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Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor who revolutionized the education system of the world, was born in 1870. She was 1st women doctor from university of Rome. She post graduated in selective psychiatry. It was during this period when she had to visit mental hospital. A few mentally retarded children who were kept in the locked room where been used for an experiment. Doctors wanted to see if administration of Thyroxin helped in removing mental retardation.
Dr. Maria Montessori felt that more than medication what these children needed was special education to make them independent in looking after themselves( dressing , bathing , eating etc.) depending on the degree of retardation. She started going to libraries to see other doctors or psychologists had done any study on these children. She discovered that 2 doctors had done their work before her & left detailed records of all their experiments. First was Dr.Itard who worked with wolf boy of Aveyron. 2nd was Dr. Seguin who worked and experimented with handicapped children.
These had prepared a lot of material and kept a record of their success and failures and their benefits. Dr. Maria Montessori went through these books intelligently, methodically and scientifically in great detail. She started giver. G talks in medical conferences on special education. So the government allowed here to teach & experiment on a group of MR children (special) for 2 years. She started working with them during the day using Dr.Itard&Dr. Seguin’s educational materials and also a lot designed by her. She explained to the children how to perform the activity with the material and started observing them. One of the theories of Montessori method is that the children should be active participants instead of passive listeners in a class room. When the child performs the activity by himself he almost learns it on his own, guided initially by the teacher. Things that the child learns by experience leaves an indelible mark(difficult to erase) on his mind.
The Montessori method of education involves children’s natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places a prominence on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. 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. It discourages some conventional measures of achievement, such as grades and tests.
The method was started in the early 20th century by Italian physician Dr. 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.
A range of practices exists under the name “Montessori”, which is not trademarked. 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. Scientific studies regarding the Montessori method are mostly positive, with a 2017 review stating that “broad evidence” exists for its efficacy.
