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Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 and became the first female physician after studying to obtain her medical degree in Rome. Montessori developed her method of education after working in Rome’s Orthophrenic School, working with children with physical and mental disabilities. Maria designed didactic learning materials based on her studies of the children in her care and the work of Jean Itard and Edouard Seguin, two French pioneers in the area of child development. Maria discovered the importance of the ‘sensitive periods’ that a child goes through during different times of their life; these are windows of opportunity during which the child can learn specific skills with the greatest of ease. Montessori described the child’s mind as being ‘Absorbent’ between the ages of birth and six years and she designed her curriculum so that the children in her school would learn by ‘doing’; the senses playing an important part in the education of the child. All materials are realistic and child-sized and the children are given the freedom to choose their own work after it has been presented initially. This freedom, with limits, along with inbuilt control of error in activities leads to auto-education and self-discipline.
Who was Maria Montessori?
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The Montessori Method
The Montessori Method is based on developing the whole child, physically, Intellectually, Linguistically, Emotionally, Socially and Spiritually. Maria used the Cosmic Approach when planning her curriculum and encouraged the adult (directress) to take a passive role in the education of the child and the child to take the more active role. The Montessori Method is based on observation and allowing the child to develop at their own pace, only introducing the more difficult abstract materials when the child has mastered the concrete introductions. The method leads to children developing abstract thought, decision making skills, confidence and independence.
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