Maria Montessori Quotes
Knowing what we must do is neither fundamental nor difficult, but to comprehend which presumptions and vain prejudices we must rid ourselves of in order to be able to educate our children is most difficult.
Montessori, Maria. The Child in the Family. Translated by Nancy Cirillo, Henry Regnery Company, 1970, p. 61.
Brunner and B. F, Skinner were the two most preeminent learning psychologists of the day. They were intellectual opponents, but both agreed with this principle, Amazing demonstrations of this principle are available throughout history. However, apparently the cost to do it can be huge and as of 2012 there has been no overall success on a large scale of the general proposition. On the other hand, set theory has been taught to Junior High School students well, and calculus is taught in many American high schools. However. while there are these spectacular results, the American education system of the early 21st century has been unable to produce basic arithmetic and algebra skills in over 20 percent of the population.
In the entire Finnish curriculum there is only one standard test required and that is in the last year of high school. Finland graduates 93% of its high school students compared to the 76% in the U. S. And Finnish students score Number 1 among all nations, much higher on International Math and Science Tests than American Students of comparable age. Test taking skills should not be confused with education. Tests are one indicator of student performance and the success of our home and schools in educating children. But in some areas we have improved test scores slightly but provided less education.
Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori was an Italian physician and educator best known for the philosophy of education that bears her name, and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early age, Montessori enrolled in classes at an all-boys technical school, with hopes of becoming an engineer. She soon had a change of heart and began medical school at the Sapienza University of Rome, where she graduated with honors in 1896. Her educational method is in use today in many public and private schools globally.
