|
|||||
'Never let a child risk failure until he/she has a reasonable chance of success' - Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was the first woman in Italy to qualify as a Doctor of Medicine. She became one of the leading educationalists of the twentieth century, with her acute observations of how children develop. Dr Montessori first put her ideas to the test in a Casa dei Bambini (Children's House) for a group of deprived children in a social housing project. Her method of 'auto-education' within a prepared environment has continued to contribute to educational reform.
Enabling children to develop individually, at their own pace and in mixed age groups became popular and Montessori schools came into being - and continue to thrive - all over the world. Montessori schools in Italy were closed down by Mussolini when Maria refused to collaborate with his fascist youth movement, and she and her family had to flee the country. Maria Montessori, who became a friend of Gandhi, was three times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Maria Montessori's achivements in the fields of education and peace were officially recognised in her home country when her image was used on the Italian 1000 lire bank note.
To read more about Maria Montessori you can link to the Wikipedia entry about her here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori.
Maria Montessori's son, Mario, worked with his mother developing the curriculum for children aged 6-12. Maria Montessori's granddaughter, Renhilde Montessori, continues to broaden the work internationally through what is now a world wide organisation the Association Montessori Internationale.
There are many thousands of Montessori schools around the world. These range from individual teachers setting up in their own homes to the largest school in the world. From public charter and magnet schools in the USA to a desert school for Kalahari bush families. There are dual-language schools e.g. English with Spanish, Maori or Native American tribal languages. As Montessori is non faith or culture specific a variety of religious schools have also been established e.g. Muslim, Catholic, Baha'i. Many Montessori schools offer provision from age 0; in the USA there are plans for a Montessori university.