The pedagogy of Montessori looks at brain development and allows for children to learn at the rate they are developmentally capable, doing things that interest them and in a way that fosters natural learning. The capabilities of young children are astounding if they are allowed to explore and make mistakes.
The environment is an important part of Montessori philosophy. It is a prepared space where children are encouraged to care for themselves and their surroundings. Multi-age classrooms give older children the opportunity to be leaders and foster caring natures.
There are many books written by Maria Montessori about the Montessori method. There are articles, TED talks, videos, and Podcasts. You can get lost in the abundance of research that has been done on the Montessori method and its advantages. You really only have to look at the list of successful people who attribute their creativity and work ethic to Montessori:
Julia Child- cookbook author and TV personality
Anne Frank- child writer
Taylor Swift- like you don’t know
Stephen Curry- NBA player
Larry Page and Sergei Brin- creators of Google
Will Write- Creator of The Sims
Jeff Bezos- creator of Amazon
Puff Daddy- singer and musician
Anthony Doerr- best-selling author
Beyonce Knowles- singer and performer
Joshua Bell- violinist
Helen Hunt- Emmy-winning actress
Gabriel García Marquez- Nobel Prize-winning author
Katharine Graham- Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Editor of The Washington Post
Jimmy Wales- co-founder of Wikipedia
David Blaine- Magician
Dakota Fanning- actress