Dr Maria Montessori's life and educational works

Montessori

Maria Montessori was a visionary who transformed the nature of education worldwide. The first female to receive a medical degree in Italy, Montessori understood the importance of breaking down barriers and stretching the boundaries of possibility. Her positive, optimistic view of the human mind and of children's potential to learn drove Montessori to create a pedagogy still lauded more than a century later for its comprehensive and holistic methodology.

Born in Chiaravalle, Italy on August 31, 1870, Maria Montessori was noted for being "confident and strong-minded, excelling in school and often taking on the role of leader in games and conversations," ("Maria Montessori"). Montessori eschewed traditional gender roles by entering a technical school at age thirteen, and subsequently went on to study medicine. Her interest in the sciences was discouraged by her father but encouraged by her mother, who was a "well educated, wealthy woman devoted to liberation and unity of Italy," (Flaherty). Montessori embarked on an engineering program at the Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buovarroti, which became for Maria a model for "what a school should not be like," (Flaherty).

Montessori was initially denied entry to the University of Rome medical program "because of her gender," ("Maria Montessori"). However, her high marks in physics and mathematics helped Montessori persuade the University of Rome to admit her and she became Italy's first female doctor of medicine. The University of Rome diploma was actually "altered to fit her gender" when she graduated and received her diploma in 1896, (Flaherty).

Within a year after she graduated, Montessori's career took off. She became an international feminist hero, invited to speak at the Women's International Congress in Berlin (Flaherty). Montessori also became part of the University of Rome research staff while at the same time working rounds at a children's hospital, serving as a surgical assistant at Santo Sprinto, and maintaining a private practice. Also in 1897, Montessori "had a revelation" about the role of education in child development (Flaherty). Montessori observed that the mentally disabled children she worked with at the children's hospital benefited more from education than from the medical program (Flaherty).

Thus, Montessori began researching prevailing educational theory and developed her now world-renowned educational philosophy and pedagogical practice. Her theories ultimately reflected her own ideas more than "any extant pedagogical wisdom," ("Maria Montessori"). After the turn of the century, Montessori began working with mentally disabled children at local insane asylums and began teaching anthropology at the University of Rome in 1904 ("Maria Montessori").

Montessori remained devoted to her career and continued the staunch independence that she was known for as a child. When she became pregnant out of wedlock, Montessori opted to give up her child for adoption rather than marry the father ("Maria Montessori"). However, she remained a part of her son Mario's life and by the time he was 15, the two actually started together. Mario became one of his mother's assistants and he would go on to "assume the mantle of leadership for their Association Montessori Internationale" after she died in 1952 ("Maria Montessori").

Maria Montessori left the medical practice and by 1907 was directing a series of daycare centers in Rome for what would be now called at-risk youth. In one of Rome's "worst neighborhoods," Montessori worked with "wild and unruly" children (Flaherty). She worked most closely with a newly developed daycare center in a Roman slum called Casa dei Bambini. By simply showing respect for the children, holding them in "highest regard," Montessori began transforming young lives (Flaherty). Montessori also transformed the nature of educational theory and practice worldwide.

The foundation of Montessori's teaching philosophy was that children have an "innate power for learning" that should be "turned loose in a safe, hands-on-learning environment," ("Maria Montessori"). Montessori emphasized self-motivation among her children, encouraging them to explore their environments and solve problems independently ("Maria Montessori"). Essentially, the Montessori method empowers young people to learn independently, using their own methods and learning styles. The Montessori method encourages the development of self-esteem among children ("Maria Montessori").

Montessori also encouraged cooperative learning, in which children of different ages worked together to solve problems and ask further questions about the world around them. The Montessori method can be described as a "more genuine, natural experience" than formal education provided (Flaherty).

Another keynote of the Montessori method is the de-centering of the teacher (Smith). The teacher's role was more of an observer and monitor than an instructor. Therefore, the Montessori is a quintessentially student-centric pedagogical method. The child determines what and how to learn, and the teacher observes, monitors, and facilitates.

Having gained respect among the medical community and having spoken at more than one women's conference, Montessori's methods drew considerable international attention. Montessori published The Montessori Method in 1912. In 1913, Alexander Graham Bell from the United States founded the Montessori Educational Association based on her methods. Montessori was invited to speak at Carnegie Hall in 1915, and also lectured in San Francisco. In 1929, Maria Montessori founded the Association Montessori International in the Netherlands and in 1947 also established a school in London. During Mussolini's reign in Italy, Montessori refused to turn her schools into training centers that would "mass-produce soldiers for the war," and so she was imprisoned and then exiled ("Maria Montessori"). Montessori took her son with her, and delivered her teaching philosophy to nations all around the world including India and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, Maria Montessori left a significant legacy in education and trained thousands in her methods (Flaherty).

The Montessori Method, published in 1912, is a thorough work detailing the evolution and purpose of the author's revolutionary pedagogy. Montessori draws upon her background in the hard sciences by providing a solid empirical proof for her theory. The author incorporates case studies from her work at the Children's Houses, the Casa dei Bambini. Montessori also mentions her work with the Orthophrenic School at Rome as the empirical foundations for her theory. Moreover, Montessori includes the inaugural address she delivered to the Children's Houses in Rome and refers to her work there from an anthropological perspective as well as an educational one.

In addition to using case studies and qualitative research, Montessori also relies on powerful rhetoric to persuade readers of the ineffectiveness of traditional educational methods. For example, in one section of The Montessori Method, the author refers to the "principle of slavery" that still informs the traditional school (Montessori). The author also explicates disciplinary methods and provides practical tools for teachers. References to diet and exercise round out The Montessori Method. Montessori also points out the importance of hands-on learning through activities like pottery, gardening, building, and music. Much of The Montessori Method is devoted to the importance of direct sensory perception in learning in conjunction with a self-driven curriculum or "auto-education," (Montessori, Chapter 10).