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The Birth of a Movement She opened the doors on January 6, 1907, calling the center the Casa dei BambiniItalian for Childrens House. Dr. Montessori was determined to make the Casa a quality educational environment for these youngsters, whom many had thought were unable to learnand she did.

The Montessori method of teaching is founded on the idea that education should support rather than undermine a childs natural abilities. Therefore, scientific research on children and an understanding of how development and learning work should serve as the foundation for education.

Traditional education often follows a one-size-fits-all approach. With this approach, students are expected to progress at the same pace and conform to predetermined standards. Montessori education recognizes that each child has unique strengths, interests and learning styles. Montessori teachers act as facilitators.

Dr Montessori was born into the Christian (Catholic) tradition and much of her writing assumes the existence of a God with whom all people can connect and experience a personal relationship. As she travelled the globe her spiritual journey took many twists and turns, through humanist beliefs and eastern religion.

She would only return to her homeland in 1947, and she continued to write about and develop her method until her death in 1952, at the age of 81. Today there are many different kinds of Montessori schools, not all of which are recognised by Opera Montessori, but certain fundamental principles have remained intact.

Kingsley Montessori School began with education pioneers Edith Kingsley and Helen Loud, who founded the original Kingsley School in Bostons Back Bay in 1938.

Traditional classrooms often emphasize disembodied education and memorization with seated book learning. To the contrary, the Montessori approach embraces embodied education, the philosophy that movement and learning are tied together. Montessori learning is hands-on, experiential, and investigative. Learn more.

Check out the blog below for other things you may not know about the remarkable life of Maria Montessori. She was one of the first female doctors in Italy. The Pope endorsed her for medical school. She was a life-long social justice activist. Her passion for education came from working with children in asylums.