Blog related to working with children
“I give very few lessons on how to give lessons…” Maria Montessori, as quoted in Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work, by E.M. Standing © 1957 (pg. 307) Did you know that the 3-Period lesson, a hallmark of Montessori methodology, was not “invented” by Montessori at all? That credit goes to the 19th century psychiatrist, …
The 3-Period Lesson: Does It Exist in Elementary? Read More »
In the northern hemisphere, it’s nearly summertime. The “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” feel like sweet respite after this year of coming back to “life” after the long winter of changing school schedules, sudden closures, social distancing, and the challenges of learning to get along with each other after a year of keeping to …
“ ‘Courage, my dear, courage! … Go on triumphantly. I am here to help you.’ This kind of encouragement is instinctive in those who love children. ” Maria Montessori, The 1946 London Lectures, p. 131 A lot of Dr. Montessori’s writings, in fact most of them, focus on the potential of the child…a potential that …
“It is therefore necessary that the environment should contain the means of auto-education” Dr. Maria Montessori, The Advanced Montessori Method – I (1918/1991) p. 57 It invariably comes up in workshops with non-Montessorians or parents: “Don’t they have to be able to take tests for when they go to middle and high school? Will so …
“…when the cycle is completed…refreshed and satisfied, he experiences the higher social impulses…” -Dr. Maria Montessori, The Advanced Montessori Method – I (1918/1991) pg. 76 Is the 3-hour work cycle challenging you or your students? From time management to task management, sorting out how to effectively get through the 3-hour work cycle can be a …
“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.” Dr. Maria Montessori | Education and Peace Maria Montessori didn’t leave secondary guides a lot to …
Montessori Secondary: The Bridge to Triumphant (Young) Adults Read More »
In Montessori we talk a lot about becoming like a scientist as we strive for personal transformation. We know that this involves observing, analyzing, hypothesizing, testing, recording, observing again…often over and over before we make assessments or plan a response. If we are able to live and model that in our practice, I also found …
“To stimulate life, leaving it free, however, to unfold itself, that is the first duty of the educator.” Maria Montessori Source: The Discovery of the Child (1948), Ch. 8 : The Exercises, p. 141 I read a social media post about a 4-year-old who was not choosing challenging work…according to the adult who wrote it. …
How to Link “Appropriate Work Choices” to “Inspired Learning” Read More »
Student-Engagement: It’s one of the most common issues, worries, or frustrations (You can fill in the blank with whatever emotion fits for you!) posed by Montessori teachers, and which I have experienced myself, is lack of engagement. You know the ones I mean: the social butterflies who seem to flit from table to table getting …
Student-Engagement through Inspiration: How to Do It!, How to BE It! Read More »
All teachers want their students to be engaged in learning, inspired to go deep into a subject, and, when everything works well, filled with WONDER! Even for Montessori teachers, in today’s world of high-stakes testing, much of the focus is on drilling academic skills using beads and cards, leaving the wonder behind. Teaching to the test was …
