Elodia Prez Noriega

Maria Montessori
(Chiaravalle, 1870 - Noordwjek, 1952) Pedagoga italiana que renov la enseanza
desarrollando un particular mtodo, conocido como mtodo Montessori, que se aplicara
inicialmente en escuelas primarias italianas y ms tarde en todo el mundo. Dirigido
especialmente a nios en la etapa preescolar, se basaba en el fomento de la iniciativa y
capacidad de respuesta del nio a travs del uso de un material didctico especialmente
diseado. El mtodo propona una gran diversificacin del trabajo y la mxima libertad
posible, de modo que el nio aprendiera en gran medida por s mismo y al ritmo de sus
propios descubrimientos.

Licenciada en Medicina en 1896 en la Universidad de Roma, ayudante el ao siguiente en

la ctedra de Psiquiatra de la misma universidad, se vio impulsada por su instinto
profundo al estudio de los nios deficientes y advirti inmediatamente que su problema,
ms que mdico, era pedaggico. Expuso sus ideas sobre esta materia en el congreso
pedaggico de 1898 de Turn. El ministro Baccelli le encarg que diera un curso a las
maestras de Roma sobre la educacin de los nios deficientes mentales, o "psicpatas",
curso que se transform despus en una Escuela Magistral Ortofrnica, dirigida por
Montessori durante dos aos.

March a continuacin a Londres y a Pars para profundizar en estos estudios, asistiendo

luego a cursos de Filosofa en la Universidad de Roma y de Psicologa experimental,
convencida de que la educacin del nio haba de tener su primer y esencial fundamento
en el conocimiento cientfico, somtico y psquico de su ser. La lectura de las obras de JM.-G. Itard y de E. Sguin, los dos ilustres maestros de educacin de anormales en Francia,
la ayudaron a profundizar los problemas de dicha educacin especial, que bien pronto se
le apareci como aplicacin y revelacin de las leyes generales de la educacin del nio.

La obra desarrollada a continuacin entre nios psicpatas mediante una experiencia

prctica y fecunda trajo como consecuencia la aparicin de una Montessori teorizadora y

Elodia Prez Noriega

organizadora de un mtodo general de la educacin infantil. En 1907, precisamente en
enero, por encargo del Instituto dei Beni Stabili de Roma, abra Montessori en uno de los
nuevos barrios obreros la primera "Casa de los nios", al que pronto seguir otra, tambin
en Roma. Desde all, la Institucin se difundi por Italia y ms an por el resto del mundo,
tomando el carcter de institucin independiente, organizada de un modo cada vez ms
claro como un mtodo original de educacin infantil.

Este mtodo, ya maduro por la experiencia y por la reflexin, fue expuesto por Montessori
en el volumen Il metodo della pedagogia scientifica applicato all'autoeducazione
infantile nella Casa dei bambini (1909), editado ms tarde varias veces (1913, 1935, hasta
la IV, de 1950, aparecida con el ttulo La scoperta del bambino) y pronto traducido a las
principales lenguas.
El mtodo consista en desarrollar la autonoma del nio, que encontraba en la "Casa" el
material indispensable para el ejercicio de los sentidos, los objetos apropiados a sus
aficiones y a sus proporciones fsicas, y las posibilidades de aplicarse, con su trabajo
personal y segn su libre eleccin, a la solucin de problemas prcticos interesantes,
mediante el variado material disponible.
El principio dominante era el de dejar hacer; de vigilar para ayudar en caso de necesidad;
de tener fe en el valor inmenso de una actividad libre desarrollada con vistas a finalidades
concretas adoptadas por el nio, capaz de impulsar un desarrollo seguro y de
desembocar, poco a poco, en descubrimientos espontneos y conquistas segn un ritmo
natural y segn una sucesin de "perodos sensitivos", vinculados a las aficiones
particulares del nio, que era preciso saber comprender y satisfacer en el momento
adecuado, para no dejar pasar la ocasin propicia sin el indispensable ejercicio.
Era un programa y un apostolado que se inscriban con caracteres propios en el
movimiento de la "escuela activa" y que enlazaba ms o menos con Rousseau y
con Friedrich Froebel. La obra siguiente,L'autoeducazione nelle scuole elementari (Turn,
1910), tambin reeditada dos veces en 1916 y en 1940, aplicaba el mtodo a las
enseanzas en la escuela elemental.

Elodia Prez Noriega

Maria Montessori
(Chiaravalle, 1870 - Noordwjek, 1952) Italian pedagogue who renewed developing a
particular teaching method, known as the Montessori method, which is applied initially
and later in Italian primary schools worldwide. Directed to children in preschool, was
based on the promotion of the initiative and responsiveness of the child through the use
of a specially designed teaching materials. The method proposed a diversification of labor
and freedom as possible, so that the child learn largely by himself and the pace of their
own discoveries.

Bachelor of Medicine in 1896 at the University of Rome, the following year assistant
professor of psychiatry at the university, was driven by his deep study of handicapped
children and instinct warned her problem immediately, rather than medical, it was
pedagogical. He expounded his ideas on this subject in the pedagogical congress in Turin
1898. The Minister Baccelli commissioned to give a course to teachers of Roma on
education of mentally handicapped children, or "psychopaths" course which was then
transformed into a Master Ortofrnica School, directed by Montessori for two years.

He went then to London and Paris to deepen these studies, after attending courses in
Philosophy at the University of Rome and experimental psychology, believes that the
education of the child had to have their first and essential foundation in science, somatic
knowledge and psychic being. Reading the works of J-M.-G. Itard and Sguin E., the two
illustrious education teachers abnormal in France helped to deepen the problems of this
special education, which soon appeared as application and disclosure of the general laws
of the child's education.

The work then developed between psychopaths children through practical and fruitful
experience resulted in the emergence of a theorist and organizer of a general method of
Montessori early childhood education. In 1907, precisely in January, dei Beni Stabili

Elodia Prez Noriega

custom Institute in Rome, Montessori opened in one of the new class neighborhoods first
"Children's House", soon followed by another, also in Rome. From there, the organization
spread throughout Italy and even more for the rest of the world, taking as an independent
institution organized an increasingly clear as an original method of infant education mode.

This method, already mature by experience and reflection, was exposed by volume Il
Montessori method pedagogy "Della scientifica applicato infantile nella Casa dei bambini
all'autoeducazione" (1909), later published several times (1913, 1935, to IV, 1950,
published under the title the scoperta bambino) and soon translated into the major
languages.
The method was to develop the child's autonomy, which was in the "House" the
indispensable material for the exercise of the senses, objects appropriate to their interests
and their physical proportions, and the possibilities to apply, your personal work and as
their discretion, to the solution of interesting practical problems, by various materials
available.
The dominant principle was that of laissez-faire; monitor to help in case of need; having
faith in the immense value of a free activity developed with a view to specific purposes
adopted by the child, able to promote a safe and orderly flowing slowly in spontaneous
discoveries and conquests as a natural pace and a succession of "sensitive periods",
related to the particular interests of the child, it was necessary to know understand and
meet at the right time, to not let the occasion pass without the essential exercise.
It was a program and apostolate own characters were inscribed with the movement of the
"active school" and that connected more or less with Rousseau and Friedrich Froebel. The
next work, L'autoeducazione nelle elementari schools (Turin, 1910), also reprinted twice
in 1916 and in 1940, applied the method to the teaching in elementary school.