The Footsteps of the Pioneer: The Life and Educational Revolution of Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori, a pioneer in education

Maria Montessori. This name has probably been heard by anyone involved in education at least once. She is a great figure who not only revolutionized the education world in the early 20th century, but also contributed to the advancement of women's social status. This philosophy of education is still supported and practiced around the world today. In this article, we look back at the life of Maria Montessori and explore in detail how her educational revolution is and how it has impacted modern education.

1. The birth and adolescence of Maria Montessori: The birth of a pioneer

Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Chiaravalle, a small town near Ancona, Italy. At the time, Italy was a young nation that had just been unified, and society as a whole was shaking between tradition and change. Her father, Alessandro, was a strict person working as a national civil servant, but her mother, Renilde, had a deep interest in education and played an important role in fostering Maria's curiosity and enquiry.

Maria had a strong curiosity and extraordinary intelligence from a young age, and had a passion for education. However, society at the time was negative about women's higher education. Her strong will to go on to school challenged the common beliefs of the time, and foreshadowed the role she would play in the educational world.

At the age of 13, she enrolled in technical school and showed her talent in mathematics and science. During this period, her interests were directed towards rigorous disciplines such as mathematics and science, cultivating logical thinking. However, in her heart there was always a deep interest in humans and a sense of mission to contribute to society. It is hard to imagine that learning and experience during this period had a major impact on her later teaching practices.

2. The path to medicine and the shift to education - encounters with children

Maria later went on to the University of Rome La Sapienza, and in 1896 became Italy's first doctor of medicine. In society at the time, it was an unprecedented feat for a woman to earn a doctorate in medicine, showing her fortitude and outstanding ability.

Montessori, who began her career as a doctoral doctor, initially worked in the treatment of children with intellectual disabilities at a mental hospital. This encounter will change her life a lot. At the time, children with intellectual disabilities were not considered to be subjects of education and were largely neglected. However, Montessori becomes aware of their potential and explores how to encourage their growth.

In observing children with disabilities, she discovered that they demonstrated incredible concentration and learning ability to specific environments and stimuli. This discovery provided an important hint in her later creation of the "Montessori Education Method." In traditional education, children were unilaterally viewed as recipients of knowledge, but Montessori was convinced that children have the power to learn and grow on their own.

3. Establishment of "Children's House" and the birth of the Montessori Education Method

In 1907, Maria Montessori founded the "Children's House" (Casa dei Bambini) in the San Lorenzo district of Rome. The facility was intended to educate and care for poor children in slums, but initially people with no education expertise took care of them.

However, Montessori focused on carefully observing the children's development and creating an environment where they could demonstrate their own learning. She introduced specially designed teaching materials and equipment to allow children to learn at their own pace and according to their interests. This approach has been incredible and children have learned spontaneously and are able to exert incredible concentration and creativity.

Through practice in "Children's Home," Montessori codified her unique teaching theory and practice methods. This was the birth of the Montessori Education Method, which would later spread around the world. Her pedagogy aimed at viewing children as subjects who learn and grow themselves, not merely receiving knowledge, but rather as subjects who learn and grow themselves, and to maximize their potential.

4. The core of Montessori education - bringing out the ability of children to self-educate

The core of Montessori education is to maximize the ability for children to learn and grow themselves (self-educational ability). She emphasized that children can work freely according to their interests and curiosity. The classroom is designed so that children can move around freely and learn using materials of their own choice.

The distinctive elements of Montessori education include the following:

1. It is important to create an environment where specially designed teaching materials and teaching equipment can be arranged so that children can learn and grow on their own.
   
2. Teaching equipment is available for learning a variety of fields, including teaching aids and sensory education, language education, and arithmetic education. These teaching equipment are designed to allow children to learn at their own pace and using their own hands.
   
3. Free choices - Children can freely choose activities according to their interests and developmental stages. Teachers observe the children's activities and provide support when necessary.
   
4. Sensitive periods: In children's development, there is a "sensitive period" where it is easy to acquire specific abilities. Montessori education aims to create an educational environment tailored to this sensitive period and encourages children's growth.
   
5. Rather than being taught unilaterally by self-education and teachers, we place importance on the ability for children to learn and grow on their own. Teachers encourage their children's development by supporting and observing their activities.
   
6. Collaborative Montessori education provides opportunities for children of different ages to learn from each other and grow together.

