Dr. Maria Montessori (Born 31 August 1870, in Italy— Died 6 May 1952, in Netherlands) is an Italian educator and founder of the method of education that bears her name – Montessori. The Montessori method of education is based on the belief in the creative potential of children, their drive to learn, and the right of each child to be treated as an individual.

She discovered that certain simple materials aroused in young children an interest and attention not previously thought possible. These materials included beads arranged in graduated-number units for pre-mathematics instruction; small slabs of wood designed to train the eye in left-to-right reading movements; and graduated series of cylinders for small-muscle training to name a few. Children between three and six years old would work spontaneously with these materials, with no distraction, for a long time.

A large measure of individual initiative and self-direction is characterised in the Montessori philosophy including a focus on self-education. The teacher provides and demonstrates the special “educational apparatus” but remain in the background, leaving the child to handle it alone. In the Montessori teaching methodology – biological and mental growth are linked as “Sensitive Periods” corresponding to ages when a child’s interest and mental capacity are best suited to acquire knowledge.