Maria Montessori was born in Italy on August 31, 1870. She was a physician and educator. Her educational method, which is still in use today in many public and private schools throughout the world, is a method of education based on hands-on learning, self-directed activity, and play in a collaborative environment. In a Montessori classroom, children engage and facilitate their learning with creative choices. The classroom culture and highly trained teacher(s) offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process.