英语名人堂：玛丽亚·蒙台梭利

玛丽亚·蒙台梭利（意大利语：Maria Montessori，1870年8月31日－1952年5月6日），意大利幼儿教育学家。

Maria Montessori lived between 1870 and 1952. She was an Italian educator who has left her mark on education today. Her Montessori method of education is widely used all round the world. Many educationalists say it is the best system for child education. Montessori was also a doctor, philosopher and philanthropist. She was nominated¹ for the Nobel Peace Prize three times for her work.

 

Montessori was the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome’s Medical School. She trained as a psychiatrist² and was interested in educating the "mentally retarded³" and others with learning difficulties. She had great success when her class of “problematic” 8-year-olds had above-average scores in state reading and writing tests. This was described as "the first Montessori miracle."

 

Hearing about Maria’s achievements, Rome’s government asked her to start her own children’s school. In 1907, the Casa del Bambini opened in a poor neighbourhood of Rome. Montessori experimented with a philosophy she called “spontaneous self-development”, which meant letting children develop and learn at their own pace. Her methods once again met with great success. More schools opened and she gained worldwide fame.

 

 

Montessori was exiled⁴ from Italy because she refused to allow her schools to turn children into soldiers. She lived in Spain until the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. In 1939 she moved to India and spent ten years working on training courses, which are still seen as innovative⁵ today. She traveled the world lecturing until her death in 1952.

1 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

2 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

3 retarded   

a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• The progression of the disease can be retarded by early surgery. 早期手术可以抑制病情的发展。
• He was so slow that many thought him mentally retarded. 他迟钝得很，许多人以为他智力低下。

4 exiled   

adj. 流亡的，放逐的 动词exile的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• diehard supporters of the exiled king 顽固支持流亡国王的人
• The king exiled one of his official for murder. 国王因他的一个大臣犯谋杀罪而将他放逐。

5 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。