Dr. Maria Montessori
Creator of the
|Dr. Maria Montessori — the creator of what is
called “The Montessori Method” — based this approach
to education on her scientific observations of young children’s
In 1896, Dr. Montessori became the first female physician to graduate
from the University of Rome. After a period of studying “the
mind rather than the body,” she began working with 60 children
labeled “deficient and insane.” The work in 1904 resulted
in many of these children successfully passing the Italian National
of that, in 1907 she was invited to open a child care center for
the children of the poor in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. She
called this “The Children’s House,” and developed
a program on her observations. She called this “Scientific
Education.” She found that young children learn best in a
homelike setting filled with developmentally appropriate materials.
In this way she was able to provide experiences that would contribute
to the growth of self motivated, independent learners. Her dynamic
theories included such revolutionary ideas as:
- Children are to be respected as different from adults and as
individuals who are different from one another.
- Children create themselves through purposeful activity
- The most important years for learning are from birth to age
- Children posses unusual sensitivity and mental powers for absorbing
and learning from their environment, which includes people as
well as materials.
Montessori’s message spread throughout Europe. She was invited
to the United States by Alexander Graham Bell and his wife and visited
for the first time in 1913.