An Analysis of Montessori Method of Education
History and Background of Montessori Method of Education
Dr. Maria Montessori, privileged to be the first ever female physician in Italy, visualized an education system that was aimed at helping children to learn things practically in life. During the year 1907, she started her first school that exclusively offered an unprecedented education model that develops the personality of individuals and assists children to mature into whole human beings. What originated as a humble attempt to provide a changed learning pattern for children gave birth to an entire shift in the education system that progressed across the globe.
How was this New and Unique Education System Developed?
Having been armed with her scientific qualification and clear social understanding, Dr. Maria Montessori was keen and capable of observing how young ones reacted and learnt when they were just conveyed with information and when they were engaged in active and purposeful learning techniques. She learnt the importance of a framework to teach that respects individuals and induces their interest so as to provide personal development and growth required for maturing into whole persons.
She pioneered the work that presented an innovative blueprint which shifted educational system towards nurturing all children ranging from gifted ones to disabled ones. They were led to become independent and self-driven, apart from developing a propensity towards learning throughout life. This forms the basic objective of the progressive and path-breaking movement that aimed at reforming the existing education practice.
How it all Started
Primarily intended to care for educating children who were mentally challenged, the changed pattern was devised by using social and psychological outlook. Dr. Maria Montessori’s novel practices included a combo of hands-on practical procedures and an environment rich in stimulating human senses. This system met with positive learning response from the children who were previously unable to receive fair treatment from society.
Montessori went on structuring her unique learning pattern. For this, she opened a place named “Children’s House”, with the idea of exclusively serving the poverty-stricken strata of the society, in 1907. It was after the successful and effective performance of this unique educational model that her materials and practices, along with the philosophies and environment were started to be adopted by schools the world over. Her methods were recognized to be ahead of time and the pre-designed environment as well as classrooms with pupils of various ages – the new model as a whole, became popular and widely incorporated across the globe.
The Current Scenario
Today, the educational model that was conceptualized and developed with the objective of practically benefitting the less privileged children has evolved into a great system catering to the needs of all levels of children regardless of geographical location and ability. Montessori Method of School Education has attained the niche of being one of the most popular and unbiased learning mode that offers to enable children blossom into intellectually and mentally adept persons capable of facing the world with courage and skills.