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Maria Montessori was born on August 31,1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy.
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She attended a Secondary Technical School in Rome for Boys. She did well in the sciences and especially in mathematics.
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Gets into the University of Rome's Medical school as one of its only female medical student. Becomes one of the first woman to obtain a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Rome and becomes an expert in pediatric medicine.
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Represents Italy at the International Women’s Congress in Berlin where she delivers an address on rights of working women, including equal pay for equal work.
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In 1897 Montessori audited the University of Rome's courses in pedagogy and read all the major works on educational theory of the past two hundred years. She discovered the works of Jean Itard and Édouard Séguin who showed her a new direction in thinking and influenced her to focus on children with learning difficulties.
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On March 31,1898, her only child Mario Montessori was born out of her love affair with Giuseppe Montesano, a fellow doctor who was co-director with her of the Orthophrenic School of Rome.
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In 1900 the Orthophrenic School was established as a "medico-pedagogical institute" for training teachers in educating mentally disabled children with an attached laboratory classroom. Montessori was appointed co-director where she developed methods and materials which she later were adapted to use with mainstream children. The school was an immediate success
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She begins a second degree in education, experimental psychology, and anthropology at the University of Rome. Visits elementary schools to do anthropological research. She gets appointed to lecture in the Pedagogic School at the University. These lectures become the basis of her book Pedagogical Anthropology.
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In 1906 Montessori was invited to oversee the care and education of a group of children of working parents in a new apartment building for low-income families in the San Lorenzo district in Rome. Montessori was interested in applying her work and methods to mentally normal children, and she accepted. The first Casa dei Bambini or Children's House, was suggested opened on January 6,1907enrolling around 50 children between the ages of two and seven.
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She conducts the first teacher training course in her new method in Città di Castello, Italy to around 100 students. In the same year, she writes her first book titled Il Metodo della Pedagogia Scientifica applicato all’educazione infantile nelle Case dei Bambini (The Method of Scientific Pedagogy Applied to the Education of Children in the Children's Houses). In the years to follow, this book is translated into over 20 languages. The English edition is titled The Montessori Method.
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L’Antropologia pedagogica (Pedagogical Anthropology).
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The first North American Montessori school was opened in October 1911, in Tarrytown, New York
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In 1913 she runs First International Training Course in Rome. Montessori Educational Association is founded in the United States.
In 1914 her third book, Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook, is published in New York.
In 1915, Montessori returns to Europe and takes up residence in Barcelona, Spain. Over the next 20 years she travels and lectures widely in Europe giving numerous teacher training courses. -
The First International Montessori Congress is held in Helsingør, Denmark. She establishes along with her son Mario the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), with headquarters in Berlin (until 1935; after that in Amsterdam).
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Maria Montessori held peace conferences from 1932 to 1939 in Geneva, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Utrecht, which were later published in Italian as Educazione e Pace, and in English as Education and Peace.
Montessori was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949, 1950 and 1951. -
In 1933 the Nazis systematically destroy the Montessori movement in Germany, closing all Montessori schools. After conflicts with the fascist system in 1934, all Montessori schools in Italy are closed.
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In 1936 her book The Child in the Family is published.
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The Montessoris worked on developing lessons, illustrations, charts, and models for use with elementary aged children for cosmic education while also creating material for botany, zoology, and geography. The following books were published: Education for a New World,The Child, Reconstruction in Education, The Discovery of the Child, To Educate the Human Potential, What You Should Know about Your Child, and Child Training, The Absorbent mind and finally The Formation of Man.
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Maria and her son Mario travel to India to run a three-month training course at the invitation of the Theosophical Society but are interned by the British colonial government in India as an enemy alien when World War 2 breaks out and live there until the war is over. During this time they continue to develop her educational method.
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She conducts training courses in the Indian subcontinentin 1948
In 1950 she represents Italy at the UNESCO conference in Florence, An International conference in Amsterdam is held in honour of her 80th birthday. In 1951 Lshe runs her last training course in Innsbruck, Austria.
Maria Montessori dies on May 6,1952 in Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands before bequeathing her legacy to her son Mario.
