Discuss the life and works of Dr.

Maria Montessori and why is she referred to as

a lady much ahead of her time?
Dr. Maria Montessori was born on 31st August 1870, in Italy, it was the time when the women in Italy or
in Europe was not given all their rights, in term of education and freedom of career selection, at that
time despite of the conservative environment in she graduated with highest honors in Medical School of
the University of Rime and became the first woman Physician in Italy in 1896.

Although Maria’s father was very conservative military man but her mother was a very liberal lady and
the frequent transfers of her father gave her the opportunity to study in different environments and
schools. This effects on her nature as well therefore after graduating Maria was not willing to purse her
career in Education as she was not a typical conservative women. She was a lady who brought a huge
change in the field of Education.

Maria got a lot of exposure because of the transfers of her father, where she got a chance to learn in the
best institutes of Europe and this also leads to expand her vision as well. This is the reason when Maria
completed her graduation she was looking for something that was different not traditional.

In 1900, when Maria was appointed as the Director of the new Orthophrenic School attached to
University of Rome, it was basically an asylum for mentally retarded kids. At that time Maria with the
help of her colleagues started a reform program for those kids. She concluded that those kids need
meaning full activities.

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To achieve the goals and to engage those kids Maria did a great research by studing the work of a
French doctor : JeanMarc Gaspard Itard amd Edouard Seguin. Itard is famous for his work with the “
Wild Boy of Aveyron”. Edouard Seguin was the student of Itard and his work was very organized which
helped Maria to assemble a lot of things for those kids.

She started to use the approach of Seguin and collected her notes at each and every step. The use of the
scientific methods on the kids gradually made them independent. As Maria got recognition with her
work with mentally disabled kids she thought of applying the same methods to the normal kids.
Although she was recognized and honored at every step but she got her first opportunity to apply these
methods on normal kids for the first time in 1907, when she was appointed as the medical director of a
daycare center Casa dei Bambini. The children over there were coming from the working class and were
exposed to extreme poverty condition s , they were destructive, irritable and annoyed. Maria
Montessori introduced them different activities that made them disciplined and self reliant. The elder
children not only started taking care of themselves but also started assisting the teachers as well. The
small brains got a direction to work, their thrust was great and so did Maria Montessori `s work. She
designed and designed the new materials for them so they started to learn reading and also used the
mathematical materials as well. She discovered that the kids were not interested in playing with the toys
anymore they were more demanding they needed some practical learning , Maria believed that to deny
the kids the right to learn is a crime .

The methods she used were developed and redeveloped after a great number of research and effort .

She put her life time to work for the betterment of the kids , the research has shown that the kids who
used the Montessori methods are good at learning things quickly and easily as compared to other kids .
this is the reason why the Montessori education is considered to be the most important part of a child`s
development. Because in this time of span he learns how to take care of himself and how to use the
things around him effectively.

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I believe that Maria Montessori was a lady with a lot of courage and determination because at that time
when the women were under privileged and were not able to speak for their rights. She was the only
one who stood alone against all the customs of her society and did wonders for the children of not only
at that age but also for our generation as well. She faced all the criticism but her work and continuous
efforts no doubt made her a lady ahead of her time.

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2. Which are the main requirements to be considered to start a House of
Children? How do you implement them?
A fusion of mental and physical energies comes about when a child becomes
engrossed in work. Montessori called this “normalization.” And concentration, she said,
was the key. The carefully prepared environment at Montessori schools provides the
chance for children to grow intellectually and psychologically. There are several
feature of these environments:

1. The house of children must be designed as per the convenience of the c children ,. The children
cant learn in adult environment, where all the things are so large that they are unable to use
them. So everything in the House of Children must be according to the size of children e.g. small
furniture, small wash basin, and small cupboards.

2. In the House of Children the children must get the access of all the activity material ( Montessori
Material) , so they can make their own choice and can positively engage them .In the House of
Children the children must get the access of all the activity material ( Montessori Material) , so
they can make their own choice and can positively engage themselves. If the child mind is
engaged in any useful activity then instead of creating mess and running around they play with it
and learn a lot.

3. The Montessori approach is based on a delicate balance of freedom and discipline.

Children are free to move about in their classroom and yet their movements are limited to
the boundaries of the room. By the structure of the exercises, the scientifically designed
materials, and by the requirements of the social group of which they are a part, the
children work at their own pace. They can work at their own pace, but they cannot work
with the materials they do not know how to use. They are not free to disrupt others or
mistreat materials. They learn to return the material to its correct place and in its original
condition so that it will be there ready for the next child.

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 4. independence and order go hand in hand. The liberty to do work undisturbed results in a
kind of discipline that could never be brought about by threats or rewards; which brings
us to the roll of the trained adult in Montessori classrooms. The adult in a Montessori
classroom has a task that is much different from a traditional teacher. While a teacher in a
conventional classroom is active and the child is passive, in the Montessori approach, the
child assumes the active role and the adult often appears passive. This is because
Montessori saw the aim of education is to free the child from adult domination and allow
him to develop along more natural pathways. It is the child who teaches himself when he
works with the materials in the prepared environment.

5. In a House of Children , every child must be considered as a complete individual totally different
from the other one. The focus of the teacher should be on the individuals not on the groups.

6. The main focus of the House of Children must be the learning of the children. The children build
up their own community over there they grow, they learn in that environment therefore the
adults must keep that environment like a family where every child is getting the required love
and affection.

7. The children at the age of 3-6 are like the sponges they absorb all the good and bad things as
well from their environment. So it is very important while designing the House of Children to
keep in mind the interest of different children, their independence so they can stay normalized.
Therefore the House of Children must be a place where all their inner desires are being
answered and catered properly, where their soul and mind is fully occupied and is utilized, and
all the Montessori material, all the activities even the outdoor activities such as gardening
should be designed and placed as per their requirement.

