Maria Montessori, Italy’s first trained female physician, was also an engineer, an anthropologist and one of the greatest educators of the twentieth century. Our work with children is based upon the contribution that she made to education, a pedagogical approach that includes the following:
Curiosity: The child’s natural curiosity is the motivation for the child’s learning. The individuality of children is not only respected; it is nurtured. The Montessori teacher is trained to wait for and identify “teachable moments,” those times when the individual child’s developmental cycle is optimized, what Maria Montessori calls “sensitive periods.”
The prepared environment: By providing an environment rich in learning materials and opportunities, the Montessori teacher enables the child to apply his/her curiosity in the most enriching way possible.
Following the child:
The Montessori teacher follows the child in his/her learning, actively.
The teachers are “scientists of child learning.” They take
copious notes and observe the children, following them, yet guiding
them.