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A Brief Description of the Philosophy and History of the Montessori Method of Education
PHILOSOPHY
Children enter the world as unformed beings. While born  only with potentialities, they possess amazing powers that will allow them to complete the difficult work of their own construction - developing into fully formed, fulfilled and responsible individuals. Unlike adults, they cannot accomplish this task sitting still, but rather through purposeful movement, exploration and discovery. The adult’s crucial role is to foster and protect this all-important endeavor. The student’s building of their own mental lives is a delicate labor that no one else can do for them.
The Montessori classroom is an environment prepared by the teacher which allows the children to come in contact with the qualities and facts of the world as presented through the classroom materials. The teacher is the link between each child and this prepared environment. This role alternates between a direct and indirect one, as the teacher closely observes each child and watches for the next manifestation of interest. The role of the teacher is a participant/observer in a community of children.
HISTORY
Dr. Maria Montessori was the first woman to graduate from Medical School in Italy in 1896. She began her work with children as a physician, and later studied education and anthropology. She believed strongly in observation of children to determine what helped them develop, grow, and learn. Sutdying children in all conditions throughout the world, she discovered universal principals underlying the development of all children. The Montessori method with its unique set of materials, training, and philosophy, is practiced today world-wide.
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