… education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human   individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon   the environment. The task of the teacher becomes that of preparing a series   of motives of cultural activity, spread over a specially prepared   environment…

     - Maria Montessori

     Maria Montessori believed that children should be free to explore and learn on their own through   experience and observation, that is why the classroom is laid out so that students can reach the activities   themselves. A Montessori teacher’s role is not to force knowledge upon students, but rather to direct them   to learning opportunities encouraging natural learning, while providing student with the personal attention   that each individual requires.