Maria Montessori’s Method as a Part of a Humanistic Orientation during the Transformation of the Russian Educational System

This paper is an attempt to explore how Maria Montessori’s pedagogy relates to the humanistic orientation of contemporary Russian education. The study is grounded in humanistic learning theory, the central tenets of Montessori pedagogy, and primary Russian policy documents, such as the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” and the Federal State Educational Standards (Standard). It first demonstrates that, in the post-Soviet period, humanism emerged as a key organising principle of Russian education policy. It then compares the main features of Montessori education—respect for the child, the prepared environment, learner autonomy, and the teacher as facilitator—with the aims and requirements set out in the Standards. The comparison reveals a high degree of convergence in official documents, but also noticeable discrepancies between formal aims and everyday school practice. Age-graded classes, a centralised curriculum, exam pressure, and the current approach to digitalisation restrict the possibilities for Montessori-inspired practice in regular preschool and primary classrooms. The paper argues that Russian reforms and Montessori education are often discussed separately, making it difficult to see how they might inform one another. It concludes by outlining the conditions under which Montessori’s humanistic ideas could be more widely adopted in Russian schools and by suggesting directions for further research on learner-centred reforms in Russian education.