Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori, born 31st August 1870 at Ancona ,Italy; died 6th May 1952 in Noordwijk aan Zee ,Netherlands, was an Italian doctor, reformist educator, philosopher and philanthropist. She developed the Montessori method of education.

Life

During her own school days Maria Montessori was interested in natural science and attended a Technical High School. In 1890 ,she enrolled to study medicine at the University of Rome, which had only been open to women in Italy since 1875.

Studies

IIn the final two years of study she specialised in paediatrics and continued to work in this field as Assistant Physician in the Department of Child Psychiatry at the University Children's Hospital in Rome. She was particularly interested in mentally disabled children who received very little care or education at that time. She was deeply moved by the inhumane neglect which these children suffered and was determined to improve their situation

Scientific Work

Montessori was convinced that the treatment of the “retarded” was not a medical problem, but rather a problem arising from the educational methods. She therefore demanded that special schools be established for these children. By 1907, she had developed her anthropological-biological theory and developed the neuro-psychiatric basis on which her educational methods and practical experiments in the Children's House were based.

Scuola magistrale ortofrenica (An Institute for Care And Education)

The "Scuola Magistrale Ortofrenica" ("Institution for the Care and Education of the Mentally Retarded ") which she ran as Director for two years, was the result of a course given by Montessori on the education of mentally handicapped children. During this time she developed special didactic materials for language teaching and mathematics.

Casa dei Bambini (Children's House)

On 6 January 1907, she opened a day care centre for children from socially disadvantaged families, the Casa dei Bambini (Children´s House). A key experience from this time was her observation of a three-year old girl who, totally absorbed in playing with cylindrical blocks, could not be distracted by even the most vigorous efforts. She later referred to the expression of concentrated attention which Montessori observed on this child as "Polarisation of Attention". It was this concept which was the subject of most of her subsequent experimental work.

From the experiences gained during this time, she developed the Montessori method for educating children, a method which is popular in many parts of the world today.

Exile in India

During the Second World War she was exiled by Benito Mussolini and lived in India, where she developed the principle of "Cosmic Education" and the “Children of the Earth Plan ".

Twilight Years in the Netherlands

The final years of her life were spent in the Netherlands, which now hosts the headquarters of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).

Maria Montessori

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