The Montessori method is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher. It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his or her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing abstract concepts and practical skills. The Montessori method teaches reading via phonics and whole language, the comparative benefits of which are currently being recognized. To all educators this book should prove most interesting. All who are fair-minded will admit the genius that shines from the pages which follow, and the remarkable suggestiveness of Dr. Montessori's labors.-Henry W. Holmes
<i>The Montessori Method</i> by Maria Montessori immediately captivated social reformers and educators around the world. First published in Italian in 1909, <i>The Montessori Method</i> has been translated into twenty languages, including the 1912 English translation. Its ideas were new and innovative compared to the traditional Lancasterian method in which large groups of children recited the teachers' words, word for word in unison. Instead of the teacher being the center of the classroom and the students being listeners and observers, Maria Montessori believed in children learning at their own pace and in their own fashion. The book begins with a collection of Montessori's speeches and then moves onto her research in education. Early chapters show how she used scientific methodology of the era, anthropomorphic measurement, to substantiate physiological explanations for children's educational potentials. It depicts Montessori as a scientist using scientific inquiry to validate her ideas and methods as the beginning of pedagogical science. <b>About the Author</b> <i>The Montessori Method</i> was written when Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was thirty years old, but she had even earlier success. By graduating from the University of Rome Medical School in 1896, Montessori had broken the Italian educational and cultural barriers that kept women from attending medical schools. Using her scientific training as a physician and her intuition, she developed the Casa de Bambini in the San Lorenzo slums.
