Nearly 60 years after her death, the revolutionary teaching philosophy of Maria Montessori is alive and well, particularly in Beijing where schools like Etonkids, The International Montessori School of Beijing (MSB) and the Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB) are devoted to her educational approach. But while Montessori education may be well known, it is often less understood.

“People sometimes get the wrong idea about it. They think that Montessori education is very strict, but it’s quite the opposite,” explains Sun Li, a teacher at CISB.

The Montessori curriculum was developed by Maria Montessori in 1906. A doctor by profession, she believed that children had an innate path of psychological development and a natural “human tendency” toward exploration, investigation, abstraction, work, orientation, order, repetition and mathematics. As a result, she developed a new educational approach that eschewed conventional teaching methods and encouraged children to become active—rather than passive—learners.

In a Montessori classroom, students are not taught as a group but individually, with teachers suggesting activities that they feel best suits each student’s interests. “The most important thing that a Montessori teacher learns is how to observe,” says Sun. “Part of our job as teachers is to carefully watch each of our students and determine where their interests lie. This better enables us to introduce them to work that we believe will have the most appeal.” Afterwards, students are free to engage in the suggested activity, or repeat a previously learned activity for as often and as long as they wish. This type of hands-off approach helps mold kids into independent and self-disciplined learners.

The Montessori classroom is equally unique. Mixed-aged classes mean that older and younger students are constantly interacting with one another, with older students taking on leadership responsibilities and younger students learning from their role models. Meanwhile, spacious rooms with lightweight, child-sized furniture allow children to move freely and transform their environment into a space that suits them. Finally, toys and items in natural materials (i.e., wood, stone and rubber) encourage sensory learning and help keep children in touch with nature.

Montessori was not able to develop an educational program for students aged 12 through 18, but many schools around the world have extended the approach to the middle and high school levels. Here in Beijing, however, Montessori education is still limited to pre-school and elementary-aged students. Luckily, the independence and leadership skills gained through the Montessori curriculum make it easier for Beijing's expat students to make the transition to a larger international school.