The Purpose of Montessori Education

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that no human being is educated by another person. He must do it

himself or it will never be done. A truly educated individual continues learning long after the hours and

years he spends in the classroom because he is motivated from within by a natural curiosity and love

for knowledge. Dr. Montessori felt, therefore, that the goal of early childhood education should not be

to fill the child with facts from a pre-selected course of

studies, but rather to cultivate his own natural desire to

learn.

In the Montessori classroom this objective is approached in

two ways: first, by allowing each child to experience the

excitement of learning by his own choice rather than by being

forced; and second, by helping him to perfect all his natural

tools for learning, so that his ability will be at a maximum in

future learning situations. The Montessori materials have this

dual long-range purpose in addition to their immediate

purpose of giving specific information to the child.

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