History of Montessori

Over a century ago, Italian physician Dr. Maria Montessori developed a child-focused approach for educating children, and it has been transforming schools around the globe ever since.

Montessori classrooms are immediately recognizable. You will see children working independently and in groups, often with specially designed learning materials; deeply engaged in their work; and respectful of themselves and their surroundings. To see inside Montessori classrooms, visit this page.

The Montessori Method fosters rigorous, self-motivated growth for children and adolescents in all areas of their development—cognitive, emotional, social, and physical.

In 1906, Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian educator, physician, and scientist, who had just judged an international competition on the subjects of scientific pedagogy and experimental psychology, was invited to create a childcare center in San Lorenzo, a poor, inner-city district of Rome. There, she would be working with some of the area’s most disadvantaged, and previously unschooled, children.

She opened the doors on January 6, 1907, calling the center the Casa dei Bambini—Italian for “Children’s House.” Dr. Montessori was determined to make the Casa a quality educational environment for these youngsters, whom many had thought were unable to learn—and she did.

To learn more about the history of Montessori, visit this page. To learn more about Dr. Maraia Montessori, go here.

Montessori education is own for individually paced learning and fostering independence, the Montessori Method also encourages empathy, a passion for social justice, and a joy in lifelong learning.

Given the freedom and support to question, to probe deeply, and to make connections, Montessori students become confident, enthusiastic, self-directed learners. They are able to think critically, work collaboratively, and act boldly—a skill set for the 21st century.

For details on how a Montessori education provides these benefits, check out this page.

Since the word ‘Montessori’ is public domain and anyone can use it, it’s important to look out for the 5 core components of Montessori education:

1. Trained Montessori teachers
2. The multi-age classroom
3. Utilizing Montessori materials
4. Child-directed work
5. Uninterrupted work periods

For more details on these 5 Core Components, visit this page. Please note that public Montessori schools may not all be able to execute across these core components.

To learn more about the history of Dr. Maria Montessori’s proven method of education, visit this page.