maria montessori

English - English

Definition of maria montessori in English English dictionary: {i} (1870-1952) Italian doctor and educator who is the founder of the method of education emphasizing freedom of movement and the training of the senses; an Italian teacher and writer who developed a new way of teaching young children, the Montessori method, which encourages each child to develop at his or her own speed, to learn through playing, and to be confident and independent. Her method is used in Montessori schools in many countries (1870-1952). born Aug. 31, 1870, Chiaravalle, near Ancona, Italy died May 6, 1952, Noordwijk aan Zee, Neth. Italian educator. Montessori took a degree in medicine (1894) and worked in a clinic for retarded children before going on to teach at the University of Rome. In 1907 she opened her first children's school, and for the next 40 years she traveled throughout Europe, India, and the U.S., lecturing, writing, and setting up Montessori schools. Today there are hundreds of such schools in the U.S. and Canada alone; their principal focus is on preschool education, but some provide elementary education to grade; The Montessori system is based on belief in children's creative potential, their drive to learn, and their right to be treated as individuals. It relies on the use of "didactic apparatuses" to cultivate hand-eye coordination, self-directedness, and sensitivity to premathematical and preliterary instruction

maria montessori