Dr. Maria Montessori began her career as an educator of children working with a group of fifty children, three-to-five years olds, on January 6th, 1907 in the city of Rome. She had at her disposal an untrained assistant, a room, a bit of furniture and development materials to aid sense perception which she had previously used when working with mentally handicapped children. Those children who were older had to be encouraged before their interest was aroused. Once enticed to used the materials, their attention was volatile. Dr. Montessori was astonished to see that the little ones, however, were intensely attracted by the materials, working spontaneously and repeatedly with them in total concentration.

Being a scientist, Dr. Montessori observed and responded to this phenomenon of spontaneous work generated by the apparatus, Little by little, through the experimental process of trial and error, she created a highly specialized form of apparutus, which to the child afforded a source of profound satisfaction. In addition, she provided an environment suited to and respectful of the children's inherent characteristics, "the prepared environment."

Out of this experimental foundation, the Montessori Method of Education evolved. Observing the quality of interaction between the children and their environment, and the choice or rejection of materials placed at the children's disposal, Dr. Montessori formulated a comprehensive science of human life in all its aspects and mainfestations.

Dr. Maria Montessori started her work in the field of education and child psychology when she had already gained European recognization as the first woman to obtain a doctor's degree in medicine and surgery in her country.

Her scientif training and experience is based on a series of genuine diccoveries and observations. Her method of observation remain s even today quite unique among educationists.

The Montessori method itself covers the whole development of man from birth to adulthood. Its application among all social classes, culture and creed on all the five continents, most of which Dr. Montessori visited herself, provided her with a unique vast field of experimantation and with confirmation of the validity of her discoveries the Director General of the UNESCO could, therefore declare that it had and still has a fundamental influence on all "Modern Method" of education directly as well as indirectly.

In her words. "My present study treats of the method of experimental pedagogy. It is the result of the experience which I have obtained in infant schools and in the first classes of elementary school I offer really only the beginging of the method as I have applied it to children between the ages of three to six and I believe that this attempt because of the surprising result which it has given will bw made to continue in an extended form".

When she was an assistant doctor in the Manual asylum to the university of Rome she had to frequent the asylum to study sick people and in the way she became interested in the 'idiot children' maintained these. It was through her interest in deficient children that she came to know the special metod of education devised by Edward Seguin. She carried on educative experiments with these children applying the principles of Seguin. As she said "Nothing in fact is so fascinating as to attend to the mental awakening of these children" Dr. Montessori was also influenced by the methods of J. Itard who was the first to attempt the methodical education of the sense of hearing.

New work as assumed the dimension of a social movement of a social movement based on the child as a personality of immense value.

A 1 year intensive course which covers a detailed study of the Montessori apparatus in the four main areas, namely EXERSISES OF PRACTICAL LIFE. Simple, everyday activities which are presented to the children when they first enter their environment.

SENSORIAL: Scientifically designed apparatus presented to the children to aid in their development and enhances the training of the senses.

MATHEMATICS: Young children need a lot of experience in counting and have to understand that number represents a quantity; the maths equipment is presented in such a manner that the child enjoys working with it and has a firm foundation at a young age. LANGUAGE: Special activities are presented to children with emphasis on presentation of phonetics first and a detailed and novel method of learning grammar.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT: A study of the child's physical, mental, social, emotional traits and needs.

CHILD PSYCHOLOGY: Understanding the factors influencing the development of child's personality methods of dealing with difficult and stubborn children, the role of motivation.