Review of the Montessori Method
“The Montessori Method” Review Paper
Lisa Ahlgrim
National Louis University
Maria Montessori was a visionary woman, passionate about providing quality education to all children. Born in 1870, at a time where few women attended college and were not expected to work in any area other than teaching, Maria grew up determined to become a doctor in spite of society, and even her father’s reservations. She was not accepted into the University of Rome, but with her spirit of perseverance, Maria gained the help of Pope Leo XIII to intercede on her behalf. In 1896, she graduated and became the first woman to gain her doctorate in Italy (A Biography of Maria Montessori, n.d.). Maria Montessori brought her passion and education as a doctor into a philosophy of education centered around the idea that each child has an intrinsic ability to learn through self-selection and exploration. Her beliefs around child development bear a similarity to Piaget 's and were based on her extensive observations of children. Maria’s observations of and work with children began with school of “deficient” children and within two years those children were able to pass the standardized tests for Italian public schools (Lascarides & Hinitz, 2000, p. 144). In 1907, the Casa dei Bambini was created by Maria with a group of children in an apartment complex with working parents whose children needed to be cared for during the day . It was a time of development in Rome and the poor working class was growing, which also meant that their children would need childcare. These years with Casa dei Bambini would continue to shape her philosophies and be the basis for her book, The Montessori Method. There were five Casa dei Bambini’s by 1908 which was a testament to Maria’s success as well as the society’s needs at that time. Maria’s influence continued to spread as she opened her own schools to train teachers in the Montessori Method. Sadly, with the rise of fascism in Europe, by 1933, most
Lisa Ahlgrim
National Louis University
Maria Montessori was a visionary woman, passionate about providing quality education to all children. Born in 1870, at a time where few women attended college and were not expected to work in any area other than teaching, Maria grew up determined to become a doctor in spite of society, and even her father’s reservations. She was not accepted into the University of Rome, but with her spirit of perseverance, Maria gained the help of Pope Leo XIII to intercede on her behalf. In 1896, she graduated and became the first woman to gain her doctorate in Italy (A Biography of Maria Montessori, n.d.). Maria Montessori brought her passion and education as a doctor into a philosophy of education centered around the idea that each child has an intrinsic ability to learn through self-selection and exploration. Her beliefs around child development bear a similarity to Piaget 's and were based on her extensive observations of children. Maria’s observations of and work with children began with school of “deficient” children and within two years those children were able to pass the standardized tests for Italian public schools (Lascarides & Hinitz, 2000, p. 144). In 1907, the Casa dei Bambini was created by Maria with a group of children in an apartment complex with working parents whose children needed to be cared for during the day . It was a time of development in Rome and the poor working class was growing, which also meant that their children would need childcare. These years with Casa dei Bambini would continue to shape her philosophies and be the basis for her book, The Montessori Method. There were five Casa dei Bambini’s by 1908 which was a testament to Maria’s success as well as the society’s needs at that time. Maria’s influence continued to spread as she opened her own schools to train teachers in the Montessori Method. Sadly, with the rise of fascism in Europe, by 1933, most
References: A Biography of Dr Maria Montessori. (n.d.). Retrieved on May 1st, 2013 from Montessori Australia from http://montessori.org.au/montessori/biography.htm. Lascarides C. & Hinitz B.F. (2000). Maria Montessori, History of Early Childhood Education (pp.143-164). New York, NY: Routledge. Montessori, Maria. (1912). The Montessori Method. New York: Frederick A. Stokes.