Maria Montessori developed an educational program during the first half of the 20th century. Nowadays, the Montessori method (MM) is considered one of the main alternatives to teacher‐paced conventional preschool education. This review aims to open a dialogue between the MM and current understanding of neurodevelopment. Four conceptual pillars of the MM—the sensitive periods, the education of the senses, the prepared environment, and spontaneous activities through repetition—are discussed. According to the MM, the teacher provides children with an environment that, leaning on maturational time windows, should promote sensory development through spontaneous repetition. We describe brain changes in 3‐ to 6‐year‐old children due to development and externally‐provided experience. Then, it is discussed whether these pillars are supported by neuroscience. Finally, the influences of Montessori are explained, and we suggest possible lines of research to underpin the neuroscientific grounds of the MM.

中文翻译：

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蒙特梭利方法的四大支柱及其当前神经科学的支持

玛丽亚·蒙特梭利（Maria Montessori）在20世纪上半叶制定了一项教育计划。如今，蒙台梭利方法（MM）被认为是教师进行常规学前教育的主要替代方法之一。这篇综述旨在开启MM与当前对神经发育的理解之间的对话。讨论了MM的四个概念支柱-敏感时期，感官教育，准备好的环境以及通过重复进行的自发活动。据MM说，老师为孩子们提供了一个环境，使他们依靠成熟的时间窗，应该通过自发的重复来促进感觉发展。。我们描述了由于发育和外部提供的经验，3至6岁儿童的大脑变化。然后，讨论了神经科学是否支持了这些支柱。最后，解释了蒙台梭利的影响，并建议了可能的研究方向，以支持MM的神经科学基础。