Maria Montessori believed that Mathematics should be considered as a special kind of language. It is very clear and concise that way of communicating with others in a particular area.
Dr. Montessori stated that man is born with a “Mathematical Mind.” She took the term from Pascal, the French philosopher and mathematician, who said that “man’s mind through certain tendencies and sensitive periods as well as through the fact that the young child needs to understand his/her environment in a logical manner. In order for humankind to develop and progress he/she must acquire the ability to discriminate in all areas.
Maria Montessori approached the introduction of mathematics in the same way as the other materials which she introduced to the children. She selected an abstraction i.e., number and turned it into something concrete, a “material abstraction “e.g., the Number Rods which the child worked with until he/she had grasped the concept and was able to use it.
