For over 100 years, Montessori education has been proven effective for children in a variety of settings, rural and urban, all around the world. Recent research has shown that Montessori techniques are consistent with new understandings of children’s neural development. Montessori is a universal way to educate children, having been successful in many cultures throughout generations.
Maria Montessori, one of the first Italian women to be granted a medical degree, developed the Montessori method of education in the early 20th century. Dr. Montessori believed that all children are born with inherent gifts and abilities that guide healthy development. She designed learning environments that enable children to develop spiritually, physically, intellectually, and emotionally in ways consistent with their natural development.
The first Montessori school served 50 children from Rome’s poorest communities. From the beginning, the Montessori method has endeavored to provide the ideal conditions for learning for all children—regardless of socioeconomic status or cultural background. In 1929 Dr. Montessori founded the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), an organization that aims to uphold and further this approach to child development, as well as advocate for children’s rights worldwide. AMI also serves as an accrediting body for Montessori schools and training facilities throughout the world.
Based on scientific observation of children, the Montessori approach offers an individualized education to each child. Learning is a collaboration between the adult and the child. This method of education nurtures creative thinking and problem solving, with the goal of helping children to see their responsibility in making the world a better place.
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