Dr.Maria Montessori

Montessori education is a unique schooling philosophy in which students guide their own learning. Designed as an alternative to traditional schooling, this system of education has been around for more than a century. As the Montessori classroom is such a unique environment, the activities that occur within it often differ from those of a traditional, public school. As a result, writing in particular reflects the distinctiveness of the Montessori program. The history of and philosophy behind Montessori education lend themselves to the unique writing experience that Montessori students receive. Additionally, Montessori writing differs from traditional school writing in the amount of time dedicated to the task, the individual freedom granted to writers, the assessment of such writing, and the integration of writing across the curriculum.

Although the development of Montessori schooling originated overseas, the effects of the movement have had long lasting implications in the United States. Dr. Maria Montessori established the first Montessori institution in Rome, Italy in 1907. As the first Italian female physician, Maria observed learning development of young children, eventually concluding that students learn best when actively assisting in the teaching and learning processes. As a result of her research, she founded Montessori education, based on the idea that students who “freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities” remain better engaged in their educations.[1]

Since the creation of the first casa dei bambini, or children’s house, Montessori education has expanded throughout the world. According to Jim and Susan Stephenson, experts on Montessori education and correspondents to The International Montessori Index, a website devoted to Montessori education worldwide, there are currently 7,000 Montessori schools functioning internationally and approximately 4,000 domestically. Although these institutions function very differently