory, and to reach her own conclusion that special schools were needed for these children.
She later took the directorship of a school in Rome, providing teaching and training in the care and education of children with severe learning difficulties. Later, as part of her research back at the University of Rome, she visited primary schools to see the methods of education being used; these visits convinced her that the education approaches she had previously developed in her work with children with learning difficulties were appropriate for all children.
The Casa dei Bambini
To put her ideas into practice Montessori set up a Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) in a very poor part of Rome. Young children were given simple practical toys to play with (eg cubes to build into a tower) and staff were instructed to observe but not to intervene. This had dramatic results, with many children becoming absorbed in the toys and Montessori describing them as being transformed from ‘timid and wild’ to ‘social, communicative and joyous’. This encouraged Montessori to open additional Children’s Houses, some of which were for older children and those from more affluent backgrounds.
The core theory
The Montessori educational method, which began as a response to the behaviour of the children in the Children’s Houses, encompasses the following principles:
- Children experience periods of special sensitivity when they are eager to learn
- Children learn best through the senses, in an environment designed to meet their needs, and through movement (especially of the hands)
- Although children can read, write and count at an early age, these skills should only be introduced when they show interest in them
Further features of the method are the teaching of mixed-age groups together, the large amount of choice given to children over their learning and the provision of extended periods of uninterrupted time to allow children to follow their interests.
International attention
The success of the Children’s Houses led to the publication of Montessori’s influential book The Montessori Method in 1912 (see ‘Further reading’), which was widely read in Italy and translated into several other languages for publication overseas. This elevated Montessori to the status of educational guru and she travelled extensively around the world promoting her ideas, often being received as a major celebrity. By this time schools had been set up using her principles in many of the cities she visited.
Montessori nurseries and schools today are still based firmly on the original principles, and aim to support all aspects of children’s personal and social development. The curriculum includes:
- Daily living skills – including care for the environment, oneself and others in the community
- Education of the senses
- Language development
- Number concepts
- Science and exploration of the wider world, especially nature
Advocates of the Montessori method believe that it helps to develop children who are confident, independent, good at decision-making and well-balanced as individuals.
Further reading
The Montessori Method (first published by Heinemann, 1912) describes every aspect of a child’s life at a Montessori School. See also www.montessori.edu.
