“The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement is being formed. But not only his intelligence; the full totality of his psychic powers…”
-Dr. Maria Montessori
Montessori is an educational approach developed by Maria Montessori, supporting a child's full development by offering a broad vision of education. Montessori education provides a thoughtfully prepared learning environment with purposeful activities suited to the child’s developmental needs and tendencies. Montessorians guide children to facilitate their learning, concentration and social development. Additionally, Montessori programs often cultivate a curiosity about the world. Montessori education is found in over 22,000 schools worldwide and has a proven record of success - which is more successful than any other educational approach.
Children become confident, responsible, independent learners who trust in their own abilities. The prepared nature of the environment allows children to act independently and respond to their natural tendency to work. Children have a spontaneous desire to learn. The Montessori classroom encourages this by giving them opportunities to engage in self-directed, purposeful activities with the guidance of a trained instructor. Through their work, children develop concentration and joyful self-discipline. They progress at their own pace and rhythm according to their capabilities and interests.
Dr. Maria Montessori graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rome in 1896; she was the first woman to practice medicine in Italy. As a physician, anthropologist and scientist, she brought a new perspective to the observation and study of human development. It is through scientific observation that she came to understand how children interact with their environment, including the people in it. She identified distinct stages of human development through her observation of children from many ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds from birth to maturity. Her understanding of human development, including their nature and how they learn, was the basis for developing activities and materials to serve the child’s desire to learn and discover the world.
In Canada, Montessori education is available for children from infancy through adolescence in early childhood settings, childcare services, and primary and secondary education. There are over 1000 Montessori schools across Canada. Some are run as not-for-profit organizations, community-based associations, and privately-owned programs, while others are run as programs within the public school system.
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