Published : 2023-12-30

Maria Montessori: A Life Defined by Work for Children

Abstract

The development of psychology and pedagogy, as well as the social and cultural changes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shaped the way of thinking about the organisation of care and upbringing of children. It was pointed out that the processes of educating children should be subject to expert control because children constitute a kind of social capital. At that time, Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and educator, the creator of an original approach to the organisation of pedagogical work, argued for the right to individual development of every child in the education system. This article aims to analyse how personal experiences and choices led Montessori to work to understand the nature of children and, consequently, develop the assumptions of an innovative education system. The process of the formation and evolution of Montessori’s pedagogical views is reconstructed. Her activities to promote educational philosophy, the organisation of educational institutions and teacher training centres are highlighted. The concept of child development is synthetically outlined to interpret the essence of the education process. Knowledge about each pupil and the laws of their development became the foundation of Montessori’s pedagogical work, which involved supporting the individual’s potential and helping the child to undertake and conduct activities so that they became independent. The text highlights the characteristic feature of Montessori’s life, her ability and readiness to change in pursuit of the goal.

Keywords:

Maria Montessori, child, upbringing, education



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Bednarczuk, B., & Bednarz-Grzybek, R. (2023). Maria Montessori: A Life Defined by Work for Children. Biografistyka Pedagogiczna, 8(2), 307–333. https://doi.org/10.36578/BP.2023.08.48

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"Biografistyka Pedagogiczna" received funding for the years 2022-2024 from the funds of the Minister of Education and Science under the programme „Rozwój Czasopism Naukowych”.

Project duration: 2023-2024.

The amount of co-financing is 65 992,00 PLN

Contract number: RCN/SP/0434/2021/1