Montessori Education

Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was an Italian physician and anthropologist who devoted her life to understanding how children develop socially, intellectually, physically, and spiritually. By carefully observing children all over the world, she discovered universal patterns of development which are found in all children regardless of their culture or the era in which they live.

Dr. Montessori was one of the first women to be granted a diploma as a physician in Italy. Following her interest in human development, she assisted at a clinic for children with mental illnesses. She later directed the Orthophrenic School in Rome for children with physical, mental and emotional challenges. During this time Dr. Montessori lectured throughout Europe concerning the needs of children and their value to the future of our societies. She stressed the need to change our attitudes about children and their treatment.

Who Was Maria Montessori?

In 1907, Dr. Montessori was given the responsibility of caring for a group of children in the Rome’s San Lorenzo slum district. She began to see the importance of a positive, nurturing environment that changes with the developmental needs of the child. As she observed the children and their response to the environment, she saw them demonstrate capabilities and interests that exceeded her expectations. The set of materials used in the "Montessori" environment were designed over a period of many years by Dr. Maria Montessori and her associates, creating a concrete, physical representation of the concepts and skills that children are naturally motivated to learn in their normal course of development.

Dr. Montessori conducted her first international training course in Italy in 1913, and her first American training course in California in 1915. As she carried her vision around the world, she felt that a time had come to ensure the quality and integrity of what was being handed down in her training courses. For that reason, she founded the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in 1929. Today AMI continues to support quality teacher training worldwide.

Maria Montessori was a visionary, not easily daunted by the many challenges she faced during her career. She traveled extensively, lecturing and teaching throughout Europe, India and in the United States. She was recognized for her efforts by educators, psychologists and political leaders of the day. Her associates included such people as Anna Freud, Erik Erikson, Mahatma Gandhi, Alexander Graham Bell and Jean Piaget.

Dr. Montessori was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949, 1950 and 1951 and continued working, teaching and writing up to the time of her death. Over the past one hundred years children throughout the world have benefited from this educational approach that supports, nurtures, and protects natural development. Maria Montessori’s legacy lives on in the children whose lives are touched by her discoveries about life.

“I have served the spirits of those children, and they have fulfilled their development, and I kept them company in their experience.”

– Dr. Maria Montessori - The Absorbent Mind p. 284

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Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work in groups and individually to discover and explore knowledge of the world and to develop their maximum potential. Montessori classrooms are beautifully crafted environments designed to meet the needs of children in a specific age range. Dr. Maria Montessori discovered that experiential learning in this type of classroom led to a deeper understanding of language, mathematics, science, music, social interactions and much more. Most Montessori classrooms are secular in nature, although the Montessori educational method can be integrated successfully into a faith-based program.

What is Montessori Education?

Every material in a Montessori classroom supports an aspect of child development, creating a match between the child’s natural interests and the available activities. Children can learn through their own experience and at their own pace. They can respond at any moment to the natural curiosities that exist in all humans and build a solid foundation for life-long learning. Above all, Montessori classrooms at all levels nurture each child’s individual strengths and interests. Montessori education encourages children to explore their world, and to understand and respect the life forms, systems and forces of which it consists.

    • provide a safe, engaging and nurturing
      environment for the child

    • promote trust in themselves and their world

    • develop confidence in their emerging abilities

    • develop gross motor coordination, fine motor skills, and language skills

    • offer opportunities to gain independence in daily tasks

    Learn about theAssistants to Infancy (0-3) Teacher Training Programs at MNW

    • foster the growth of functional independence,
      task persistence and self-regulation

    • promote social development through respectful,
      clear communication and safe, natural consequences

    • contain a large variety of materials for the refinement of sensory perception and the development of literacy and mathematical understanding

    • offer opportunities for imaginative exploration leading to confident, creative self-expression

    Learn about the Primary (3-6) Teacher Training Programs at MNW

    • offer opportunities for collaborative intellectual
      exploration in which the child’s interests are
      supported and guided

    • support the development of self-confidence, imagination,
      intellectual independence and self-efficacy

    • foster an understanding of the child’s role in their community, in their culture and in the natural world

    Learn about the Elementary (6-12) Teacher Training Program at MNW

    • ideally a working farm in which adolescents
      engage in all aspects of farm administration and
      economic interdependence, but also include non-
      farm environments in urban settings

    • assist the young adult in the understanding of oneself in
      wider and wider frames of reference

    • provide a context for practical application of academics

    • emphasize the development of self-expression, true self-reliance, and agility in interpersonal relationships.

