

Maria Montessori was invited to hold her first course for teachers and to set up a "Casa dei Bambini" at Villa Montesca, the home of the Franchettis in Città di Castello. In 1901, Maria Montessori met the prominent education reformers Alice and Leopoldo Franchetti. She frequently referred to her work as " scientific pedagogy". : 112 From the beginning, Montessori based her work on her observations of children and experimentation with the environment, materials, and lessons available to them.

In 1907, she opened her first classroom, the Casa dei Bambini, or Children's House, in a tenement building in Rome. : 60 While visiting Rome's mental asylums during her schooling with a teacher, Montessori observed that confined children were in need of more stimulation from their environment. The Scarborough School at the Edward Harden Mansion in Sleepy Hollow, New York, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the site of the first American Montessori school in 1911įollowing her medical training, Maria Montessori began developing her educational philosophy and methods in 1897, attending courses in pedagogy at the University of Rome and learning educational theory. Scientific studies regarding the Montessori method are mostly positive, with a 2017 review stating that "broad evidence" exists for its efficacy.

Popular elements include mixed-age classrooms, student freedom (including their choices of activity), long blocks of uninterrupted work time, specially trained teachers and prepared environment. Ī range of practices exists under the name "Montessori", which is not trademarked. The method was started in the early 20th century by Italian physician Maria Montessori, who developed her theories through scientific experimentation with her students the method has since been used in many parts of the world, in public and private schools alike. It discourages some conventional measures of achievement, such as grades and tests. It emphasizes independence and it views children as naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a sufficiently supportive and well-prepared learning environment.

A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. Children working with a moveable alphabet at a Montessori school
