The Formation of Man

by Maria Montessori

The book talks about the psychology of the Child during the first four years of life, about the formation of the intelligence of a human personality, how is it formed, by means of what processes and in obedience to what laws? She considers the human personality and not a method of education. “Help given in order that the human personality may achieve its independence”. She considers the influence of the environment on the formation of the child, the unconscious mechanism of acquiring its culture and language, the building of its character and the role of the adult in the past and future. She discusses world illiteracy in relation to the alphabet and her method of teaching, reading and writing.

Genres: Education, Parenting, Nonfiction

105 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1949

About the author

Maria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, philosopher, humanitarian and devout Catholic; she is best known for her philosophy and the Montessori method of education of children from birth to adolescence. Her educational method is in use today in a number of public as well as private schools throughout the world.

Reviews

[Alexandra Carvallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro ágil, sencillo de leer y lleno de sabiduría y verdad. La Dra. María Montessori me sorprende cada día más con la claridad en sus pensamientos, con la naturalidad con la que veía la vida y la aplicación práctica y sobre todo real de la educación.
Estoy segura que si María Montessori hubiera conocido a Rupert Sheldrake y su teoría de los campos morfogenéticos hoy se explicaría mucho más esos episodios de “explosiones de escritura” y energías psíquicas. Recomiendo ampliamente su lectura a educadores, pedagogos con una visión amplia y mente abierta que permita que juntos evolucionemos y mejoremos la práctica de la educación.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Montessori describes her wider vision of humanity and the importance of education. Useful to see what Montessori thought about adults and society, but not so much about education.

[Mariya Baldzhieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прекрасна книга.

[Seamusin]

Recommended by the AMI Orientation course

[Michelle Moses · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say that I enjoy montessori schooling. My son has benefited greatly from this method and is reading above his age level. However, the far fetched ideas that this woman has are a bit over the top.

She describes traditional schooling as a prison and the children as martyrs. Reading the description made me want to embrace all these poor children, then I remembered, I was one of them. I had traditional schooling and it wasn't like that at all.

Speaking about literacy she says we can conclude that humans are superior to animals (fair enough). Then she goes on to say that we can also conclude that people who can read are superior to those who cannot! If you ask me, animals cannot learn to be human, but one CAN learn to read.

I'm sorry, but she had too many ideas that I just don't agree with, thus making it hard for me to give a higher rating.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of her theories are timeless, but some of her examples are not. She spends a lot of time equating schools with prisons, and I have to remind myself to remember the age she went to school in. That while are education system needs improvement still; there have been many improvements. One of them being many women can go on to higher education.

Montessori argues for the scientific, so I think that many who espouse her methods don't always look at the underlying reasons. There has to be science behind it. It can't all be what Montessorians have been classified as "hippie school." I think, based on readings, that she would have been horrified. Yes, students need to progress at their own pace, that they need space and time to do their work, but it is not a free for all. That there are limits and guidelines to it all. That there is science behind it, or there should be.