“Education is not just about transferring information to and imposing knowledge on children, education is about bringing out the potential of good and beautiful human beings”
Maria Montessori
Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female medical doctor, pedagogue and professor of anthropology, was a scientist and, by extension, an excellent observer. The Montessori method of education, which she developed based on her scientific observations of child development, is unique in its emphasis on the individual skills and needs of each child, and its combination of educational theories, psychology and philosophy. In her work, Dr. Montessori focused on removing obstacles to the child’s strong desire for independence, and helping the child achieve intrinsic, self-perpetuated motivation in life and learning.
The Montessori Method is a holistic educational philosophy based on respect for the child. The core premises of the method can be summarized in the following three points:
- Children naturally want to learn,
- Children constantly seek to grow, develop and improve themselves,
- Each child will progress according to his or her own development and pace, strengths and weaknesses.
Therefore, the ultimate goal of the Montessori educator is to enable the child to benefit from their own innate potential.
According to this holistic approach, teaching children respect, cooperation, dedication, and responsibility are as important as educating them in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social sciences. In this education system, the child is treated as an individual whose physical, spiritual, emotional, social and intellectual needs are equally important and part of an inseparable whole.
The main task of the Montessori educator (guide), who sees the child as the architect of humanity’s future and the men and women of tomorrow, is not to fill the child’s brain with information based on rote memorization, but to be a guide who prepares a stimulating environment, understands the child’s effort to become an independent individual, and takes the child’s call to “help me to do it myself” seriously.
Dr. Montessori’s greatest desire was the improvement of humanity through childrens’ education, thereby attaining peace and tranquility in the world. She believed such a future was possible if humanity focused on the inherent goodness, curiosity and sense of wonder inherent in every child.
