Montessori, << `mon` tuh SAWR ee, >> Maria (1870-1952), was an Italian educator and physician. She won international fame for designing an educational system to aid children in the development of intelligence and independence. Her educational approach became known as the Montessori method (see Montessori method ). Montessori schools exist worldwide.
Montessori was born in Chiaravalle, near Ancona, Italy, on Aug. 31, 1870. She became the first Italian woman to receive a medical degree when she graduated from the University of Rome in 1896. Early in her medical career, Montessori worked with children in mental asylums. In 1899, she became codirector of the State Orthophrenic School for special-needs children. The educational methods she devised were so successful that her developmentally disabled students passed reading and writing examinations intended for children of average intelligence. In 1907, she opened her first school, where she taught preschool-age children from poor families. Montessori lectured extensively on her methods throughout the world and wrote several books, including The Montessori Method (1912) and The Absorbent Mind (1949). Montessori died on May 6, 1952.
