Dates: August 31, 1870 - May 6, 1952
Known for: developing the Montessori method of education
Occupation: educator, physician
Religion: Roman Catholic
Family:
- Father: Alessandro Montessori
- Mother: Renilde Stoppani Montessori
- Children: Mario (son) with Guiseppe Montesano, whom she never married
Education:
- University of Rome, M.D., 1896
About Maria Montessori:
The first woman in Italy to graduate in medicine from the University of Rome, Montessori worked with mentally retarded children, then served in a variety of university teaching positions. In 1907, based on her research in philosophy, child development and education, she opened the Casa dei Bambini, teaching children of normal intelligence using her methods. She spent most of her remaining life writing, lecturing and teaching about her methods.
The Montessori method assumes that children learn best by interacting with concrete materials and by being respected as individuals. The teacher's role is primarily in organizing materials and establishing a general classroom culture. Most activities are individual, though the children interact in groups in some activities.
Writings Include:
- Dr. Maria Montessori's Own Handbook. 1914, reprinted 1965.
- My System of Education, Education in Relation to the Imagination of the Little Child, The Organization of Intellectual Work in School, The Mother and the Child. 1915.
- The Child in the Church: Essays on the Religious Education of Children and the Training of Character. 1929.
- Peace and Education. 1932. Republished as Education and Peace. 1972.
- Education for a New World. 1946.
- To Educate the Human Potential. 1967.
- The
Absorbent Mind. 1995 reprint.
- Discovery of the Child. 1996 reissue.
- Maria Montessori. The Secret of Childhood. 1992 reissue.
About Maria Montessori:
- Rita Kramer and Anna Freud. Maria Montessori. 1988.
- E. M. Standing. Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. 1998.
