Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952) was the first woman in Italy to receive a medical degree. In 1902, whilst working with children with special needs, she was inspired to design a variety of learning materials which proved very successful with these young pupils.
The opportunity to have these materials used by a larger and more diverse group of children came in 1907, when she was asked to direct a pre-school project for socially disadvantaged children in Rome.
Her Casa dei Bambini (Children's House) became world famous and educational observers came from many countries to watch the young children absorbed in learning.
Montessori's ideas have flourished and this is because they are based on her ingenious observations of children and are universal in their application.
Because her work was based upon observation of children rather than on a preconceived notion of child behaviour, she developed her approach through the child. It is this that makes her contribution unique among teaching disciplines and philosophies.
An important part of the Montessori Teaching Training Course is to identify a child's needs and to design and produce material or an activity to satisfy those needs in a meaningful and appropriate manner.
Parents or others who visit and observe in the Montessori environment and who only see the colourful and natural wood learning tools and the apparent freedom of the children -may be delighted to witness what is going on - but may worry that the children may not fit into the requirements of traditional educational settings - then they are missing the vital process taking place.
