Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book is Montessori's own exposition of the theory behind her innovative educational techniques. She shows parents, teachers and administrators how to "free a child to learn through his own efforts".

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Acknowledgments
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter I A Critical Consideration Of The New Pedagogy In Its Relation To Modern Science
• Influence of Modern Science upon Pedagogy
• Italy's part in the development of Scientific Pedagogy
• Difference between scientific technique and the scientific spirit
• Direction of the preparation should be toward the spirit rather than toward the mechanism
• The master to study man in the awakening of his intellectual life
• Attitude of the teacher in the light of another example
• The school must permit the free natural manifestations of the child if in the school Scientific Pedagogy is to be born
• Stationary desk and chairs proof that the principle of slavery still informs the school
• "Conquest of liberty, what the school needs"
• What may happen to the spirit
• "Prizes and punishments, the bench of the soul"
• "All human victories, all human progress, stand upon the inner force"
• Chapter II History Of Methods
• Necessity of establishing the method peculiar to Scientific Pedagogy
• "Origin of educational system in the use in the "Children's Houses"
• Practical application ofhte methods of Itard and Séguin in the Orthophrenic School at Rome
• Origin of the methods for the education of deficients
• Application of the methods in Germany and France
• Séguin's first didactic material was spiritual
• Methods for deficients applied to the education of normal children
• "Social and pedagogic importance of the "Children's Houses"
• Chapter III "Inaugural Address Delivered On The Occasion Of The Opening Of One Of The "Children's Houses"
• "The Quarter of San Lorenzo before and since the establishment of the "Childrens' Houses"
• Evil of subletting the most cruel form of usury
• The problem of life more profound than that of the intellectual elevation of the poor
• "Isolation of the masses of the poor, unknown to past venturies"
• Work of the Roman Association of Good Building and the moral importance of their reforms
• "The "Children's House" earned by the parents through their care of the building"
• "Pedagogical organization of the "Children's House"
• "The "Children's House" the first step toward the socialisation of the house"
• The communised house in its relation to the home and to the spiritual evolution of women
• "Rules and regulations of th e"Children's Houses"
• Chapter IV "Pedagogical Methods Used In The "Children's Houses"
• Child psychology can be established only through the method of external observation
• Anthropological consideration
• Anthropological notes
• Environment and schoolroom furnishings
• Chapter V Discipline
• Discipline through liberty
• Independence
• Abolition of prizes and external forms of punishment
• Biological concept of liberty in pedagogy
• Chapter VI How The Lesson Should Be Given
• Characteristics of the individual lessons
• Method of observation the fundamental guide
• Difference between the scientific and unscientific methods illustrated
• "First task of educators to stimulate life, leaving it then free to develop"
• Chapter VII Exercises Of Practical Life
• "Suggested schedule for the "Children's Houses"
• The child must be prepared for the forms of social life and his attention attracted to these forms
• "Cleanliness, order, poise, conversation"
• Chapter VIII Refection-The Child's Diet
• Diet must be adapted to the child's physical nature
• Foods and their preparation
• Drinks
• Distribution of meals
• Chapter IX Muscular Education-Gymnastics
• Generally accepted idea of gymnastics is inadequate
• The special gymnastics necessary for little children
• Other pieces of gymnastic apparatus
• Free gymnastics
• Educational gymnastics
• "Respiratory gymnastics, and labial, dental, lingual gymnastics"
• Chapter X Nature In Education-Agricultural Labour: Culture Of Plants And Animals
• The savage of the Aveyron
• Itard's educative drama repeated it the education of little children
• Gardening and horitculture basis of a method for education of children
• The child initiated into observation of the phenomena of life and into foresight by way of auto-education
• "Children are initiated into the virtue of patience and into confident expectation, and are inspired with a feeling for nature"
• The child follows the natural way of development of the human race
• Chapter XI "Manual Labour-The Potter's Art, And Building"
• Difference between manual labour and manual gymnastics
• The School of Educative Art
• "Archæological, historica, and artistic importance of the vase"
• Manufacture of diminutive bricks and construction of diminutive walls and houses
• Chapter XII Education Of The Senses
• Aim of education to develop the energies
• Difference in the reaction between deficient and normal children in the presentation of didatic material made up of graded stimuli
• Education of the senses has as its aim the refinement of the differential perception of stimuli by means of repeated exercises
• Three Periods of Séguin
• Chapter XIII "Education Of The Senses And Illustrations Of The Didactic Material: General Sensibility: The Tactile, Thermic, Baric And Stereognostic Senses"
• "Education of the tactile, thermic and baric senses"
• Education of the stereognostic sense
• Education of the senses of taste and smell
• Education of the sense of vision
• Exercises with the three series of cards
• Education of the chromatic sense
• Exercise for the discrimination of sounds
• Musical education
• Tests for acuteness of hearing
• A lesson in silence
• C
• Originof aphabets in present use
• Chapter XVII Description Of The Method And Didactic Material Used
• Exercise tending to develop the muscular mechanism necessary in holding and using the instrument in writing
• Didactic material for writing
• "Exercise tending to establish the visual-muscular image of the alphabetical signs, and to establish the muscular memory of the movements necessary to writing"
• Exercises for the composition of words
• "Reading, the interpretation of an idea from written signs"
• Games for the reading of phrases
• "Point education has reached in the "Children's Houses"
• Chapter XVIII Language In Childhood
• Physiological importance of graphic language
• Two periods in the development of language
• Analysis of speech necessary
• Defects of language due to education
• Chapter XIX Teaching Of Numeration: Introduction To Arithmetic
• Numbers as represented by graphic signs
• Exercises for the memory of numbers
• Addition and subtraction from one to twenty: multiplication and division
• Lessons on decimals: arithmetical calculations beyond ten
• Chapter XX Sequence Of Exercises
• Sequence and grades in the presentation of material and in the exercises
• First grade
• Second grade
• Third grade
• Fourth grade
• Fifth grade
• Chapter XXI General Review Of Discipline
• Discipline better than in ordinary schools
• First dawning of discipline comes through work
• Orderly action is the true rest for muscles intended by nature for action
• "The exercise that develops life consists in the repetition, not in the mere grasp of the idea"
• "Aim of repetition that the child shall refine his senses through the exercise of attention, of comparison, of judgment"
• Obedience is naturally sacrifice
• Obedience develops will-power and the capacity to perform the act it becomes necessary to obey
• Chapter XXII Conclusions And Impressions
• "The Teacher has become the director of spontaneous work in the "Children's Houses"
• The problems of religious education should be solved by positive pedagogy
• "Spiritual influence of the "Children's Houses"

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Montessori first worked with children with intellectual disabilities, then classified as "untrainable," most of whom she succeeded in teaching to read and write. She established a number of Houses of Children in Italy devoted to providing new opportunities for underprivileged children. Recent U.S. efforts in this direction have led to a strong revival of interest in her work, and Montessori's methods also have been expanded to children beyond the preschool years.

(Bowker Author Biography)