| Maria Montessori was born in the town of Chiaravalle | | | | the idea of collective order; this idea follows and |
| (province of Ancona, Italy) in 1870. She became the | | | | comes as a result of those disciplinary exercises |
| first female physician in Italy upon her graduation from | | | | through which the child learns to discern between good |
| medical school in 1896. Then, she was chosen to | | | | and evil. The lessons are individual, and brevity must be |
| represent Italy at two different woman's conferences, | | | | one of their chief characteristics. Another characteristic |
| in Berlin in 1896 and in London in 1900. | | | | quality of the lesson in the is its simplicity. It must be |
| Her clinical observations led her to analyze how | | | | stripped of all that is not absolute truth. The teacher |
| children learn, and she concluded that they build | | | | must not lose herself in vain words. The carefully |
| themselves from what they find in their environment. | | | | chosen words must be the most simple it is possible to |
| Shifting her focus from the body to the mind, she | | | | find, and must refer to the truth. The third quality of the |
| returned to the university in 1901, this time to study | | | | lesson is its objectivity. The lesson must be presented |
| psychology and philosophy. In 1904, she was made a | | | | in such a way that the personality of the teacher shall |
| professor of anthropology at the University of Rome. | | | | disappear. There shall remain in evidence only the |
| Maria Montessori is known as a developer of | | | | object to which she wishes to call the attention of the |
| Montessori approach based on a child psychology. It | | | | child. |
| can be established only through the method of | | | | Montessori approach is also based on exercises of |
| external observation. We must renounce all idea of | | | | practical life such as personal cleanliness, intellectual |
| making any record of internal states, which can be | | | | exercises (objective lessons interrupted by short rest |
| revealed only by the introspection of the subject | | | | periods;nomenclature, sense exercises), gymnastics |
| himself. Her intention was to keep in touch with the | | | | (ordinary movements done gracefully, normal position |
| researches of others, but to make herself independent | | | | of the body, walking, marching in line, salutations, |
| of them, proceeding to work without preconceptions | | | | movements for attention, placing of objects gracefully), |
| of any kind. She confirmed that "all methods of | | | | free games, directed games (if possible, in the open |
| experimental psychology may be reduced to one, | | | | air), manual work (clay modeling, design, etc.), collective |
| namely, carefully recorded observation of the subject". | | | | gymnastics and songs, and exercises to develop |
| Treating of children must necessarily intervene the | | | | forethought - caring for the plants and animals. |
| study of development. Discipline is another very | | | | In order to protect the child's development, especially in |
| important part of Montessori approach and it must | | | | neighborhoods where standards of child hygiene are |
| come through liberty. She calls an individual disciplined | | | | not yet prevalent in the home, it would be well if a |
| when he is master of himself, and can regulate his | | | | large part of the child's diet could be entrusted to the |
| own conduct when it shall be necessary to follow | | | | Montessori school. It is well known today that the diet |
| some rule of life. | | | | must be adapted to the physical nature of the child. |
| Such a concept of active discipline is not easy to | | | | The diet of little children must be rich in fats and sugar: |
| comprehend or to apply. But it contains a great | | | | the first for reserve matter and the second for plastic |
| educational principle, very different from the old-time | | | | tissue. In fact, sugar is a stimulant to tissues in the |
| absolute and undiscussed coercion to immobility. | | | | process of formation. As for the form of preparation, it |
| What about lessons in school? | | | | is well that the alimentary substances should always |
| In Montessori method the lesson corresponds to an | | | | be minced, because the child has not yet the capacity |
| experiment. The more fully the teacher is acquainted | | | | for completely masticating the food, and his stomach is |
| with the methods of experimental psychology, the | | | | still incapable of fulfilling the function of mincing food |
| better will she understand how to give the lesson. In | | | | matter. Consequently, soups and meat balls should |
| the first days of the school the children do not learn | | | | constitute the ordinary form of dish for the child's table. |