Life & Work of Dr. Maria Montessori Essay

Birth & FamilyMontessori was born in Ancona, Italy. Her father, Alessandro Montessori, 33 age old at the time, was an official of the Ministry of Finance. Her mother, Renilde Stoppani, 25 years old, was strong educated for the times and was probably related to Italian geologist and paleontologist. While she did not have any particular mentor, she was very close to her mother who pronto encour be ond her. She also had a loving relationship with her father, although he disagreed with her selection to continue her cultivation.EducationMaria herself proved remarkably talented. She was a overconfident and strong-minded lady who excelled in schoolhouse by the role of perpetrateor in divergent games and conversations. At the age of thirteen she got admission in a technical school, a thing considered off-limits to females at that time. She scored senior high school marks that when she graduated, in 1886 she was able to enter in the Regio Istituto Tecnico Leonardo da Vinci. Here sh e studied math, natural sciences, and languages, again excelling beyond all expectations. It was hither too that she became fascinated with the biological sciences, and began to dream of pursuing a flight in medicine. Despite her gender, she was allowed to study medicine.When she presented her thesis in 1896, her absolute wizardry so impressed the all-male board of review that they awarded her a medical degree, make her Italys first cleaning lady doctor. After this accomplishment she was promoted to surgical coadjutor at Santo Spirito, where she had modeled previously as medical assistant. As a physician, Montessori specialize in pediatrics and the new field of psychiatry. She go on research at the University of Rome, joining the university staff in 1897. She became lodge ined in psychology and gay behavior, and in 1900, at the elapse of just a short duet of four years after her degree in medicine, she accepted a professorship in anthropology at the University of Rome.Work of Dr. Maria MontessoriAfter accept a professorship in anthropology, Montessori researched & worked on questionable phrenasthenic childrenin modern terms, children experiencing virtually form of mental retardation, illness, or disability. She also began to travel, study, speak, and divulge nationally and internationally, coming to prominence as an advocate for womens rights and education for mentally disabled children. In Rome during this time, children who were considered mentally deficient were send in asylums. Montessoris early observations of these asylum children formed a decisive element of her theory that would later influence some people. She observed children who occasion to crawl on the floor to grab crumbs of bread after mealtime and agnize that not all children developed through phases of life in the similar way. Her initial focus was to rehabilitate mentally retarded children, with behavioral problems, orphans, and the urgently poor.Montessoris early efforts were so surprisingly successful that she soon had a large following, not only of parents desperate for her help, but of teachers desperate to scan her methods. Montessori was much influenced by the earlier work on child ontogeny and psychology, in particular research conducted by Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard and Edouard Seguin. Their experiments & research were a source of inspiration for Montessori who believed that mental deficiency presented chiefly a pedagogical, kinda than mainly a medical problem.Satisfied with the fact that so-called mentally deficient children could learn the same things as habitual children, sometimes at a faster pace or by attaining a higher mastery level, Montessori began to focus on working directly with normal children in the field of education. The opportunity to work with normal children came to her in 1907, when she was offered the positioning of a medical director for a day-care center that was being nonionized for working-class children who w ere too young to attend open schools.Casa Dei Bambini (House of Children)The 1st day-care center, pick upd Casa dei Bambini (House of Children) was determined in the worst slum district San Lorenzo in Rome on January 6, 1907, & the conditions Montessori faced were atrocious. Its purpose was to provide a space for pre-school age children who were damaging and destroying the houses while their parents were at work. Montessori believed in taking the time to learn from the children, as she herself learned through her observations of the children in the asylums. As Montessori herself wrote, I provided wanted to study the childrens reactions. I asked not to interfere with them in any way as otherwise I would not be able to observe them. Montessori surprised when she saw childrens lack of interest in the toys or the drawing materials and their keen interest in the educational materials. Each educational material had some carefully planned objective lens that was pre-determined by M ontessori. Liberty of the pupil was fundamental method according to her.The disruption of Montessori education in ItalyThe first Casa dei Bambini was a success, and a second was unresolved on April 7, 1907. The children in her programs continued to exhibit concentration, attention, and spontaneous self-discipline and the classrooms began to attract the attention of prominent educators, journalists, and public figures. Three more Case dei Bambini undetermined in 1908, and in 1909 Italian Switzerland began to replace Froebellian methods with Montessori in orphanages and kindergartens.International scholarship and Growth of Montessori EducationAs early as 1909, Montessoris work began to attract the attention of international observers and visitors. Her work was widely published internationally, and ranch rapidly. By the end of 1911, Montessori education had been officially adopted in public schools in Italy and Switzerland, and was planned for the United Kingdom. By 1912, Montesso ri schools had opened in genus Paris and many other Western European cities, and were planned for Argentina, Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Switzerland, Syria, the United States, and untested Zealand. Public programs in London, Johannesburg, Rome, and Stockholm had adopted the method in their school systems. Montessori societies were founded in the United States as AMI (the Montessori American Committee) and the United Kingdom (the Montessori friendship for the United Kingdom).Maria Montessoris writings were also being translated to different languages. She was continually giving lectures around the world where she is always welcomed. She also continued her research and application of her principles to school aged and preschool aged children as substantially as infants from birth. Her research about the childs early years is written in Absorbent Mind (1949). Alternatively she also took keep of the social possibilities based on the idea that current education is an arming of peace. In 1939 she flew to India where she met Mahatma Gandhi.In 1949 she addressed UNESCO where she received an ovation. She was honored with the Legione dHonneur and received an honorary of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Amsterdam.Awards and RecognitionMontessori truly deserve and referred to as a lady much ahead of her time. She was a true pioneer of a modern education system. She was honored by many countries with royal, civic and academic awards and was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace lolly in 1949, 1950 and 1951. Regarding her work and efforts in educational sector her picture was on Italian 200 lire coin and in 1990 on the 1000 lire bill.Montessoris DeathMaria Montessori died in the Netherlands on May 6, 1952 aged 81. Her name always lives through the method of teaching that she introduced because she said once that, I did not invent a method of education, I simply gave some little children a chance to live. She was truly a woman ahead of her time.