Who was Maria Montessori ?
Born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Maria Montessori was a fascinating and passionate woman, totally dedicated to the cause of children and peace. She was one of the first female medical graduates in Italy.
Even before neuroscience validated the principles that structure her pedagogy, Maria Montessori had succeeded in highlighting, through rigorous scientific observation of children, the importance of learning through experience, thanks to movement and manipulation, in a prepared and stimulating environment, by encouraging concentration and the repetition of tasks. The role of the adult is completely revisited: from knowing and great "commander", he becomes a skillful observer and discreet accompanier of the child, to help him unfold his full potential. For Maria Montessori, education goes far beyond the simple transmission of a school program. It is an aid to life whose objective is to "educate the human potential".
Maria Montessori opened her first school in Rome, in the working-class neighbourhood of San Lorenzo, in 1907. She welcomed children between the ages of 3 and 6 and offered them a new education, which favoured the child's autonomy and concentration. Very quickly, observers from all over the world came to see this new type of school, and the phenomenon spread to the whole world (United States, India, Europe...).
There are now nearly 35,000 Montessori schools around the world. The Montessori pedagogy is applied in nurseries, elementary schools, secondary schools and even high schools. It is deployed, via the Educators Without Borders program, in developing countries and it is also introduced in retirement homes to help the elderly maintain their cognitive abilities.
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