Dr. Maria Montessori and Her Approach
Maria Montessori is the first female physician and turned educator. She developed a program where children can learn life skills to become responsible, productive, independent, and loving citizens of the world.
Her programs’ success led many children to benefit from the “Montessori Method” of teaching, impressing educators and leading the method to become the dominant method of instruction for educating young children in the United States.
At The Casa Dei Bambini, where Maria Montessori’s approach and method of teaching were developed, she learned about children’s different ways of learning and preferences. Being there allowed her to test her ideas, methods, and special materials for the education of young children. With the freedom and support to experiment with her ground-breaking ideas, Maria Montessori became known as an educator who could accomplish miracles with children who presented special challenges.
Her attitude toward teaching and her trust in their potential led to her huge success.
The Montessori education is based on stages of development, and in each stage Montessori believed children are drawn to different skills and activities, and can make enormous progress if allowed to hone in one these interests. In Montessori Schools, children are provided opportunities to explore, learn, and practice; by accommodating and building on a child’s natural needs and tendencies, by focusing on understanding and developing their behaviors to build positive inclinations.
By introducing fine motor skills needed for later academic subjects early on, and making every effort to attract the interest of children at each stage of development, Montessori educated children grow up with the skills and opportunities they need to grow, develop, and learn as complete people. Along with these principles, Montessori strongly believed in giving children what she called a “Cosmic Education” which emphasizes that education should not be furthered by fostering competition between children. Instead, the Cosmic model teaches that a peaceful mind, body, and heart leads to more effective learning.
