Dr Maria Montessori

“Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.”

Dr Maria Montessori was the first woman in Italy to qualify as a physician. A pioneer in the study of the development of the very young child, her approach to education stemmed from her background in the sciences — medicine, mathematics, biology, philosophy and psychology. She founded the first Casa dei Bambini, a “House of Children”, in Rome in 1907. Her method was based on scientific observation of children’s almost effortless ability to absorb knowledge from their surroundings, and of their tireless interest in handling materials.

Every piece of equipment, every exercise, every method Dr Montessori developed was constructed on what she observed children do naturally, unassisted by adults. Nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work with children and in education, she dedicated her life to furthering the self-creating process of the child through educational reform and techniques based on her discoveries.

Dr Montessori spent seven years in India establishing the Indian Montessori Movement. Today, Montessori is the single largest pedagogy in the world.