    Learn about theAdolescent Training Programsthrough AMI

Montessori classrooms are peaceful, happy places designed to meet the developmental needs of each child in every stage of life. They contain many places for children to learn and play, in many different ways: by themselves, in pairs, in small groups, in large groups, inside, outside, at tables, on the floor. All items in the environment are scaled to the child’s size, including furniture, shelves, utensils, dishware, cleaning implements and the Montessori materials themselves. There is no focal center to the classroom; this reflects that the teacher is not the focus of the children’s attention, but that they are all one community together. Bright and attractive colors, natural materials, fascinating cultural objects and interesting pictures on the wall all offer the children complex sensory and intellectual experiences. When children first enter a Montessori environment, there is an immediate and touching moment when they realize that this place is for them.

Inside a Montessori Classroom

In Montessori classrooms, children are taught how to regulate their own social interactions. Through fun role-playing activities and appropriate modeling, the teacher demonstrates the best way to respond to arguments or new situations, giving the child the ability to act confidently and pro-socially when the actual problem arises. The result is a self-regulating classroom, in which natural social tensions are resolved mostly by the children themselves. Children move freely throughout the environment, choosing activities that interest them, or working with the teacher, individually, or in small groups. Their movement is unrestricted by the teacher unless it endangers themselves, other people, or their surroundings. Outdoor environments are important in Montessori schools, and offer opportunities to engage with the natural world.

The guiding principles of Montessori education are the same across all age levels, and are grounded in over one hundred years of work with children around the world.

  • Maria Montessori profoundly respected children and the developmental powers that drive them to seek certain experiences. Montessori education reframes the adult/child relationship to place the child at the center of his own learning. In Montessori classrooms, teachers respect children as separate and unique individuals. They guide children to respect the people and objects in their environment, and as the child grows older, to respect and understand the connectedness between all living and non-living things, leading to the adolescent’s profound awareness of the complex web of human existence.

  • Children’s needs change as they move through stages of development. At each level of Montessori education, this difference is honored through the preparation of the classroom environment. The environment is prepared in every way for optimal development: physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally. By aligning the activities in the environment with what each child needs at any moment, Montessori prepared environments liberate children’s energy for growth and learning.

  • Montessori classrooms are interactive environments in which hands-on exploration is not only encouraged, it is necessary. By using the mind, the body, and the senses, learning becomes an activity that engages the whole self. Any parent will agree that children do; Montessori environments follow this natural inclination of children towards activity by offering an appropriate variety of objects and activities for meaningful engagement.

  • One of the most profound differences between Montessori education and conventional education is that, in Montessori, children are given the experience of discovering the answer for themselves. This leads to a much deeper learning experience, and creates a lifelong love of learning as a self-directed process of problem-solving and discovery. 

  • The trained Montessori teacher links the child to activities and experiences in the prepared environment. Specialized training results in a deep knowledge of child development, the purposes and use of each activity, and an understanding of how to foster and maintain social harmony in the classroom. Learn more about Montessori teacher training at Montessori Northwest.

  • Montessori classrooms support the development of imagination and creativity at every stage of learning. The open-ended activities allow children to explore new ideas and relationships, providing a foundation for self-expression and innovation. In the early years, the building blocks of imagination are firmly established through sensory exploration of the world, launching both imagination and creative self-expression.

  • Maria Montessori recognized that when allowed freedom of choice within clear, firm and reasonable boundaries, children act in positive ways that further their development. Freedom is frequently misunderstood, and many people take it to mean that children can do whatever they want. Montessori believed that freedom without boundaries was abandonment. In Montessori classrooms, expectations are clear, and children experience the natural and logical consequences of their choices. This freedom within limits allows for the natural development of self-regulation within the society of the classroom, as well as mirroring behaviors expected by society in general.

  • From the moment of birth onwards, humans strive towards independence. Children feel this need very strongly; they want to do things for themselves, and to participate in the world around them. In Montessori classrooms, this natural drive towards independence is fostered through practical, social and intellectual experiences. The child becomes an active agent in her own education, saying, “Help me to do it myself”. We honor this by helping children move to increasingly higher levels of independence and self-reliance.

