The Formation of Man

This book gives you the big picture of Dr. Montessori's view of human development. What is the psychology of the child during the first four years of life? How does the child's intelligence grow and the personality form? What are the scientific principles (laws) that drive this development? In these pages, Dr. Montessori looks deeply at the human personality itself, not simply at a method of education.

Instead of filling an empty vessel with knowledge, Dr. Montessori discusses education as, "Help given in order that the human personality may achieve its independence."

Her writings look at the influence of the environment on the formation of the child, the unconscious mechanism of acquiring culture and language, the building of the child's character, and the role of the adult in the past and future. Dr. Montessori also discusses world illiteracy in relation to the alphabet and her method of teaching reading and writing.

This book is required reading in Montessori teacher training courses.