Maria Montessori’s educational approach

Maria Montessori devoted all her life to the development of learning materials and teaching methods. Montessori  materials  are  sensory-based  learning  tools  that  are  designed  to  isolate  one  skill  or concept.  The  materials  encourage  hands-on  learning,  independent  problem  solving,  and  analytical thinking. Especially unique, is that each Montessori material is designed with a visual control of error. The codification of the materials stops with the elementary level ( even if the materials, especially for children with special need, can be well used till the seventh or eighth class). What happens afterwards?  Maria Montessori tells to the adults to let the child unfold and develop his/her potential. She stresses  the  role  of  the  teacher  as  someone  who    accompanies,  almost  serves,  the  children,  the  girls  and  the boys  on  their  learning  paths,  in  their  development  as  human  beings  in  respect  of  their  nature, predispositions and skills. She believed in their possibility to become independent in their own way. The  plan  for  the  secondary  school  of  Maria  Montessori  is  called Children  of  the  Earth  and  it  is focused  on  the  psycomotor,  on  the  social  and  emotional  and  the  cosmic  (spiritual  and  scientific) education of the students. Their cognitive and intellectual development is in her view a natural result  of  the  right  activities  that  youngster  performs.  She  thinks  of  the  autonomy  of  the  learner  in  his/her individual  process  and  stresses  the  importance  of  observation  and  accompaniment  of  the  student  in the  respect  for  his  true  nature,  vocation,  for  his/her  interests  and  skills.  The  interconnection  among the  subjects,  the  working  and  learning  through  projects  and  a  problem-  solving,  analytical  way  of thinking,   the   huge   space   to   imagination   and   aesthetical   experiences   ensures   an   integrated development of the personality of the student, of his/her physical, cognitive and intellectual abilities.