What is a 'Montessori' school?

The Montessori method of education was created by Dr. Maria Montessori's study of children beginning in the early 1900's in Europe. American supporters at the time included Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and Helen Keller. Today, there are thousands of Montessori schools around the world with about 120 in Ohio and a dozen or so in the greater Columbus area.

Dr. Montessori's various studies and observations of children was where she developed the main ideology behind how children learn. Dr. Montessori's conclusions:

• Children have an almost inexhaustible curiosity in manipulating objects in their environment.

• An properly prepared and organized environment enhances a child's ability to focus on learning materials and absorb knowledge.

• Concrete Montessori materials encourage creativity and discovery learning.

• Montessori materials and exercises have been developed to assist the child finding the solution with minimum guidance from the teacher. This develops a child's skill in problem solving, and builds confidence and self-esteem.

• A child's power of observation is keen and children absorb knowledge from their surroundings.

• Children build themselves by what they find in their environment.

• A child learns at his or her own pace.

The Montessori method of learning is designed to recognize a child's needs for a prepared learning environment, with structure, that still allows the child to learn at his/her own pace. The biggest premise that the Montessori method revolves around is that all children are intelligent and children can learn to teach themselves; an invaluable lesson that prepares a child for a lifetime of learning.