Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work

by E.M. Standing

Maria Montessori is important background reading for parents considering Montessori education for their children, as well as for those training to become Montessori teachers. The first woman to win a degree as a Doctor of Medicine in Italy in 1896, Maria Montessori?s mission to improve children?s education began in the slums of Rome in 1907, and continued throughout her lifetime. Her insights into the minds of children led her to develop prepared environments and other tools and devices that have come to characterize Montessori education today. Her influence in other countries has been profound and many of her teaching methods have been adopted by educators generally. Part biography and part exposition of her ideas, this engaging book reveals through her letters and personal diaries Maria Montessori's humility and delight in the success of her educational experiments and is an ideal introduction to the principals and practices of the greatest educational pioneer of the 20th century.

The new introduction to Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work by Lee Havis, executive director of the International Montessori Society, discusses the changes that have taken place in Montessori education within recent years.


An updated appendix of Montessori periodicals, courses, societies, films, and teaching materials.


A revised bibliography of books by and about Maria Montessori.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Biography, Teaching, Philosophy, Psychology, Parenting

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to look at the publication date of this book to believe that it was really written as late as it was. Then, I read the short biography on Standing, and I understood. I have never seen a book that was more obviously written by the graduate of a Victorian secondary school and an Edwardian university. I think he quotes Hamlet just as often as he does Montessori--with Wordsworth being a distant third. As an aficionado of Victorian and Edwardian literature, I found this charming. I'm not a big fan of nonfiction, and the old-fashioned writing style made the pages go by more quickly. I think it also explains some of the "deification" of Montessori that he's often accused of. Writers of that time period had a habit of being rapturous about things they liked. It was part of the style. As a frequent reader of that style, I took it with a grain of salt and wasn't particularly bothered by it. So, from my perspective, this was quite a good introduction to Montessori's method and ideas. I certainly liked the fact that the biography section was so short. For me, Montessori's ideas are a lot more interesting than her life, and I was glad to spend most of my time there. I particularly enjoyed Standing's fantasy of a "training school," where parents and teachers would be shown what it's like to be treated like a child: "If a parent happened to be a geologist, and had just picked up a rare fossil...his keeper would roughly snatch the treasured object out of his hands exclaiming 'Nasty, dirty stone!' and would fling it away in disgust. Or if he were a golfer...his janitor would forcibly seize his clubs, ejaculate impatiently, 'How slow you are!' and exclaim 'Here let me finish it for you!'"

At the same time, I can definitely see why this book puts people off. For one thing, it isn't an Edwardian book. It was published in 1957 by an author who was still writing in the style of fifty years before. This makes it jarringly anachronistic. Still, if you can get past the style of the writing, it is a very good book. Standing really manages to capture the spirit of Montessori, even if he does it in a laughably old-fashioned way.

[Renne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. The woman more so than the book. Montessori was so far ahead of her time and fortunately, she wrote everything down! Her ideas and educational methods are brilliant (and proven effective). If you looking for an alternative to the nightmare that is our public school system, this is it. Not that "no child left behind" isn't working fabulously......

[Lof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mình đã được hiểu thêm về:
- Những thời điểm nhảy cảm của trẻ em - những thời điểm mà trẻ học những điều nhất định một cách nhanh nhạy nhất, và là thời điểm "vàng" duy nhất để học điều đó. Một khi đã qua thời điểm đó rồi sẽ không bao giờ nắm bắt lại được nữa. Và sẽ mất nhiều thời gian và công sức hơn để học lại (ví dụ: học ngoại ngữ)
- Trí tưởng tượng đối với trẻ: trẻ ko cần đến những câu chuyện cổ tích. trẻ không nhất thiết sẽ phấn khích khi mở cánh cửa ra và cô tiên xuất hiện. chỉ riêng việc cánh-cửa-mở-ra cũng là điều thần kỳ với trẻ rồi. Và việc cho trẻ tiếp cận những câu chuyện cổ tích quá sớm đôi khi lại là điều tai hại.
- Quá trình trẻ dần lớn lên và hình thành cách nhìn nhận, thế giới quan.
- Trẻ là sinh vật duy nhất sinh ra như một hình hài chưa hoàn thiện, dễ bị tổn thương - khác hoàn toàn với các loài động vật khác.
- Những bản năng ở trẻ (tạm thời mình chỉ nhớ một số cái): tính trật tự, tập trung, tình yêu đối với làm-việc
- Ba cột trụ ở trường Montessori: trẻ, giáo viên và môi trường được chuẩn bị.
- Vai trò của người giáo viên: xác định điểm kết nối, biết giới hạn của sự can thiệp.
- Người giáo viên trước khi trở thành giáo viên Montessori, trước hết phải giải quyết triệt để những vấn đề của bản thân mình - để không bị những cái tôi, những định kiến của bản thân vào trong quá trình hướng dẫn trẻ.
- Người ta tìm thấy bản thể tốt đẹp của mình trong quá trình rèn luyện để trở thành một giáo viên Montessori (the journey matters).
- /sẽ bổ sung thêm khi nhớ ra/

