Character Profile Template

EDUC 604

CHARACTER PROFILE TEMPLATE

INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION

Character’s Name Maria Montessori

Birth–Death Years 1870-1952

Picture of Character: Find

a digital photo of the

individual and paste it here.

Most Noted For Montessori Method of Education

CHARACTER PROFILE REPORT

Biographical Information:

Include life experiences that

impacted thoughts and

impact on education.

Her own training and experience provided an excellent background for the contributions she made to early

childhood education.(Gutek, 1995, p. 270). According to “Early Childhood Today” (2002) When she was only 10

years old, a seriously ill Maria Montessori told her mother, "Do not worry Mother, I cannot die; I have too much to

do." With such a strong will, it's not surprising that Montessori's achievements were so extraordinary. She began

by becoming the first female doctor in Italy, but today she is known worldwide for her work with young children.

Montessori turned her attention to education for the first time while working with mentally disabled children as a

doctor at the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Rome. Although the children had been dismissed by both

teachers and doctors as unteachable, Montessori viewed their disabilities as a failure of teaching methodology

rather than a medical problem. She established a special form of education for these children using the principle,

"First, the education of the senses, then, the education of the intellect."(para.1). According to Gutek (1995)

Montessori’s work with the mentally deficient children stimulated her to investigage child developoment from

biological and psychological perspectives and led her to her appoitment as lecturer of pedagogical anthropology in

1900.

Historical/Political

Context: Explain the

broader historical events

that shaped the character’s

era. This is not about the

person’s accomplishments.

Gisolo.(n.d.) reported that, “ In 1882, the Montessoris moved to Rome, where Maria soon began attending a

technical school (at the time, a kind of institution mostly chosen by young boys). After high school, Maria’s

interests in mathematics led her to first seek a university degree in engineering, and then move to the medical

sciences. This decision was strongly opposed by Maria’s father, who nonetheless ended up escorting her to and

from class, since at the end of the 19th Century for a woman to go around unaccompanied was considered to be

inappropriate. Maria’s university experience was a struggle on many respects. The only career that was believed

suitable for a woman was that of a schoolteacher. At that time a woman in academia had to overcome many

prejudices and obstacles”.

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INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION

Character’s Name Maria Montessori Birth–Death Years 1870- Picture of Character: Find a digital photo of the individual and paste it here. Most Noted For Montessori Method of Education CHARACTER PROFILE REPORT Biographical Information: Include life experiences that impacted thoughts and impact on education. Her own training and experience provided an excellent background for the contributions she made to early childhood education.(Gutek, 1995, p. 270). According to “Early Childhood Today” (2002) When she was only 10 years old, a seriously ill Maria Montessori told her mother, "Do not worry Mother, I cannot die; I have too much to do." With such a strong will, it's not surprising that Montessori's achievements were so extraordinary. She began by becoming the first female doctor in Italy, but today she is known worldwide for her work with young children. Montessori turned her attention to education for the first time while working with mentally disabled children as a doctor at the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Rome. Although the children had been dismissed by both teachers and doctors as unteachable, Montessori viewed their disabilities as a failure of teaching methodology rather than a medical problem. She established a special form of education for these children using the principle, "First, the education of the senses, then, the education of the intellect."(para.1). According to Gutek (1995) Montessori’s work with the mentally deficient children stimulated her to investigage child developoment from biological and psychological perspectives and led her to her appoitment as lecturer of pedagogical anthropology in

Historical/Political Context: Explain the broader historical events that shaped the character’s era. This is not about the person’s accomplishments. Gisolo.(n.d.) reported that, “ In 1882, the Montessoris moved to Rome, where Maria soon began attending a technical school (at the time, a kind of institution mostly chosen by young boys). After high school, Maria’s interests in mathematics led her to first seek a university degree in engineering, and then move to the medical sciences. This decision was strongly opposed by Maria’s father, who nonetheless ended up escorting her to and from class, since at the end of the 19th Century for a woman to go around unaccompanied was considered to be inappropriate. Maria’s university experience was a struggle on many respects. The only career that was believed suitable for a woman was that of a schoolteacher. At that time a woman in academia had to overcome many prejudices and obstacles”.

Beliefs on Education: Describe what thoughts were promoted about education. Gutek (1995), found that “Completing her studies in 1896, she was the first woman to receive the doctorate in medicine from that university. She remained at the university’s psychiatric clinic as an instructor specializing in the education of mentally defective children. In 1899, she became directress of an experimental school which cared for children regarded to be mentally handicapped and uneducable. Under Montessori’s direction, these children learned to read and write to the degree that they succeeded in passing the public examinations required of normal children. Montessori’s work with the mentally deficient children stimulated her to investigate child development from biological and psychological perspectives and led to her appointment as lecturer of pedagogical anthropology in

Her experiences and research confirmed her conviction that earliest childhood education was the most crucial phase of human development” (p. 271). Impact on Education: How did this person’s beliefs and actions affect education? Gisolo (n.d.), stated that “In 1906, she gave up her work with the retarded and started organizing a school for the kids of indigent working mothers in the slums of Rome. In 1907 the first “Casa dei Bambini” (“Children’s House”) was founded, and soon became a model school to be visited by educators and researchers from all over the world. International fame and recognition followed rapidly. The accomplishments of what came to be known as the “Montessori method” were popularized by the press as well as by the thousands of enthusiastic followers of the “Montessori movement,” which started spreading worldwide, with the founding of schools, associations, and societies in such different corners of the world as America, Russia, Japan, India. Montessori visited the USA several times, invited by such prominent scientists as Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison; she lectured at Carnegie Hall and was received at the White House in 1913. However, while in the rest of the world Montessori’s influence grew steadily, her success in the USA faded almost immediately, only to be revamped forty years later” (para. 8.) Others’ Criticisms: Summarize the criticisms of contemporaries, historians, and scholars. Gutuk (1995) found that, “Both Froebelians and progressive educators have criticized the Montessori method for failing to encourage a sufficient socialiaing. During the 1930’s the Montessori method was suspected by the totalitarian regimes of being contrary to their principles. In 1935, the Nazi regime suppressed the German Montessori Society. In 1936, Mussolina’s Fascist government abolished all Montessorian institutions and agencie” (p. 275). Gutuk (1995) also noted that, “Although Montessori attracted a favorable audience in certain quarters of the American public, many professional educators remained unconvinced. At the convention of the National Education Association in 1913, Elizabeth Ross Shaw delivered a number of stinging criticisms. She alleged that Montessori’s method was neither new nor scientific and criticized Montessori’s early introduction of writing and reading as being premature and pedagogically unsound. (p.276) Your Critique: What ideas or actions do you support or reject? Having worked in Head Start classrooms and in early childhood for many years, I support the Montessori’s method of promoting optimal learning. The methods such as, Early Childhood Today” (2002) “providing classroom objects, including wooden cylinders, fabrics of different textures, gymnastic equipment, and counting rods, materials that will stir children's interest and capture their attention, encourage children to explore these materials freely. Allow children to work on tasks or projects at their own pace.” All of these concepts are considered high quality indicators on early childhood assessments and evaluations.

REFERENCE LIST

List at least 3 references using proper APA format. Gisolo, G. (n.d.). Montessori, Maria. Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://www.learningtogive.org/resources/montessori- maria Gutted, G.L., (1995) A History of the Western Educational Experience. Long Grove, IL. Waveland Press, Inc. Pioneers In Our Field: Maria Montessori – A Sensory Approach to Learning. (n.d.). Scholastic Early Childhood Today.

Character Profile Template - Lecture Notes | EDUC 604, Lecture notes of History of Education

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