The years between three and six are the years that a child most easily learns the ground rules of human behavior. These years can be constructively devoted to freeing the child, through the acquisition of good manners and habits, to take his place in his culture. The structure of Montessori learning involves the use of many materials with which the child may work individually. At every step of the child's learning, the teaching material is designed to test understanding and to correct errors. Dr. Montessori has recognized that the only valid impulse to learning is the self-motivation of the child.
Children move themselves toward learning.
This is the core of Dr. Montessori's educational philosophy. Social adjustment, though it be a necessary condition for learning in a school room, is not the purpose of education. Schools have existed historically to teach children to observe, to think, to judge.