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3.What are the discoveries made by Dr.Maria Montessori by observing the
child?
Dr.Maria was a keen observer, she used to observe the children with all the methods and in all different
circumstances as well. After almost 22 years of research and observations Dr.Maria designed the
method of helping children in their early education which helps them to be independent and learn most
of the things by their own selections.

Following are the observations which Dr.Maria made

1. The children were more into some constructive work, rather than playing with just toys the kids
were always more happy and engaged with the constructive work.
2. The inner urge of the child is the most important thing which makes the child to select and
complete his task. The children must be given a choice to select what they want , so they will
start their learning whatever their interest is, the children are hungry to learn and explore new
things they are not like adults who work for incentives and salaries.
3. The children once find the right interest is eager to work for that thing. If they are being
provided with a suitable environment, with that work they do they Repetition and with
Repetition they start developing Concentration, which is the main key of learning new things.
4. Sometimes the children deviate from their normal routine , its because the normal working
environment is not suitable for them at that time , so to get them back to their normal work task
it is essential to let the child work freely and individually that is essential for their development.
5. Very young children don’t learn the things by themselves instead you can say they act like
monkeys .i.e. they do whatever you do in front of them. If you want to teach them how to put
the things in order then you need to do this with them, if you want them to be truthful then you
need to be the same with them. They will learn and act upon whatever they see you working or
doing around.

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 6. The developmental activities are very e essential for the development and growth of a child.
Dr.Montessori discovered that the learning activities e.g. arts, automatics, language, concepts,
sensory play and culture all are the main activities which helps the child to learn the things
around him and makes him an individual who is capable of doing all the task and improve his
personality in a better way.

7. The children have the most absorbent minds, they are capable to learn a lot of things therefore
all those things were introduced to the children in the rightful manner and condition , it means
in a simple way so they can understand them, which were considered too high or too difficult
for the children.
8. Dr.Montessori discovered that discipline can`t be enforced, it is something that is related to the
freedom of the children. If the children are given freedom of choice then they maintain their
own discipline, they way of communicating with each other, they develop the sense of
responsibility and above all the learn to respect all. This all comes from freedom.
9. The obedience comes from love, respect and trust. If you build a healthy, loving and trustful
relation with a child, the obedience comes automatically.
10. Dr.Monstessori discovered that if the children are given suitable conditions then they behaves
normally , if they are not provided with suitable conditions and the adults who are supervising
them are not loving then the children will be destructive, disobedient and irritating .
11. Most of the activities and methods which were discovered in the house of Montessori were
based on the real experiences, such as the real life experiences, silence game and walking on the
line.
12. The voice of every child is that he wanted to be independent, even if he is asking for help means
that he is asking you to assist him so he can complete the task by himself.

13. Top obtain the desired results it is important to provide the kids with a suitable environment
which helps them too be independent, i.e. the children won’t be able to move from large desks
and chairs by themselves instead they always need assistance and can even hurt so it is
important to provide the children with the furniture and all the equipments that is suitable for
them in terms of size and reach.
14. Dr.Montessori observed that the children love more space so she designed the room in such a
way that the children can get more space and learn, there must be some sitting area on the
floor for the children and the room must be spacious enough so that the children can move
around easily.
15. Montessori designed the entire floor of the children with miniature furniture even the
bathrooms, wash basin and windows were very low so the children can use them with ease.

All these and many other ways which were discovered by Dr.Montessori were based on real life
experiences, which she has made. Today we call it the Montessori education, and it is
considered to be very important for every child as it leads them to stay happy and healthy
human being.

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 4. What does “ PILES” stand for when we talk of human development?
Discuss the physical, lingual and intellectual development taking place
during 3 to 6 years of age.

When we talk about Human development PILES stands for ;

 Physical
 Intellectual
 Lingual
 Emotional
 Social Development
Psychologist divide the human growth in three stages the stage between the age of 3-6
years is very important because the child in this stage beings his unconscious knowledge
to consciousness. Before the age of 3-6 years t he child has just absorbed all the things
from his surroundings now it’s the time for him to experiment all the learning’s and
make his own way, during this period of time the child develops his personality.

Physical Development:

 the child is very active during this phase of time , he can balance on one leg, can walk tiptoes ,
run and can use the cycles.
 He can throw ball, even can kick it as well
 Pick up toys and can move large toys.
 Can use ladders and can jump off from them.
 He can hops for a longer time
 He can play all sort of ball games
 Can run faster and is able to balance him even on stairs.
 Washes and dries hand with assistance
 Is able to use spoon without spilling
 Can torn pages in a book one by one

Lingual Development:
 The child become very curious, he starts asking different questions.
 Asks the meanings of different words
 He can say his name, sex and age.
 Try to complete the sentences but in a very childish way as he grows he started making
sentences properly and uses correct grammar as well.
 He can count up till 10 and gradually this number increase.

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  Try to talk while playing
 Start with small conversation, love telling jokes .
 Wants to read stories.
 Start singing and memorizing rhymes.
Intellectual Development:
 They start reading of their own choices story books.
 Different activities and games can enhance their intellectual development. Cognitive or
intellectual development is about how children learn, think and develop ideas. This is one of the
areas of development that is strongly influenced by the experiences a child has. Learning the
names of animals is only possible if a child has been told them. This applies to almost any
knowledge or skill
 May blow bubbles in drinks
 Know colors and different shapes
 Use children’s scissors
 Interested in playing with peers, understand rules and roles

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 5- Write a comprehensive note on the role of teacher in a
Montessori classroom.

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