"There
was no method to be seen, what was seen was a child...acting
according to its own nature." Dr.
Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was one of the most influential
pioneers in early childhood education this century. Her ideas
have become known and recognized throughout the world and
have significantly influenced mainstream education.
Having completed a degree in engineering, she pursued her
primary interest-medicine. She was the first woman to graduate
from the University of Rome Medical School, and she only became
interested in education through her work as a doctor. Because
of her background in medicine, she approached education not
as a philosopher but as a scientist. She used the classroom
as her forum for observing children and for developing her
ideas about the most effective way to help them achieve their
full potential.
Dr.
Montessori put her ideas into practice, retaining and developing
those that obviously worked. Her success was so great that she
traveled the world, establishing schools and lecturing about
her discoveries while writing numerous books and articles.
She died in Holland in 1952 at the age of 82 having profoundly
influenced childhood education throughout the world. Today,
there are close to 5,000 private and 200 public Montessori schools
in the United States alone and several hundred more throughout
Europe and Asia.
The "Montessori method" developed from the work of
Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900's, from her efforts to
scientifically study the child's true nature. She observed children
free to engage in activities of their own choice in a well-ordered
physical environment. In 1907, she discovered that young children
under these circumstances return to a normal state of being
in harmony with their entire environment. She observed that
these "normalized" children show such qualities as
spontaneous self-discipline, love of order and concentrated
attention and interest to intellectual activity.
Montessori teaching today aims to duplicate the first environment
of Dr. Montessori, by following such laws of nature as:
"Observation"
"Individual Liberty"
"Preparation of the Environment"
These
three Montessori principles guide the teacher to "control
the environment, not the child"; to look at the child as
an "unknown entity" and allow its true nature to freely
emerge. Montessori teaching is therefore a way of being committed
to these three fundamental laws of nature. This special way
of being allows the child to freely emerge according to its
own true nature; its "normalized" being. Montessori
teacher education is an "inner preparation" to become
aware of these principles so that they can be put into practice
with children. The idea of "control the environment, not
the child" must be employed, and this requires a particular
care in controlling one's own "personality".
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"There
was no method to be seen, what was seen was a child...acting
according to its own nature." 
Dr.
Montessori put her ideas into practice, retaining and developing
those that obviously worked. Her success was so great that she
traveled the world, establishing schools and lecturing about
her discoveries while writing numerous books and articles. 
These
three Montessori principles guide the teacher to "control
the environment, not the child"; to look at the child as
an "unknown entity" and allow its true nature to freely
emerge. Montessori teaching is therefore a way of being committed
to these three fundamental laws of nature. This special way
of being allows the child to freely emerge according to its
own true nature; its "normalized" being. Montessori
teacher education is an "inner preparation" to become
aware of these principles so that they can be put into practice
with children. The idea of "control the environment, not
the child" must be employed, and this requires a particular
care in controlling one's own "personality".
