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...

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).
Traditional curricular elements such as reading, writing, and arithmetic are included in The Montessori Method. For example, a separate chapter is devoted to the teaching of numbers and basic mathematics. The sections on mathematics are highly specific and can serve as blueprints for lesson planning. Montessori concludes by mentioning the drawbacks of religious education while at the same time suggesting that much of her inspiration draws from her personal spiritual background. Montessori notes, "The problem of religious education, the importance of which we do not fully realize, should also be solved by positive pedagogy," (Chapter 22). In other words, the child is permitted to come to a spiritual understanding on his or her own. The Montessori method is therefore fully holistic, allowing the child to formulate a worldview independently of prevailing social norms. In this way, Maria Montessori's pedagogy perfectly reflects her own life story. An unconventional woman who brashly and courageously bucked gender norms in nineteenth century Italy became one of the most influential educational philosophers in modern history. The Montessori Method remains valuable even when it is incorporated within a traditional educational framework.

Works Cited

Flaherty, Tarraugh. "Maria Montessori." Retrieved June 5, 2010 from http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/montessori.html

The International Montessori Index. "Maria Montessori." Retrieved June 5, 2010 from http://www.montessori.edu/maria.html

"Maria Montessori." Retrieved June 5, 2010 from http://www.nndb.com/people/189/000108862/

Montessori, Maria. The Montessori Method. Translated by Anne E. George. Second Edition. Retrieved June 6, 2010 from http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/montessori/method/method.html

Smith, M.K. "Maria Montessori and Informal Education." Infed. 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2010 from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-mont.htm