Maria Montessori

Learning Targets:

• the reader will be able to explain who Maria Montessori was and her contributions to the education system.

• The reader will be able to identify the differences between Montessori schools and Public Schools.

Who was Maria Montessori?

Maria Montessori was born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy (Povell et al., n.d.). In 1896, she became the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome's medical school, becoming a licensed medical doctor (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 4). The following year, she joined the University of Rome staff as a voluntary assistant Doctor at their Psychiatirc Clinic (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 5). Although she had her Medical License, the University would not hire her as a paid Doctor because she was a woman (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 5). While she was there, she noticed that the children in the asylum lacked toys and other stimulation that leads to cognitive development (Biswas-Diener, 2011, 217). Montessori realized that their mental deficiencies stemmed from a pedological problem rather than a medical one (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 5). She moved the children to a hospital in Rome and began a series of tests that examined their development through the use of the children's senses, especially touch (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 6). The result: the learning disabled children were able to learn how to read and write, and also passed the state examinations with above-average scores (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 6).

After Montessori's time at the Asylum, she began to wonder if she could help the "normal" children as well. So in January 1907, Maria Montessori opened her first school, "Casa Dei Bambini", which translates to, "The Children's Home" (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 7). She focused on observing the children instead of trying to be in charge and allowed kids to freely move and play with what attracted them (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 7). By 1908 she was famous for her discoveries in education and published her first book, The Montessori Method in 1909 (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 7-8). In October 1911, Anne George opened the first Montessori school in America in New York (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 8). Maria Montessori would end up passing away in 1952 (Biswas-Diener, 2011, 218).

Montessori Schools v. Public Schools

Conclusion:

Maria Montessori was not only a pioneer in the medical field but in the education field as well. Through Montessori's work with the children of the Rome Psychiatric Asylum, she was able to open the very first Montessori school, "Casa Dei Bambini", or, "The Children's Home" (Thayer-Bacon, 2012, 7). Today, there are about 7,000 Montessori schools around the world and countless other Montessori-inspired institutions (Biswas-Diener, 2011, 218). These schools still continue based on Maria Montessori's work and writings, and prioritize tasks goals and the Flow Theory for truly intrinsically-motivated and successful students (Rathunde & Csikszentmihalyi, 2005, 345-346).

QUIZ:

1) What was Maria Montessori Known For?:

a) becoming the First American Montessori school teacher in 1911.

b) By becoming the first female doctor in Rome and founding the first Montessori school in 1907.

c) She reformed the European School systems during the 20th century.

d) She became the first female doctor in britian in 1896.

2) What are two differences between Montessori Schools and Public Schools?

a) Montessori schools prioritize task goals and the Flow Theory by letting students explore their interests, while public schools prioritize performance-goals and have trouble maintaining students' concentration.

b) Montessori schools involve students being lectured at desks all day while Public schools let students explore their own interests freely.

c) Public schools prioritize task goals and the Flow Theory by letting students explore their interests, while Montessori schools prioritize performance-goals and have trouble maintaining students' concentration.

d) Public schools focus on task goals which help students become intrinsically motivated while montessori schools focus on performance goals which prioritizes students receiving grades and competition amongst peers.

Answer Key:

1) B

2) A

Note to Reader: While my sources are scholarly and credible, they do contains biases. Every article that i cited was in support of montessori schools. The evidence I used also further promotes montessori schools, as it was a challenge to find articles that were in disapproval of the school's methods.

References

Biswas-Diener, R. (2011). Manipulating Happiness: Maria Montessori. International Journal of Wellbeing, 1(2), 214-255. JSTOR. 10.5502/ijw.v1iw.4

Povell, P., Montessori, M., & Rambusch, N. M. (n.d.). Who was Maria Montessori? American Montessori Society. Retrieved February 14, 2022, from https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/History-of-Montessori/Who-Was-Maria-Montessori

Rathunde, K., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2005). Middle School Students’ Motivation and Quality of Experience: A Comparison of Montessori and Traditional School Environments. American Journal of Education, 111(3), 341-371. JSTOR. https://www-jstor-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/stable/pdf/10.1086/428885.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A6c7c9a305d68794af78462e3b397c72f&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&origin=

Thayer-Bacon, B. (2012). Maria Montessori, John Dewey, and William H. Kilpatrick. Education and Culture, 28(1), 3-20. JSTOR. Retrieved 2 14, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5703/educationculture.28.1.3