Dr. Maria Montessori believed that the child, not the teacher, was the creator of learning. As she wrote in The Discovery of the Child, "it is he, the child, who is the active being, not the teacher" (page 182). Nevertheless, as Montessori writes, the teacher plays several vital roles. She or he must first explain the uses of the materials and connect the child to the materials that he or she is going to use to learn. The teacher therefore clarifies and creates the connection between the child and the materials that are going to lead to the long process of learning. 

The teacher must also, in Montessori's words, have a "moral alertness." Not through words but through observation and a humble attitude, she or he must watch the child and at times remove herself (or himself) from the child to facilitate his or her learning. Montessori compares the teacher to a gym teacher who shows his or her students how to use the parallel bars and swing but who allows the children to use this equipment on their own to develop flexibility, ability, and strength. Therefore, the teacher in her model is a guide rather than a direct instructor.