Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 – 1952)
Dr. Montessori was the first woman in Italy to qualify as a physician. She developed an interest in the needs of those said to be 'uneducable,' and developed a teaching program that enabled them to read and write. She sought to teach skills not by having children repeatedly try it, but by developing exercises that prepare them. These exercises would then be repeated: Looking becomes reading; touching becomes writing. The success of her method then caused her to ask questions of 'normal' education.
The Method
The Montessori method places an emphasis on self-determination and self-realization. This entailed developing a concern for others and discipline and to do this children engaged in the exercise of daily living. These and other exercises were to function like a ladder allowing the child to pick up the challenge and to judge their progress.