About Maria Montessori (born 1870)

Maria Montessori became the first female physician in Italy in 1896. After running a clinical practice for five years she returned to university to study psychology and philosophy. In 1904 she became a professor of anthropology at the University of Rome.

After teaching and practicing medicine for 10 years she gave up her practice and her university chair to work with 60 young children in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. It was there that the first Casa di Bambini, or "Children's House" began.

Based on Maria Montessori's scientific observations of those first 60 children, the Montessori philosophy of education was born.  Her ideas have had a profound and growing influence on education around the world. In North America, there are an estimated 4,000 Montessori Schools.

About Montessori:

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  * Montessori schools begin with a deep respect for children as unique individuals. They work from a concern for their social and emotional development.
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  * Montessori schools are warm and supportive communities of students, teachers and parents.
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  * Montessori consciously teaches children to be kind and peaceful.
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  * Montessori classrooms are not run by the teachers alone. Students learn to manage their own community and develop leadership skills and independence.
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  * Montessori environments consist of multi-age groups rather than classes comprised of just one grade level. Children stay with their teachers for three years. This allows teachers to develop close and long term relationships with their pupils, allows them to know each child's learning style and encourages a strong sense of community among the children.
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  * Maria Montessori believed that all children are born intelligent; they simply learn in different ways and progress at their own pace. The Montessori approach to education is consciously designed to recognize and address different learning styles, helping students learn to study most effectively.
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  * The Montessori curriculum always moves from the concrete towards abstraction, allowing the child to absorb the materials on all levels as they progress at their own pace.
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  * Montessori students learn through hands on experience, investigation and research. They become actively engaged in their studies.
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  * Montessori challenges students at any developmental and academic level.
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  * Students develop self-discipline and an internal sense of purpose and motivation. After graduation from Montessori, these values serve them well throughout their lives.

For more information on the history and philosophy of Montessori, visit www.amshq.org

 MCS at Brookfield is a member of the American Montessori Society