Montessori Approach
Approaches to early childhood education
The Montessori Approach
Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was born in Chiaraville, Italy. She was the first woman to enter medical school and “In july 1896 she became the first woman to gradute from the university of rome medical school and qualify as a doctor” (Flood & Hardy.2013) Montessori realised the importance of providing children with the right stimulation from her work wiith vunerable children in a psychiatric clinic in rome . Many of Montessori’s innovative ideas and materials for education came from the time she spent working with mentally disabled children in 1898 as co-director of an orthophrenic school. In 1904 she spent time at a day care centre in the slums of italy,
“she observed the positive reactions of the children when they were given the opportunity to work with real materials. She also observed the differences between these children and those she had worked with previously, she saw the great potential that children had when they were provided with an environment equipped with appropriate learning apparatus to suit their developmental needs”
(Flood & Hardy.2013)
In 1907 Montessori opened her first Casa dei bambini (children’s house) where she created an environment that would give children the chance to learn to the best of their ability and all children were treated equally and with respect. Montessori used the same techniques she had used at the mental institution, allowing the children to work independently and to choose the activities that interested them. She was led by the children and carefully observed how they learnt and what materials they chose to use. She noticed that as the children worked with the materials they developed considerable powers of concentration and self-discipline. She developed new materials and discarded any that did not appeal to the children. by 1908 there were 5 “children’s houses” and the news of Montessori’s approach was spreading across the world, in 1909 she published
The Montessori Approach
Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was born in Chiaraville, Italy. She was the first woman to enter medical school and “In july 1896 she became the first woman to gradute from the university of rome medical school and qualify as a doctor” (Flood & Hardy.2013) Montessori realised the importance of providing children with the right stimulation from her work wiith vunerable children in a psychiatric clinic in rome . Many of Montessori’s innovative ideas and materials for education came from the time she spent working with mentally disabled children in 1898 as co-director of an orthophrenic school. In 1904 she spent time at a day care centre in the slums of italy,
“she observed the positive reactions of the children when they were given the opportunity to work with real materials. She also observed the differences between these children and those she had worked with previously, she saw the great potential that children had when they were provided with an environment equipped with appropriate learning apparatus to suit their developmental needs”
(Flood & Hardy.2013)
In 1907 Montessori opened her first Casa dei bambini (children’s house) where she created an environment that would give children the chance to learn to the best of their ability and all children were treated equally and with respect. Montessori used the same techniques she had used at the mental institution, allowing the children to work independently and to choose the activities that interested them. She was led by the children and carefully observed how they learnt and what materials they chose to use. She noticed that as the children worked with the materials they developed considerable powers of concentration and self-discipline. She developed new materials and discarded any that did not appeal to the children. by 1908 there were 5 “children’s houses” and the news of Montessori’s approach was spreading across the world, in 1909 she published