Maria Montessori

I decided to research Montessori. I chose her because there are alot of Montessori schools around here and I never knew what the difference was. I figiured this could be my opportunity to understand what a Montessori school is. Maria Montessori, born on August 31, 1870, was an Italian physician and educator. She started out wanting to pursue a career in engineering, but soon turned to medicine and became a physician. She started working in psychiatry and was offered a position to train special education teachers. Then in 1907 she opened up a childcare facility and this is where her teaching philosophy began. She believed students have so much possibility to explore and develop in the right environment.

 "Montessori philosophy delivers a method of seeing children as they really are and of creating environments which foster the fulfillment of their highest potential - spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual - in the family and world around them." (montessori.edu)  It is a way of teaching that encourage independence, freedom and order. It is sort of like the summerhill school where students make use of the materials and use what they want in the environment around them. They decide how far they want to extend their knowledge. This type of environment is about letting children blossom and learn to their full potential. They believe every child has so much potential  and it shouldnt be stopped. They teach their students to apply their knowledge to real world experiences. Montessori education encourages students to gain knowledge through their surroundings, and essentially teaching themselves.

I like this teaching method because it encourages children to learn to their greatest potential. It allows children to discover who they are and their role in society. It is a way for them to explore their own knowledge with what is available to them in their environment.
http://www.montessori.edu/method.html
http://www.amshq.org/Montessori%20Education/Introduction%20to%20Montessori.aspx