Education Atlas

How Knowledge Is Built
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Thinker

Maria Montessori

Founders of Named Pedagogical Methods and Movements
Stacked Graduated Blocks

Italian physician and educator, the first woman to earn a medical degree in Italy (1896). Her work with children with intellectual disabilities and, from 1907, at the Casa dei Bambini in Rome led to the Montessori method, a scientifically observed pedagogy of self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play that spread into thousands of schools worldwide.

Facts
Birth Year
1870 1
Death Year
1952 1
Birthplace
Chiaravalle, Italy 1
Nationality / Culture
Italian 1
Defining Contribution
Developed the Montessori method, a child-directed pedagogy built on sensory materials, mixed-age classrooms and prepared environments, first proven at Rome's Casa dei Bambini in 1907. 1
Notable Work
The Montessori Method (1909) 1
Connections

Associated With

Maria Montessori began medical school at the Sapienza University of Rome in 1893 and graduated from the University of Rome in 1896 as a doctor of medicine.

Source Sapienza University of Rome (Wikipedia)

Informed By

Montessori acknowledged Pestalozzi as a predecessor

Institutions Founded

Source Wikipedia
Additional Source Association Montessori Internationale Official Site1929, where it all began, founder statement

Policies Informed

Source Wikipedia: Constructivist teaching methods

Theories and Approaches Developed

Source Wikipedia: Erdkinder
Source Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
Association Montessori Internationale Official Site
Institutions Founded: Association Montessori Internationale, 1929, where it all began, founder statementView the Source
Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Theories and Approaches Developed: Montessori Method, Montessori education, lead section
    The method was started in the 20th century by Italian physician Maria Montessori, who developed her theories through scientific experimentation with children.
  • Institutions Founded: Association Montessori Internationale, Association Montessori Internationale, lead section
    It was founded in August 1929 by Maria and her son Mario in Helsingor, Denmark.
  • Theories and Approaches Developed: Montessori Education, Montessori education page, developer section
View the Source
Sapienza University of Rome (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Sapienza University of Rome, Biography section, Maria Montessori article
Quote, Associated With: Sapienza University of Rome, Biography section, Maria Montessori article
Montessori graduated from the University of Rome in 1896 as a doctor of medicine.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Constructivist teaching methods
Wikimedia FoundationPolicies Informed: Constructivist Teaching Methods, History section, Montessori attribution
Quote, Policies Informed: Constructivist Teaching Methods, History section, Montessori attribution
The development of constructivist models of teaching are specifically attributed to the works of Maria Montessori, which were further developed by more recent by theorists such as David A. Kolb, and Ronald Fry, among others.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Erdkinder
Wikimedia FoundationTheories and Approaches Developed: Erdkinder, Lead section, first sentence
Quote, Theories and Approaches Developed: Erdkinder, Lead section, first sentence
is the pedagogical model developed by Maria Montessori for the education of adolescents, typically defined as ages 12 to 18.
View the Source

Take a Related Quiz

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.