Discuss
the life and works of Dr. Maria Montessori and why is she referred to as a lady
much ahead of her time?
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Dr. Maria Montessori is
a founder of Montessori Method of teaching. She was a very confident and strong lady of
her time. She is well known of introducing the Montessori Method and also the
early childhood education.
She was born on 31st
August 1870 to an educated middle class family. Her father was a conservative
military man and her mother was liberal lady who always encouraged her daughter
to pursuit her education.
EDUCATION:
Her early education
was in Florence and then Rome. At the
age of thirteen, she went to secondary, technical school. She graduated with a
very good grades examination result. After that, she graduated with highest
honors from medical school of the University of Rome. She became the first lady
doctor in the history of Italy. She was a brilliant student throughout her
academic career.
WORK WITH SPECIAL CHILDREN:
Montessori was
well known for her contributions in education. She became the director of the
“deficient and insane” children in the University of Rome. She started working
with these mentally disabled children. She discovered that her children need
purposeful activities to do in order to get sense and mind and she successfully
achieved her goals.
Inspiration from Itard and Seguin:
Maria was so much
inspired by the work of two French doctors who had also worked with children
who had some physical and mental disorders. They attempted basic skills in
their work for example reading, writing or alternative methods which were
helped full for children. Maria had keenly observed their methodology and
figure out that children could learn the same things as the normal children.
After the success, she started working with normal children.
Casa dei Bambini:
Montessori started
her first school with normal children named Casa dei Bambini (the house of
children) which was inaugurated in 1907. At the beginning of the school, there
were only fifty students and one untrained teacher. In her school, she
introduced exercises of practical day living for example cleaning, dressing;
gardening etc. she noticed that children took great interest in doing these
kinds of activities. These kinds of activities made the independent and more
efficient. When she found out that the job of the teacher is to serve the
children, she believed that the urges of the children are universal and that is
in the nature of the child to perform such activities. The children of the
school of Casa dei Bambini had showed outstanding progress in their academic
and practical work. They learnt a lot of activities related to writing and
reading etc. her school became famous due to the progress of these young angel
whom people consider they can’t do anything until they sent to public schools.
WORLDWIDE RESPONSE:
Her school became
famous all over the world in a very short time. After first school, she started
numerous schools. People from all over the world visited her and appreciated
her effort and discoveries. Her methodology was started to practice all over
the world.
HIGHEST RECOGNITION AND AWARDS:
She became so much
successful as she was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize thrice. She was even pictured
on the Italian 200 lire coins and through 1990s on the 1000 lire bills.
DEATH:
Montessori died on
1952 in the Netherlands. Her name would always alive because of her
extraordinary contribution in the field of education.
LADY A HEAD:
Montessori is referred
to lady a head because her discoveries are being practiced all over the world.
She is immortal through her methods which are still being practiced now and
will in future also. She lived in old days but was definitely “A woman much
Ahead of her time.”
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