The Montessori Method (Economy Editions) Illustrated Edition

This is such a great guide if you’re looking to incorporate Montessori education for your child! It reads more like a text book in its technicalities but is easy to follow along and can help answer any questions you might have. I recommend getting The Montessori Baby by Simone Davies as an accompanying book.

Here, Maria Montessori introduces a scientific approach to pedagogy. The Montessori schools which she established and developed are intended for children three to seven years of age. The children are allowed as much freedom as possible and are provided with "didactic materials" which are various artifacts which they can use to educate themselves. They are supervised by a single directress whose primary task is to observe the children and direct their efforts by explaining to them how various didactic materials are used (it's very simple, but nothing is obvious to a young child). This book offers some valuable concete advice, but its primary use to me was as an introduction to the approach of scientific pedagogy. The basic premises as I understand them are that (1) children have a natural desire to learn and (2) one can learn how to live in freedom only by being free. These premises are fully supported and fleshed out in the book. The Montessori method achieved startling results, with four year old children (on average) learning to be masters of themselves, disciplined, benevolent, self-confident, and capable of reading and writing. Every educator should be familiar with Maria Montessori's work.

An excerpt that shows she does not mince words!"The situation would be very much the same if we should place a teacher who, according to our conception of the term, is scientifically prepared, in one of the public schools where the children are repressed in the spontaneous expression of their personality till they are almost like dead beings. In such a school the children, like butterflies mounted on pins, are fastened each to his place, the desk, spreading the useless wings of barren and meaningless knowledge which they have acquired. It is not enough, then, to prepare in our Masters the scientific spirit. We must also make ready the school for their observation. The school must permit the free, natural manifestations of the child if in the school scientific pedagogy is to be born. This is the essential reform."

The book itself is great, if challenging. It loses a star for the cheap binding of this edition. As soon as I opened the book, I was fearful of it falling apart. I would invest in a more expensive copy to this book. One whose manufacturer respected the book as the classic that it is.

Received in good condition and as imaged

This is an excellent book for someone interested in one of the best ways to educate a child. A great study!

I like to read source materials versus the modern interpretations. This is very dense if you are not buying for academic reasons. If you want a good distillation of Montessori principles, I preferred some of the modern updated Montessori parenting books which are summarized, organized in meaningful ways, and have pictures to demonstrate concepts.

pretty interesting. a drop of a hard read. Still getting through it.