ABOUT
Dr. Maria Montessori founded the Montessori Method in Italy in the early 1900s and her scientific approach to education was shaped around the individual needs of the child. Her goal was to develop the child and their whole personality through a system that is focused on spontaneous use of the human intellect.
Built on three primary principles – observation, individual liberty, and preparation of the environment – it designed an environment children could freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities.
The method is focused on the role of childhood in the formation of adults; she is a formidable progenitor of so much of today's thought concerning early childhood education. Her educational views have been very influential in the development of today's preschools, daycares, and philosophies of early learning.
Teaching focuses on the child's experience, characterized by self-directed activity, where the teacher's role is more observational than what might be considered traditional or typical.