Certain aspects of the system are in themselves striking and significant: it adapts to the education of normal children methods and apparatus originally used for deficients; it is based on a radical conception of liberty for the pupil; it entails a highly formal training of separate sensory, motor, and mental capacities; and it leads to rapid, easy, and substantial mastery of the elements of reading, writing, and arithmetic. - Introduction.

Montessori: A Modern Approach has been called the single best book for anyone -- educator, childcare professional, and especially parent -- seeking answers to the questions: What is the Montessori method? Are its revolutionary ideas about early childhood education relevant to today's world? And most important, especially for today's dual-career couples. Is a Montessori education right for my child? Paula Polk Lillard writes both as a trained educators and as a concerned parent -- she has many years as a public school teacher, but it was her enthusiasm for the education her own child experienced in a Montessori school that led her to become a leading voice in the Montessori movement in this country. Her book offers the clearest and most concise statement of the Montessori method of child development and education available today.

A fresh, comprehensive biography of the pioneering educator and activist who changed the way we look at children’s minds, from the author of Oriana Fallaci. Born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy, Maria Montessori would grow up to embody almost every trait men of her era detested in the fairer sex. She was self-confident, strong-willed, and had a fiery temper at a time when women were supposed to be soft and pliable. She studied until she became a doctor at a time when female graduates in Italy provoked outright scandal. She never wanted to marry or have children—the accepted destiny for all women of her milieu in late nineteenth-century bourgeois Rome—and when she became pregnant by a colleague of hers, she gave up her son to continue pursuing her career. At around age thirty, Montessori was struck by the condition of children in the slums of Rome’s San Lorenzo neighborhood, and realized what she wanted to do with her life: change the school, and therefore the world, through a new approach to the child’s mind. In spite of the resistance she faced from all sides—scientists accused her of being too mystical, and the clergy of being too scientific, traditionalists of giving children too much freedom, and anarchists of giving them too much structure—she would garner acclaim and establish the influential Montessori method, which is now practiced throughout the world. A thorough, nuanced portrait of this often controversial woman, The Child Is the Teacher is the first biographical work on Maria Montessori written by an author who is not a member of the Montessori movement, but who has been granted access to original letters, diaries, notes, and texts written by Montessori herself, including an array of previously unpublished material.

An essential resource for all students and scholars of early childhood education, this book offers a rich array of material about Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method. Distinguished education scholar Gerald Gutek begins with an in-depth biography of Montessori, exploring how a determined young woman overcame the obstacles that blocked her educational and career opportunities in Italy during the late Victorian age. The author then analyzes the sources and influences that shaped the Montessori philosophy of education. After laying the foundation for Montessori's development, Gutek presents an annotated and abridged edition of The Montessori Method (1912), the seminal work that introduced her educational innovations to a U.S. audience. The book concludes with key historical documents, including disciple Anne E. George's notes on the Montessori lectures and William H. Kilpatrick's critique of the Montessori method. Preserving the historical context of Montessori's contribution, Gutek also shows the continuing relevance of her thought to educational reform in the twenty-first century.

Paula Lillard, director of a Montessori school ranging in age from 18 months to fifteen years, provides a clear and cogent introduction to the Montessori program for the elementary and later years. In detailed accounts, Lillard shows how children acquire the skills to answer their own questions, learn to manage freedom with responsibility, and maintain a high level of intellectual stimulation by using the Montessori method. This is an essential handbook for parents and teachers who have chosen the Montessori alternative for the older child.

Understanding the Montessori Approach is a much-needed source of information for those wishing to extend and consolidate their understanding of the Montessori Approach and how it is used in the teaching and learning of young children. The book will enable the reader to analyse the essential elements of this Approach to early childhood and and its relationship to quality early years practice. This second edition has been fully updated to reflect changes in the Early Years Foundation Stage and includes a fresh examination of the relationship between technology and the Montessori approach, as well as a brand new chapter, Learning in Montessori Settings. Exploring all areas of the curriculum including the organisation of Montessori schools, the environment, learning and teaching and the outcomes for children, this book: examines the historical context of the Montessori approach and its relevance to modern-day education; explores Montessori's views of child development and the role of the learning environment in a child’s educational development; details the organisation of Montessori schools worldwide and the structure of a typical day in a Montessori setting; highlights the principles of Montessori pedagogy, including the tools and strategies employed by its practitioners; considers how and what children learn in a Montessori setting and the links with EYFS 2017; includes new benefits and challenges of the Montessori approach to children's lives. Understanding the Montessori Approach provides an accessible overview of this major pedagogical influence on early years practice, supported by case studies, examples, summaries and reflective practice questions. This new edition not only highlights the core ideas that practitioners should consider when reviewing and reflecting on their own practice, but accomodates revisions to educational curriculum and policy in order to serve as an invaluable resource for students and practitioners alike.

Learn about numbers the Montessori way with this line of board books following the world-leading educational approach, THE MONTESSORI METHOD! Montessori education values the development of the whole child-physically, socially, emotionally, cognitively. These books tap into the Montessori Method at home, allowing children to discover and engage with concepts in a holistic way that promotes a drive for knowledge and self-motivation. In NUMBERS, children are invited to imagine, touch, mimic, and learn about numbers and how they function in the world around us. Infused with humor and math concepts that both engage and challenge children, this book is sure to inspire a generation of mathematicians! Learn more with THE MONTESSORI METHOD: FEELINGS!

Learn about shapes the Montessori way with this line of board books following the world-leading educational approach, THE MONTESSORI METHOD! Montessori education values the development of the whole child--physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively. These books tap into the Montessori Method at home, allowing children to discover and engage with concepts in a holistic way that promotes a drive for knowledge and self-motivation. In SHAPES, children are invited to learn the names of shapes and how to identify them in the world. Infused with humor and concepts that both engage and challenge children, this book is sure to ignite an interest in geometry! Learn more with THE MONTESSORI METHOD: MY FIRST BOOK OF FEELINGS, MY FIRST BOOK OF NUMBERS, and MY FIRST BOOK OF FARM ANIMALS.