Unlocking Children's Potential: The Montessori Method

Who designed the preplanned materials and learning exercises for children?

1) Rousseau
2) Dewey
3) Spencer
4) Montessori

Final answer:

The materials and exercises designed to develop children's skills were designed by Maria Montessori. Her educational approach emphasizes independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural development, distinguishing her from other educators like Rousseau, Dewey, and Spencer.

Explanation:

The preplanned materials and learning exercises designed to develop the practical, sensory, and formal skills of children were designed by 4) Montessori. Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator best known for the philosophy of education that bears her name, and her writing on scientific pedagogy. Montessori's method is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.

As an education reformer, Montessori's approach aligns with the manifest functions of education, such as socialization, where schools serve as socialization agencies. Although other educators like Rousseau, Dewey, and Spencer made significant contributions in philosophy and education, it was Montessori who specifically designed the kind of materials and exercises in question to support children's development in a structured learning environment.