Và dịch giả thì quá đỉnh huhu. Không chỉ là dịch đơn thuần, mà mình có thể nhìn thấy tâm huyết và góc nhìn, diễn giải sâu rộng của dịch giả. respect!

Một chút bên lề, đọc Ươm mầm của Osho sau khi đọc cuốn này, như cho mình một góc nhìn phóng chiếu đặc biệt hơn. Và mình thích điều đó.

[Paiman Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

EM Standing, a closest collaborator, reveals the inspirations behind the greatest educational innovator of our time. Cannot hardly put it down before completing the reading.
One reason why Montessori accomplished so much is that she never wasted her energies on trying to do too many and useless things. If I am going up a ladder and a dog begins to bite at my ankles, I can do one of two things - either turn around and kick out at it, or simply go on up the ladder. Do you know what she prefers doing?

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standing provides a synthesis of Maria Montessori's life and her ideas. He worked closely with her for thirty years and at her behest produced this systematic presentation of her principles and practice. It is a great introduction to an heroic woman (she was the first woman in Italy to take the degree of Doctor of Medicine) and the Montessori method of education.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Maria Montessori, but not the author of this book. I was surprised that a book about such an interesting person could be so boring. Terrible writing :-\

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this as a first assignment for my Montessori teacher training program. I'm passionate about the Montessori method and the contributions it has made to child care and education. This book is kinda awful though. The breathless adoration and reverence for Dr. Montessori is exhausting and off putting. She was an important person but also was surely a flawed human. The writing style is very old fashioned and dense. There's lots of flowery language that I imagine would make this book inaccessible to some ESL readers.

The book is also painfully out of date in its politics and worldview. Dr. Montessori is favorably compared to Columbus (an explorer "discovering" new frontiers, etc). Significant parts of Dr. Montessori's life considered to be "unpalatable" (like the child she had outside of marriage) are left out. There is also language and concepts that are classist, ableist, misogynist, etc. I know social tolerances for these things continue to evolve and I think there can still be value in problematic (harmful?) texts like this one. However, for an overall better reading experience, I'd recommend one of the more modern books about Dr. Montessori and her work.

[Amita Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete book for the works of Dr. Montessori.The way book takes you through Montessori's method shows the deep love and understanding of Standing himself for this method.Must read for anyone wanting to understand Montessori method.

Being a Montessori parent and a a teacher I could feel living his words!

[Fahasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Montessori is important background reading for parents considering Montessori education for their children, as well as for those training to become Montessori teachers. The first woman to win a degree as a Doctor of Medicine in Italy in 1896, Maria Montessori

See more: https://www.fahasa.com/

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hope there is a better book about Montessori out there. This was mostly about her philosophy and contained a lot of psychobabble. It seemed like it was put together from many different articles because there was a lot of repetition. I think the subject would be better served if it were written by someone not quite so enamored with her.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of how Maria Montessori developed the Montessori methods we know so well today. Her trails and tribulations, and shear determination in an Italian society where the 'humble' woman did not or could not become a doctor. A book of courage, inspiration and most of all, love.

[Kelli Bonin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful overview of Montessori's life and the science behind her method, without being too heavy. We read this for the Philosophy class in my Montessori credential training. It was the perfect introduction to Montessori.

[Rachel Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great biography of Montessori as well as an in-depth look at her methods. The author writes in an old-fashioned style, which made it a bit tedious to read. However, there are few biographies on Maria Montessori, and this one was certainly detailed!