Montessori’s goals for children are often in alignment with a parent’s own goals for their children: that children respect and care for the people and things around them, have fun while they learn, and take responsibility for their actions. School should offer children more than just academic skills. It should help them grow into confident, independent, caring and self-motivated people. The goal of Montessori education is to develop the whole person; someone who is more than the sum of their test scores.

Equally important to the Montessori experience is the growth of the child’s character. Montessori teachers strive to engender in the child a sense of responsibility and the connectedness of people and things. Children learn that their choices have consequences, not only in their immediate interpersonal relationships, but also in the world at large. By allowing safe consequences to flow freely from the child’s choice, he learns to exert control over himself to limit negative results and promote positive ones. This development of executive function, most particularly self-regulation, is at the core of the child’s drive towards confidence and independence.

In Montessori classrooms, academic skills are integrated into the natural life of the classroom. Through hands-on play, the most basic foundations of mathematics and literacy are introduced through games, activities, and with special materials that appeal to children. Contrary to many adults’ schooling experiences, children in Montessori schools enjoy math, reading and writing, and enthusiastically look forward to their next lesson. This sets up a love of learning that the child will carry with her throughout life.

Understanding children's developmental needs is important in creating positive parent/child relationships. Children, especially very young ones, are intensely driven by their developmental needs, which can sometimes clash with the needs of parents and caregivers. By understanding the child's drive towards independence, we learn to offer her the time and skills she needs to complete the task herself. The intense effort she puts into small, repetitive tasks is deeply satisfying, and the end result gives her confidence and comfort in her skills. If she is not allowed to work through the task to completion, the child may react strongly. This kind of opposition, originated in the conflicting needs of the adult and the child, highlights one of the main obstacles to a harmonious relationship between adults and children.

One of the key tenets of Montessori theory is that this harmonious relationship can be achieved through understanding why children act the way they do, and by patiently offering them experiences that fulfill their deep, inner developmental drives. The entire Montessori environment is designed to meet these drives and satisfy them through the child’s own activity. In Montessori schools, children have fun while they learn, respect and care for the people and things around them, and take responsibility for their actions. This is true preparation for real life.

Montessori Resources

Preparing the Home Environment

  • Each Montessori school has its own ‘personality’. For example, some are more academically oriented, while others more strongly emphasize the child’s connection to nature and the outdoors. Parents should discuss the school’s mission and programs with the admissions director to ensure that the school is a good fit for their child and their family.

  • Parents should observe at a school before selecting it for their child, preferably in the classroom their child will attend. Most Montessori schools welcome observers, and the children are accustomed to visitors. The visitor is typically directed to a chair where they sit and observe the entire room. Observations usually last thirty minutes to an hour, and allow the observer to get a feel for the room. Consider asking to observe at a school more than once; every day is unique! 

  • Although every classroom is a little different, there are some general traits that indicate a quality Montessori environment:

    • The teacher has received quality Montessori training

    • The children seem generally happy and relaxed

    • The children independently select activities from the shelf and use them with concentration

    • The environment seems orderly and the materials in good condition

    • Most interactions between children are positive, but in cases where they are not positive, the children generally resolve the problem by themselves

    • The children are treated with respect by all adults

  • There is no trademark or governing body to ensure the quality of Montessori schools. In 1929, Maria Montessori became aware that there were a growing number of schools using the term “Montessori” to describe their environments, with little evidence of Montessori principles. To prevent this, she attempted to trademark her name, but it was decided by the courts that the term Montessori was already in the public domain. As a result, any school can label itself a ‘Montessori school’ regardless of teacher training.

    Maria Montessori created the Association Montessori Internationale to protect the integrity of her work. Today, schools with AMI-trained teachers have met the high standards for teacher training that Maria Montessori set down over eighty years ago.

  • Observing and working with real children in real classrooms is a critical component of AMI teacher training. We are deeply grateful to the schools and staff who have participated in Observation and Practice Teaching by hosting MNW teachers in training. Some states have associations or organizations that compile lists of Montessori schools. An internet search should locate one for your state, if it exists. In the state of Oregon, the Oregon Montessori Association provides a list of its member schools.

Ideally, a child's developmental needs are met by both their home and school environments. Even small changes can yield great results. For more details on how to prepare your home environment, visit aidtollife.org.

Choosing a School

  • The preparation of the child’s environment will change as he grows older. When the child is very young, the emphasis is on safety, increasing independence, and access to appropriate toys and activities. For example, a young child might have a low table in the kitchen on which a glass and a small pitcher with water are available at all times. This allows the child to get a drink of water herself whenever she is thirsty. This kind of preparation of the home environment can be repeated in many ways, and mirrors closely the self-directed experiences the child has in the Montessori classroom.

