montessori(n = noun.person) maria montesorri - Italian educator who developed a method of teaching mentally handicapped children and advocated a child-centered approach (1870-1952);
montessori, n. (usu. attrib.) a system of education (esp. of young children) that seeks to develop natural interests and activities rather than use formal teaching methods.
Etymology
Maria Montessori, It. educationist d. 1952, who initiated it