[Katherine Rosas · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is interesting

[Jordyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

a bit repetitive and effusive w/Dr. Maria Montessori worship but she's worthy-- so many insights and lessons on children of every stage 0 -18y w/an emphasis on 3-6y!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad introduction to her life and ideas. Now I would like to read a modern biography and a comparison of her ideas with modern neuroscience and brain development.

[Belle Meade School]

372.08

[Caitlin Heston · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing made this book a lot to slog through. However, Dr. Montessori was an absolutely fascinating woman who progressed the world a great deal during her lifetime. For most people, I’d recommend just googling her to learn about her life.

[Robin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one biography that was written so close to her life that it rings with a special reality on the subject.

[Thaddeus Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The worst decision Montessori made was letting Standing be her biographer.

[Ma.José · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó saber de la vida y obra de esta maravillosa mujer.
Muy bien contada.

[Compota3000 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li noutra edição e em português gostei muito deste romance histórico apaixonanei me por esta vertente de romance foi muito bom e vou apostar mais neste livros

[Janice Barclay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hers is such a great story. I really enjoyed reading about it.

[Mariana Cruz Frazão · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilhoso perceber como nasceu a pedagogia e a força desta mulher!

[Ayda’s Tea Party · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen materials!

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standing provides the reader with a biography of Montessori and a history of the Montessori Method. He does a great job on both accounts which is why this is a classic. The book is at its best in showing how Montessori discovered and developed her method. Standing does get quite poetic and florid at times and for some this might be a put off, but I enjoyed it. I was, however, put off somewhat by some of the religious overtones of Standing's approach.

The biggest drawback is that Standing is a bit too much of cheerleader here and doesn't address questions in a critical way. That said, that wasn't really his point; which seems more to be just the messenger. He also doesn't provide a lot of independent analysis or research to bear. This is to be expected though--much of that analysis and research did not exist at the time. Check out Angeline Lillard's Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius for that. ( http://www.amazon.com/Montessori-The-... )

At first, I though the compare and contrast to Froebel's system would be dated and not worth the time, but I am glad I didn't skip that. By putting the Montessori Method in relief, it helped bring out aspect of Montessori's approach in a clearer way.

I am not sure this is the first book about Montessori one should read, but I think once you have a sense of what Montessori is about, this is one that you should get through.

[Erik Akre · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an exposition of Montessori's life and work, this book passes well. It contains nothing I have not found by reading original text, save for connections to biography. The latter element is not necessarily a negative, and readers may find it interesting, but I could not get past its rather sycophantic, uncritically canonizing appraoch to our dear Maria. The unfailingly positive notion of her and her work leaves me feeling like much has gone unexplored. By reading her original texts, you get her point of veiw, but by reading Standing, you get a filter that will not allow criticism.

Read this for information, and you will get much, but take it with a grain of salt. Maria Montessori is not perfect, despite Standing's enthusiasm. For a more complex and nuanced approach to her life history, try Kramer's Maria Montessori.

[Alaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of Maria Montessori's life and work, very detailed in its rationale and explanations. Standing is fawning at times, and since this book was written in the fifties, there is a fair amount of language that seems overly flowery, religious references, excessive literary quotes from Shakespeare, Wordsworth, etc. sprinkled throughout the text. However, the book rises above all of this to be well worth reading, especially for those interested in becoming Montessori teachers at any level, or for parents considering a Montessori education for their child and wanting to know more about its history and philosophy.

[Brandon Peele · Rating 4 out of 5]

She was truly a pioneer. A scientist and philosopher (in mostly a Stoic & Emersonian vein). I'm deeply inspired by her. Stoked to read more about other innovators in education, e.g. Steiner. I love her premise, that liberty is a prerequisite for religious life and that treating children as beings who desire only to become autonomous, liberated and fulfilled markedly changes how we should think about not only education but all of our institutions.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it ironic that a method of educating with humble beginnings in the Italian projects has become a schooling option for the wealthy only (at least where I live.). The book was interesting and the author's admiration of Maria Montessori was evident. Due to its age (originally published in the 1950s), some of it is dated but I found that endearing in a way. Overall I am a bit bummed that this is not an option for the education of my kiddos because it sounds amazing.