5. The concept of "sensitivity period" - the key to grasping child development

In Montessori education, the concept of "sensitive period" is extremely important. She believed that there is a "sensitive period" in child development where children can easily acquire certain abilities at certain times. The sensitive period is a great opportunity to acquire certain abilities, and providing the right environment during this period will help children grow more efficiently.

The main sensitive periods proposed by Montessori include the following:

1. It is a sensitive period of exercise and a time when you enjoy moving around, and it is important to develop your athletic abilities during this period.
   
2. It is a period of sensitivity in the senses and a period when you explore the world through the five senses, and it is important to hone your senses during this period.
   
3. It is a period of sensitive language and a time when you enjoy learning and using language, and it is important to develop your language skills during this period.
   
4. It is important to develop the habit of following rules during this period when order is sensitive and environmental order and regulations are sought.
   
5. It is important to develop social skills during this period, when social sensitivity is required and interaction with others is required.

Montessori education aims to tailor these sensitive periods to maximize the ability for children to learn and grow themselves.

6. The film "Maria Montessori: The Method of Love and Creation" - depicting her conflict and passion

The film "Maria Montessori: Methods of Love and Creation," scheduled for release on March 28th, 2025, depicts the seven years of struggles that Maria Montessori had before establishing her own teaching method. This film gives her an opportunity to understand her humanity more deeply, not only by depicting her passion as an educator, but also her conflicts and anguish as a woman.

Starring Jasmine Tlinka is expected to captivate the audience with a brilliant portrayal of Maria Montessori's mixed emotions. Through the film, interest in Montessori pedagogy will increase, and more people will be exposed to her philosophy of education.

7. Montessori's social change through peace ideas and education

Maria Montessori was not just an educator, she was also a peace activist. She advocated social change through education, believing that children's growth will contribute to world peace. Especially after World War II, they worked to promote "children's rights" and "peace education" on UNESCO and other international stages, and their influence spread around the world.

She believes that "children have the power to create peace," and aims to sow the seeds of peace in their hearts through education. Her ideas of peace are still very important in the present day, suggesting that education is key to social change.

8. The outcomes, effects and impact of Montessori education

Montessori education has received high praise worldwide, and its results are supported by many researchers. It has been reported that children with Montessori education improve a variety of abilities, including autonomy, creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Also, many of the world's successful celebrities have received a Montessori education. For example, Google co-founder Sergei Brin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos are also Montessori-educated. These examples suggest that Montessori education is a highly effective way of pedagogical approach in exploiting children's potential and laying the foundation for success in society.

9. International development, expectations for the future, and contribution to modern education

1. Montessori education is adopted in over 110 countries, with approximately 20,000 educators teaching children this way. This pedagogy offers learning opportunities for children around the world, transcending cultural and language barriers.
   
2. The International Montessori Association (AMI) supports the international spread of Montessori education. AMI is promoting teacher training and educational programs around the world, contributing to the maintenance and improvement of Montessori education.
   
3. Montessori education has the potential to solve the challenges faced by modern education. For example, the philosophy of Montessori education provides important implications in modern educational reform, such as the need for individualized education, the importance of active learning, and encouraging children to learn on an independent basis.

Summary - Maria Montessori's legacy

Maria Montessori has fundamentally overturned the concept of education and created innovative pedagogy to unleash the potential of children. Her life and achievements give us an opportunity to rethink not only education, but the way society as a whole. Her philosophy of education is of great importance even in the present day and will be a lighthouse that will illuminate the future of education.

The concept of "children's self-educational ability" that she proposed is a philosophy that should be shared not only within the field of education, but also across society. It is our mission to pass on her legacy to the next generation and build a society where all children can achieve their full potential. We hope that the release of the film Maria Montessori: Methods of Love and Creation will be a major step.

Shokey Hayashi

Exorcist/Radionics Technique Researcher

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Born in Aomori Prefecture in 1965, he has been suffering from troubles, illnesses and injuries caused by spiritual phenomena since childhood. However, one day, when he was 20 years old, he attended an event, had a mysterious experience at the venue, and was hit by lightning energy from the heavens, as if piercing the spinal cord from his brain, and his psychic abilities blossomed. He then began studying psychology and psychiatry, and now he has combined psychiatry and consciousness engineering. Established "Radionics exorcism" using our own radionics techniques. "It's possible to treat your fortune" beyond exorcism, memorial service, and healing.