Maria Montessori was a physician and an educator. She developed the Montessori Method over a century ago, and her teachings still prove true today. Why is it that such an old educational philosophy is still relevant in the modern classroom? There are a number of reasons why the teachings of Maria Montessori are still relevant today. Keep reading to explore three of those reasons.

The basics of human learning are unchanged

How can a philosophy of education that is over a century old still be relevant? The simplest answer to that question is that the basics of human learning are unchanged. The child of today may have a variety of experiences that children did not have a century ago. However, the way that children learn from their environment and experiences is the same today as it was when Maria Montessori first started exploring human learning. She observed that children are naturally smart and curious. In her interactions with ‘difficult to teach’ students, Montessori found that learning was easier and more natural when students were allowed to explore their natural curiosities. This fact holds true today. Think about a topic that your young child loves to learn about. Do you provide opportunities for your child to learn even more about that topic? Is it difficult to get your child to engage in learning about that topic? Learning turns into fun and play when your child is learning about a topic of interest. This works in the classroom as well, and it is something that Maria Montessori observed in her students.  

The methods for developing the Montessori Philosophy were sound

Maria Montessori was an educator, but she was also a physician and a scientist. Her education and background made her uniquely qualified to study children in the classroom. She worked with children who did not do well in the traditional classroom. The traditional methods of education were already proven ineffective for those children - Montessori had the information to prove that. Her method for developing the Montessori Philosophy of education was to work with real students who did not thrive in the traditional classroom. She applied her philosophy of learning in the classroom with the difficult children and observed how they responded to the various methods. This process allowed her to hone the Montessori Method so it could be used successfully to educate a wide range of learning styles and abilities. The meticulous and scientific way that Maria Montessori approached developing the Montessori Method allows her teachings to remain relevant today.

Students continue to thrive in the Montessori classroom

The teachings of Maria Montessori continue to be relevant today because students continue to thrive in the Montessori classroom. There are countless success stories of students who received an early Montessori education. You can find Montessori programs throughout the world. The endurance of these programs is a testament to the value of Maria Montessori’s teachings.

You can learn more about Maria Montessori and her teachings by exploring the resources in the online parent library provided by Fountainhead Montessori School.