Dr. Maria Montessori began her work with children in the early 1900s. She was the first woman to receive a medical degree in Italy and with her medical background began working with pediatric psychiatric patients in Rome. Through careful observation of those children, she began to develop an approach to working with preschool aged children that were revolutionary in her day. After achieving success with children previously thought uneducable, she began working with normal preschool aged children, and began to develop an approach to education and a body of didactic materials that are still used in Montessori schools today. Hallmarks of the Montessori method of education are:
· respect for each child's individual path through recognized developmental stages of growth
· the necessity of freely chosen activity within a prepared environment
· close observation of children
· a profound belief in the intrinsic human satisfaction in learning and growing which makes education reward enough, eliminating the need for external rewards related to achievement
She observed that younger children learned from older ones, who in turn derived pleasure and solidified their understandings by being a helper to younger ones, and thus grouped children in mixed age groups. The Montessori method of education is designed to take full advantage of self-motivation and the unique ability of young children to develop their own intelligence and physical and psychological capabilities, with the aid of materials and experiences furnished in a carefully prepared environment. In short, Montessori teaches children how to learn. What is more, it does so at a critical age -- two through six years -- when their receptivity to new concepts is most keen and core aspects of their personalities are being formed. Through Montessori they discover that the will, ability and skills to learn are inside each of them rather than provided externally. And in so doing, it helps provide a foundation of self-confidence and esteem that can serve them for the rest of their lives.