Who was Maria Montessori?

The Montessori Method is a result of the experience and discoveries of Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952). Upon graduation as the first woman medical doctor in Italy, Dr. Montessori became interested in the education and training of special needs children.
Dr. Montessori designed materials and techniques which allowed her children to work in areas previously considered beyond their capacity. Dr. Montessori's great triumph came when these children took state examinations along with other children, and her children passed the exams.

Dr. Montessori's life work began with a group of disadvantaged children in 1907 when she opened her famous Casa di Bambini. Through her observations of and work with the children, she discovered their remarkable, almost effortless ability to absorb knowledge from their surroundings. Children teach themselves! This simple and profound truth inspired Dr. Montessori's lifelong pursuit of educational reform, curriculum development, methodology, psychology, teaching and teacher training, all based on her dedication to further the self-creating process of the child.

Dr. Montessori died in 1952. Today, after almost 75 years of international application, the Montessori Method thrives in the United States with more than 3,500 schools established since 1957.

Born	August 31, 1870 Chiaravalle (Ancona), Italy (1870-08-31)
Died	May 6, 1952 Noordwijk, Netherlands (age 81)
Burial Place	Noordwijk, Netherlands
Nationality	Italian
Education	University of Rome La Sapienza Medical School
Occupation	Physician and educator
Known for	Founder of the Montessori method of education
Religious Beliefs	Catholic
Children	Mario Montessori Sr.

 

Bibliography of Montessori Readings

Montessori: Her Life and Work
...by E.M. Standing

Montessori and Your Child
...by Terry Mallory

Montessori: A Modem Approach
...by Paula Polk Lillard

Teaching Montessori in the Home

The Pre-School Years
...by Elizabeth G. Hainstock

The School Years
...by Elizabeth G. Hamstock

A Parent's Guide to the Montessori Classroom
...by Aline D. Wolf

Education for a New World
...by Maria Montessori

To Educate the Human Potential
...by Maria Montessori

The Absorbent Mind
...by Maria Montessori

The Montessori Method
...by Maria Montessori

The Discovery of the Child
...by Maria Montessori

The Secret of Childhood
...by Maria Montessori

The Child in the Family
...by Maria Montessori

From Childhood to Adolescence
...by Maria Montessori