The Montessori Method of Education
Over 100 years ago, Dr. Maria Montessori developed a method of educating children that focused on the whole child approach to learning.
Dr. Montessori determined that children are hardwired to learn, and that the environment around them can facilitate that learning. In Montessori Education, the classroom layout, the materials used, and the emphasis on self-directed learning all contribute to addressing the child’s needs, while providing an environment where learning takes place at that child’s speed and natural developmental level.
What The Experts Say
“Better quality of experience …”
Kevin Rathunde, a professor at the University of Utah who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, analyzed the results of a two-year study comparing 150 6th and 8th grade Montessori adolescents to 400 6th and 8th grade students attending traditional schools.
Montessori students reported a significantly better quality of experience in their academic work than did traditional students. In addition, Montessori students also perceived their schools as a more positive community for learning, with more opportunities for active learning, rather than passive learning.
Empowers students to be “independent learners”
“Our college is committed to engaging and educating students intellectually, morally and spiritually, with rigor and compassion, toward lives of solidarity, service and success. In that context, the university sees obvious benefits to admitting students with Montessori backgrounds. A Montessori education heightens the awareness of community, cultural and global events. These are beneficial components to any prospective college student. These academic and social skills empower the students to be independent learners.”
Roger Fortin, Academic Vice President, Xavier University, Ohio
Famous Montessori Students
Is it a coincidence that so many people on the leading edge of innovation and creativity in our culture attended Montessori schools as children? Perhaps it’s because Montessori offers an education for life and develops the skills children need more than ever before to succeed in today’s dynamic global society.
Sergey Brin And Larry Page ~ co-Founders of Google
Prince William And Prince Harry ~ English royal family
George Clooney ~ Academy Award-winning actor, director, producer and humanitarian
Helen Hunt ~ Academy Award-winning actress
Jeff Bezos ~ founder of Amazon.com and owner of The Washington Post
Anne Frank ~ famous diarist from World War II
Jimmy Wales ~ founder of Wikipedia
Will Wright ~ video game pioneer and designer of The Sims
HM Queen Noor Of Jordan ~ U.N. adviser, humanitarian activist, memoirist and wife of the late King Hussein of Jordan
Taylor Swift ~ Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter
Beyonce Knowles ~ singer, songwriter, actress and 16-time Grammy Award winner
Katherine Graham ~ former owner-editor of The Washington Post
Julia Child ~ star of TV cooking shows and author of numerous cookbooks
Gabriel Garcia Marquez ~ Nobel Prize-winning author for literature
Joshua Bell ~ American violinist
Berry Brazelton ~ noted pediatrician, child psychiatrist, and author
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis ~ former editor and former first lady (John F. Kennedy)
Dakota Fanning ~ actor and youngest-ever Screen Actors Award nominee
Peter Drucker ~ author, management consultant, and “social ecologist” awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Helen Keller ~ political activist, author, lecturer and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Yo Yo Ma ~ United Nations Peace Ambassador, winner of 15 Grammy awards and child prodigy cellist
Bill And Hillary Clinton ~ former President and Secretary of State
Yul Brynner ~ former actor
Michael Douglas ~ actor
Yo Yo Ma ~ cellist
Helen Keller ~ political activist, author, lecturer and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, corresponded with Maria Montessori about their similar educational approaches.
Thomas Edison ~ noted scientist and inventor, helped found a Montessori school.
President Woodrow Wilson ~ His daughter trained as a Montessori teacher. There was a Montessori classroom in the basement of the White House during Wilson’s presidency.
Erik Erikson ~ anthropologist/author, had a Montessori teaching certificate.
Jean Piaget ~ noted Swiss psychologist, made his first observations of children in a Montessori school. He was also head of the Swiss Montessori Society for many years.
Alexander Graham Bell ~ Inventor. He and his wife, Mabel, founded the Montessori Education Association in 1913. They also provided financial support directly to Dr. Maria Montessori and helped establish the first Montessori class in Canada and one of the first in the United States.
