T.R.A.C.S at River Island
Last year, also beginning of September, we had a back to school party and this year a "Day
after School Party". It is not only named "After School" because
that it is on a Saturday but also because the day before it is the birth day of
Maria Montessori.
Maria
Montessori
Born: 31-Aug-1870
Birthplace:
Chiaravalle , Italy
Died: 6-May-1952
Gender: Female
Gender: Female
Religion: Roman Catholic
Maria
Montessori is remembered as the founder of the famous Montessori Method of
education which emphasized hands-on, individualized learning within mixed age
groups in a child-friendly setting. Her teaching strategies and her discoveries
about the process of learning revolutionized the field of education in the United States Italy
Location of death:
Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands
Remains: Buried, Noordwijk
aan Zee, Netherlands
Occupation:
Educator, Scientist
Nationality:
Italy
Executive
summary: Founder of Montessori Education Method
Maria
Montessori is remembered as the founder of the famous Montessori Method of
education which emphasized hands-on, individualized learning within mixed age
groups in a child-friendly setting. Her teaching strategies and her discoveries
about the process of learning revolutionized the field of education in the
Montessori
education is practiced in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide, serving
children from birth to eighteen years old.
Montessori
education is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within
limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development, as well as
technological advancements in society. Although a range of practices exists
under the name "Montessori", the Association Montessori
Internationale (AMI) and the American Montessori Society (AMS) cite these
elements as essential:
- Mixed age classrooms, with classrooms for children aged 2½ or 3 to 9 years old by far the most common
- Student choice of activity from within a prescribed range of options
- Uninterrupted blocks of work time
- A Constructivist or "discovery" model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction
- Specialized educational materials developed by Montessori and her collaborators
Ironically,
Montessori's methods were not derived from any extant pedagogical wisdom. She
had in fact sidestepped the more traditional education path for women --
teacher's training -- in favour of science. But as an astute scientist and
quick-minded observer, she had soon discovered some important and, for the
period, revolutionary principles about children and the process of learning.
Among these was the notion that children have an innate drive to learn, and
that all on their own they are capable of amassing an incredible amount of
information and wisdom about the world around them. This was startling news at
the turn of the century as hitherto it had been assumed that children could
only learn through instruction -- or more specifically, from being lectured by
an adult.
Source: WikiPedia / NNDB
