The author has established a tradition of putting together a "stick bundle" that symbolizes the community in her Montessori Early Childhood classroom. In the first month of the school year, each member of the classroom finds a stick from the outdoor playground area and brings it back into the classroom. This article presents how the…

The concept of a ready-made block of knowledge does not exist in the Montessori classroom. Instead, the teacher's knowledge and the learning abilities of the child interact. The teacher brings what she or he knows about the world, and the child brings his or her desire to learn more about the world. In this article, a Montessori teacher uses her…

Montessori's first premise is that movement and cognition are closely entwined, and movement can enhance thinking and learning (Lillard, 2005). Children must move, and practice moving, to develop strength, balance, and the stability needed to fully participate in the rigors of daily life. It is imperative for young children's motor…

Maria Montessori was one of the first special educators. In 1898, as an assistant instructor at the University of Rome's Psychiatric Clinic, Montessori visited an asylum for the "insane" and became interested in the children with special needs who were housed there. She noticed that the children were not being stimulated; learning was at a…