  • Children feel great satisfaction when they are included in family tasks. From setting the table, to folding the laundry, to raking leaves, fostering your child’s genuine interest in contributing to family life benefits everyone. The child feels confidence and self-worth at having contributed, and parents set up an expectation from an early age that everyone helps around the house.

  • Encouraging your child to make choices at an early age is one of the most powerful gifts a parent can offer. Giving choices fosters independence, cooperation and experience with natural consequences. This can be done in many ways. For a very young child, it can be as simple as, “Would you like to wear the blue shirt or the red shirt today?” This technique of offering choices can be extended into all parts of the child’s life, growing in relation to her abilities, and leading to development of executive function and self-regulation.

Dr. Maria Montessori was a scientist and keen observer of children, constantly evaluating and quantifying her discoveries. Her theories continue to be tested today. Children happily and eagerly learn both life skills and academics, show care and compassion for their peers and their environment, develop refined and coordinated manual dexterity and fine motor coordination, and have an accurate sense of their own abilities, giving them confidence. We make these claims about Montessori, because we know from over a hundred years of hands-on classroom experience that it works. But many other educational methods make the same claims. In Montessori, we're proud to be able to back ours up. Here you will find links to some of the most accurate and up-to-date research conducted on the benefits of Montessori education.

Montessori Research and Publications

  • Montessori Pierson Publishing & E-Books

    Nienhuis

    AMI-USA

    Maitri Learning

    NAMTA

  • At Home with Montessori – Patricia Oriti

    Children Who are Not Yet Peaceful – Donna Bryant Goertz

    Classroom Management: The Art of Normalization – Ginni Sackett

    In a Montessori Home (book and DVD) – Sarah Moudry

    Let Out the Sunshine – Regina Barnett

    Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work – E.M. Standing

    Maria Montessori and the Social Party of the Child – Ginni Sackett

    Understanding the Human Being – Dr. Silvana Montanaro

    Nurturing the Spirit – Aline Wolf

    100 Child Development Tips – Heather Pederson

    The Outdoor Classroom – Mary Boden

    Tao of Montessori: Reflections on Compassionate Teaching – Catherine McTamaney

    Tending the Light – John Snyder

    Montessori Play and Learn – Lesley Britton

  • AMI Digital – Houses a global collection of publications available to members

    The NAMTA Journal – This professional journal is published 3 times a year and is archived through the scholarly database ERIC

    Montessori Public – A digital and print communications and advocacy platform bringing Montessori into the public conversation

    Public School Montessorian – A now archived quarterly independent newspaper covering a broad range of Montessori educational topics and issues

  • Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) – founded by Maria Montessori in 1929 and with teacher training offered in 35 countries around the world

    AMI-USA – Branch office of AMI, located in Alexandria, VA

    Montessori for Social Justice – A non-profit organization supporting the creation of sustainable learning environments that dismantle systems of oppression, amplify voices of the Global Majority, and cultivate partnerships to liberate the human potential

    North American Montessori Teacher’s Association (NAMTA) – An affiliate organization of AMI, open to parents, teachers, and anyone else interested in Montessori education

    AMI Elementary Alumni Association (EAA) – An affiliate organization of AMI that provides a supportive community for the exchange of ideas and promotes the principles of Montessori education

    Oregon Montessori Association (OMA) – Grassroots organization committed to advancing Montessori throughout Oregon and the Pacific Northwest

    Pacific Northwest Montessori Association (PNMA) – A non-profit professional organization,  comprised of teachers, interns, administrators, and schools promoting excellence and growth in Montessori education across the Pacific Northwest

    Bay Area Montessori Association (BAMA) – A non-profit, volunteer professional organization dedicated to supporting all Montessorians in the greater San Francisco Bay Area by providing educational programs, outreach and social activities

    Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) – An autonomous, international, non-profit postsecondary accrediting agency for Montessori teacher education programs and institutions

    National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS) – An independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help public schools deliver high-quality, personalized education through Montessori

  • Nienhuis Montessori – Montessori material manufacturer, in operation since 1929

    Matsumoto Kagaku – Japan-based manufacturer of Montessori materials

    Montessori Services – Supplier of items to prepare the child’s environment