L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 Maria Montessori's pioneering educational method that shaped successful American businesses Maria Montessori. Born in 1870 in the small town of Chiaravalle, in Marche region, she grew up in Rome and graduated in medicine from the local university – a noteworthy achievement for a woman at that time. Focusing on paediatrics and psychiatry, Montessori start- ed working with children with disabilities or learning difficul- ties, developed a structured edu- cational method, and opened her first school called "Children's House" in 1907. Her scientific approach was based on observa- tion and experimentation with traditional teaching practices, and aimed at creating a quality learning environment and mate- rials that stimulated the chil- dren's natural desire and ability to learn at their own pace. According to the Montessori model, the children's innate path of psychological development is triggered by spontaneous inter- action with an optimized envi- ronment, featuring mixed-age classrooms, long blocks of work- times, freedom to choose within a range of specialized activities and to move within the class- room, collaboration, creativity, questioning, and manipulation of materials to foster learning rather than direct instructions or testing. The final goal is to bring forth human potential, enabling the students to become life-long learners and to understand the world around them, considering different points of view and ana- lyzing the situations on the basis of their constantly increasing knowledge. As the popularity of Maria Montessori's school increased, both in Italy and internationally thanks to several publications, she began to travel worldwide to promote her innovative approach to education that can be applied with positive results from elementary to high school and at every economic level. In October 1911, the first North American Montessori school was opened in Tarrytown, New York, and the American Montessori Society was founded. Two years later, Maria Montessori visited the United States on a lecture tour, and then again in 1915 when she presented her work at the International Exposition in San Francisco, California. Despite Continued from page 1 National Italian American Heritage Month. In the United States, the month of October cele- brates the Italian and Italian American contribution to the Country's progress. And L'Italo- Americano, which has been giving voice to the Italian-American com- munity of the West Coast since 1908, can't but join the celebra- tions. When the paper was founded by Gabriello Spini, its main objec- tive was clear: "To inform, bring together, and support" the growing Italian community of Los Angeles. This mission has remained the same throughout the years, but it has been extended to other communities. Today the newspaper is distributed in four different States, with the aim of connecting all the Italian-American communities of the West Coast. Thanks to your support, the newspaper is developing and con- stantly improving the way it portrays the contemporary Italian- American spirit, without denying the ties that link us to our Country overseas. We hold on to the language, the memories, the dear ones, and all that makes us different among 316 millions of US citizens; but in everyday life we risk losing contact with contemporary Italy, which lives and undergoes changes in the Mediterranean. L'Italo-Americano is committed to maintaining that connection with Italy through the stories, profiles, news and memories that we offer you every week. Our contributors in Italy can provide us with a description of the Country as it is today, without any distortions or fabrications, as well as with quality articles in Italian. This makes our work both authentic and useful to those who wish to practice or learn the language. At the same time, the newspaper also focuses on the US, where we live as Italians and Italian-Americans, in order to show who we are and what we are capable of. Last week, the Italian Prime Minister reaffirmed the importance of the century-old relationship between Italy and the US on the occasion of his official visit. This started in San Francisco, California, where he met with young talents and entrepreneurs who represent the best expression of Italian innovation, technology, and research. We are the future that pushes forward in the Silicon Valley, start ups that create high tech products made in Italy and relocate in California, scientists who work at Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory, astronauts like Luca Parmitano who lives in Houston and was the first Italian to perform spacewalk. We are both the present and the future of the United States. And when we proudly celebrate Columbus Day, we must celebrate not only the discovery of America but also this Italian-American spirit that pushes forward here in the USA. Happy Heritage Month to you all! Today's Italy is the future that pushes forward in the USA inevitable critiques and contro- versies, mainly due to the strict control over teachers' training and preparation of materials, Maria Montessori's child-cen- tered method attracted many fol- lowers. Today there are over 22,000 schools in 110 countries, and approximately 5,000 in the United States. They have edu- cated and inspired successful alumni like entrepreneurs Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Stanford graduates whose ground-break- ing invention has radically influ- enced the Internet. The Google project, as well as Amazon's, developed through gradual dis- coveries, small bets, failures and wins that eventually brought about a revolutionary business model. Even Google's head- quarters in Mountain View, in the Silicon Valley, looks like a tribute to their Montessori back- ground: a modern kindergarten for adults, where the employees are encouraged to use their cre- ativity, to experiment and inter- act. A playful and stimulating environment, just like the Montessori schools of their childhoods. Dr. Maria Montessori and son Mario Montessori with the children From the director

• Cover