Character Profile Template -
Lecture Notes | EDUC 604
History of
Education Liberty
University (LU) 4
pag.
EDUC 604
C
HARACTER
P
ROFILE
T
EMPLATE
I
NTRODUCTORY
I
NFORMATION
Character’s Name Maria Montessori
Birth–Death Years 1870-1952
Picture of Character:
Find a digital photo of the
individual and paste it
here.
Most Noted For Montessori Method of Education
CHARACTER PROFILE REPORT
Biographical Information:
Include life experiences
that impacted thoughts and
impact on education.
Her own training and experience provided an excellent background for the contributions she made to early
childhood education.(Gutek, 1995, p. 270). According to “Early Childhood Today” (2002) When she was only
10 years old, a seriously ill Maria Montessori told her mother, "Do not worry Mother, I cannot die; I have too
much to do." With such a strong will, it's not surprising that Montessori's achievements were so extraordinary.
She began by becoming the first female doctor in Italy, but today she is known worldwide for her work with
young children. Montessori turned her attention to education for the first time while working with mentally
disabled children as a doctor at the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Rome. Although the children had been
dismissed by both teachers and doctors as unteachable, Montessori viewed their disabilities as a failure of
teaching methodology rather than a medical problem. She established a special form of education for these
children using the principle, "First, the education of the senses, then, the education of the intellect."(para.1).
According to Gutek (1995) Montessori’s work with the mentally deficient children stimulated her to investigage
child developoment from biological and psychological perspectives and led her to her appoitment as lecturer of
pedagogical anthropology in 1900.
Historical/Political
Context: Explain the
broader historical events
that shaped the
character’s era. This is not
about the person’s
accomplishments.
Gisolo.(n.d.) reported that, “ In 1882, the Montessoris moved to Rome, where Maria soon began attending a
technical school (at the time, a kind of institution mostly chosen by young boys). After high school, Maria’s
interests in mathematics led her to first seek a university degree in engineering, and then move to the medical
sciences. This decision was strongly opposed by Maria’s father, who nonetheless ended up escorting her to and
from class, since at the end of the 19th Century for a woman to go around unaccompanied was considered to be
inappropriate. Maria’s university experience was a struggle on many respects. The only career that was believed
suitable for a woman was that of a schoolteacher. At that time a woman in academia had to overcome many
prejudices and obstacles”.
Page 1 of 4
EDUC 604
Beliefs on Education:
Describe what
thoughts were
promoted about
education.
Gutek (1995), found that “Completing her studies in 1896, she was the first woman to receive the doctorate in
medicine from that university. She remained at the university’s psychiatric clinic as an instructor specializing in
the education of mentally defective children. In 1899, she became directress of an experimental school which
cared for children regarded to be mentally handicapped and uneducable. Under Montessori’s direction, these
children learned to read and write to the degree that they succeeded in passing the public examinations required of
normal children. Montessori’s work with the mentally deficient children stimulated her to investigate child
development from biological and psychological perspectives and led to her appointment as lecturer of pedagogical
anthropology in 1900. Her experiences and research confirmed her conviction that earliest childhood education
was the most crucial phase of human development” (p. 271).
Impact on Education:
How did this person’s
beliefs and actions affect
education?
Gisolo (n.d.), stated that “In 1906, she gave up her work with the retarded and started organizing a school for the
kids of indigent working mothers in the slums of Rome. In 1907 the first “Casa dei Bambini” (“Children’s
House”) was founded, and soon became a model school to be visited by educators and researchers from all over
the world. International fame and recognition followed rapidly. The accomplishments of what came to be known
as the “Montessori method” were popularized by the press as well as by the thousands of enthusiastic followers of
the “Montessori movement,” which started spreading worldwide, with the founding of schools, associations, and
societies in such different corners of the world as America, Russia, Japan, India. Montessori visited the USA
several times, invited by such prominent scientists as Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison; she lectured at
Carnegie Hall and was received at the White House in 1913. However, while in the rest of the world Montessori’s
influence grew steadily, her success in the USA faded almost immediately, only to be revamped forty years later”
(para. 8.)
Others’ Criticisms:
Summarize the criticisms
of contemporaries,
historians, and scholars.
Gutuk (1995) found that, “Both Froebelians and progressive educators have criticized the Montessori method for
failing to encourage a sufficient socialiaing. During the 1930’s the Montessori method was suspected by the
totalitarian regimes of being contrary to their principles. In 1935, the Nazi regime suppressed the German
Montessori Society. In 1936, Mussolina’s Fascist government abolished all Montessorian institutions and
agencie” (p. 275). Gutuk (1995) also noted that, “Although Montessori attracted a favorable audience in certain
quarters of the American public, many professional educators remained unconvinced. At the convention of the
National Education Association in 1913, Elizabeth Ross Shaw delivered a number of stinging criticisms. She
alleged that Montessori’s method was neither new nor scientific and criticized Montessori’s early introduction of
writing and reading as being premature and pedagogically unsound. (p.276)
Your Critique: What ideas
or actions do you support
or reject?
Having worked in Head Start classrooms and in early childhood for many years, I support the Montessori’s
method of promoting optimal learning. The methods such as, Early Childhood Today” (2002) “providing
classroom objects, including wooden cylinders, fabrics of different textures, gymnastic equipment, and counting
rods, materials that will stir children's interest and capture their attention, encourage children to explore these
materials freely. Allow children to work on tasks or projects at their own pace.” All of these concepts are
considered high quality indicators on early childhood assessments and evaluations.
Page 2 of 4
EDUC 604
Page 3 of 4
EDUC 604
REFERENCE LIST
List at least 3 references
using proper APA
format.
Gisolo, G. (n.d.). Montessori, Maria. Retrieved November 14,
2015, from
http://www.learningtogive.org/resources/montessori-
maria
Gutted, G.L., (1995) A History of the Western Educational Experience. Long Grove, IL. Waveland Press, Inc.
Pioneers In Our Field: Maria Montessori – A Sensory Approach to Learning. (n.d.). Scholastic Early
Childhood Today.
Page 4 of 4
