They pop up from time to time. Maybe next to a public high school, or tucked away on a side street next to that park you like to go to. And you’ve always meant to look it up and see what it’s all about, but then you get home and you start making dinner and forget all about it. So what is a Montessori school anyway?
(WATCH: What makes a Montessori school’s approach unique.)
The Montessori method is an educational technique created by Italian physician and anthropologist Maria Montessori in the 1890s. The first school using this method opened in 1907. The idea behind this approach to education is “Freedom within limits,” says Christine, an administrator at Humberside Montessori. Students are given the trust to complete assignments on their own with the hopes that they’ll discover the joy of life-long learning. “Children internally they know what’s important to them and they know what they need to do,” says Mark, a teacher at Humberside Montessori.
There are an estimated 20,000 Montessori schools worldwide.
Montessori discovered a series of universal human traits which she believed were the drive behind human behaviour. If these traits and needs could be catered to through education then the student would benefit and see education as a pleasure rather than a burden and be better prepared for the world in front of them.
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Montessori Schools
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