Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 and died in Holland in 1952, after a lifetime devoted to the study of child development.

Dr Montessori was a true pioneer. The first woman to qualify in Italy as a doctor of medicine, she became increasingly interested in the needs of children. By 1900 she was Professor of Pedagogy at the University of Rome. Her early work centred on women’s rights and social reform and evolved to encompass a totally innovative approach to education. Her success in Italy led to international recognition, and for over 40 years she travelled all over the world, lecturing, writing and establishing training programmes. In later years,”Educate for Peace” became a guiding principle which underpinned her work.

The Montessori method was widely acclaimed and accepted. It was soon imitated, often by well-meaning people who did not have the time or the opportunity to study the system in depth.

As a consequence AMI’s work is to promote a true understanding of what is perhaps more a science than a philosophy, and to maintain the high standards Dr Montessori insisted on.

The principles we follow

	The MMI Course follows the principles laid down by our founder and validated by current educational research:
		Children are individuals profoundly affected by society and the immediate environment. Every child is born with creative potential, the drive to learn and the right to be treated as an individual.
		Specially prepared environments, in school and at home, help to develop the child’s natural potential.
		Children must be given freedom to work and move around within suitable guidelines that enable them to act as part of a social group.
		Children should be provided with specifically designed materials which help them to explore their world and enable them to develop essential cognitive skills.
		Mixed age groups encourage all children to develop their personalities socially and intellectually at their own pace.
	These principles are followed in the Children’s Houses run by MMI.