Maria Montessori's Contributions to Education Term Paper

Working with both the poor and the disabled, Dr. Montessori further developed her ideas of a system under which all children can develop at their own pace and, again, to fully develop to their own potential. She instituted a study of Cosmic Education, or the "gradual discovery, throughout the whole of childhood, of the interrelatedness of all things on earth, in the past, present, and in the future" (Stephenson, 1998, p. 2). She contended that through Cosmic Education, the needs of the individual child would be met and would lead, in turn, to the needs of the greater world being met. In attempts to further these ideas, Dr. Montessori incorporated methods now considered key to the overall Montessori Method. These include: grouping children by periods of development, usually in three-year age spans; applying methods based on human tendencies, like tendencies to move, share, explore, and abstract ideas from experience; and preparation of the environment, by both having a knowledgeable teacher and additional resources available to the child for further learning (Stephenson, 1998).

This groundwork has enabled current programs, most notably Montessori schools, to continue helping children at all ages and levels of development. Even children with multiple and severe disabilities have received considerable benefits after being integrated into Montessori classrooms. The integrated environment seems to be a positive learning experience for both disabled and non-disabled students (Thompson, 1991). Other applications based on the Montessori method are still evolving today. For example, Sharon Dubbles' paper Evolving People/Evolving Schools discusses the far-reaching applications of Montessori theory as it is evolving into new methods for the same purpose: to fully develop human potential.

Through her exhaustive study of children and educational methods, Dr. Maria Montessori made incredible strides to help children of all needs and situations. Though her applications are specifically used in Montessori Method schools, her research and breakthroughs with disabled children led the world and other researchers to focus on those children who were previously forgotten. Special Education as we know it today owes Dr. Montessori their gratitude, as do countless children around the world.

References

Dubble, S.L. Evolving people/evolving schools. North American Montessori Teachers' Association Conference. Phoenix. 33-24 Jan 1998.

DuCharme, C.C. Margaret McMillan and Maria Montessori: Champions of the poor. Annual Meeting of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. New Orleans. 12-15 Nov 1992.

Stephenson, S.M. (1998). Michael Olaf's essential Montessori. Arcata, CA: Michael Olaf Publishers.

Thompson, B. (1991). A qualitative research approach for investigating and evaluating an emergent early childhood inclusion model for children with severe disabilities in a Montessori Preschool. (Report by Kansas University &…