National Geographic Storica dedicated its December 2019 issue to the life and work of Dr Maria Montessori. Michela Castellarin reflects on some of its content... The two authors, Adriana Castellarnau and Mercedes Castro, are no doubt in awe of Montessori’s life and work: their narrative is written with sound historical and educational knowledge and is … Continue reading Maria Montessori, La Rivoluzione Nell’Educazione

In order to truly understand Montessori’s philosophy and approach, one really has to attempt to understand her lived experiences. According to the feminist motto ‘the personal is political’, we come to realise that our personal experiences shape our worldviews, and in turn, the way we live and respond in this world. In the upcoming Massive … Continue reading The Roots of Montessori

For most people, play is arguably what distinguishes the child from the adult. There seems to be a division between work and play: the first standing for purposeful, serious activity and the latter, as leisure, fun, pastime. I think our level of well-being, even as adults, depends on pockets of play. Some would argue that … Continue reading Play: an Attitude of Non-Grasping

In chapter III of The Child, Society and the World, first edited in Germany in 1979, we encounter three challenging topics in Montessori’s writing   - Social development – Religious education and Fantasy and Fairy tales. They are based mostly on Montessori’s 1946 London lectures, and also include her 1937 lecture on religious education at the … Continue reading That Old Chestnut

How the indirect objectives should be our main objective This week's post is a vlog by Hannah Baynham, a Montessori Educator at Montessori Centre International. This vlog will be used as the basis for our webinar this Monday, 10 August 2020, at 7 pm (BST). You can still register to join the webinar. Want to … Continue reading Rethinking Practical Life

Terms like social justice, child’s agency and solidarity have been prominently linked with Montessori education in recent years, however they have been present in Montessori’s writing from the very beginning.  The chapter dedicated to Social Cohesion in The Absorbent Mind identifies the gradual emergence of community spirit within the group which Montessori ( [1949]1988:212) describes … Continue reading Be the change you wish to see in the world