The Montessori School of Corpus Christi wholeheartedly subscribes to the Montessori method. The Montessori method is the name given to a very special philosophy for the education of children formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952), the famous Italian physician and educator. Dr. Montessori observed that small children possess a tremendous capacity for learning from the world around them. To capitalize on this inborn enthusiasm for discovery found in young children, Dr. Montessori began developing a special learning environment more than 70 years ago. The method she established has been further developed by professional Montessorians throughout the world, and the success of the approach has been noted for more than half a century.
In a Montessori environment, children learn by exploring and manipulating specially designed materials. Each material teaches one concept or skill at a time, and lays a foundation from which students can comprehend increasingly abstract ideas. Children work with materials at their own pace, repeating an exercise until it is mastered. The teacher may gently guide the process, but her goal is to inspire rather than instruct.