In the early years we have grappled with challenging stereotypes for as long as I have been a Montessori Teacher. We have encountered it in Montessori’s own writing, which is very much the product of her day. We have prepared policies and developed procedures to tackle prejudice and challenge our own biases – but I … Continue reading Challenging stereotypes – so many questions!
Freud, Erikson and Jung By Barbara Isaacs At the start of 2023, I have reflected again on theories of child development, and how they have influenced our understanding of children through the 20th Century. Now almost quarter of a century in into the new millennium, Montessori Musings offers our community a glimpse at these key … Continue reading Child Development Meets Montessori
By Diana Bradley, Executive Director for the Montessori Society AMI (UK) Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. Maya Angelou Every adult in a Montessori environment has the role of teacher put on them - they are required to know how to support children to follow … Continue reading Empowering Your Team To Grow
By Joanna ‘All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it’ (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1948) The environment. The deeply supportive, nurturing prepared environment of the Montessori classroom where human and more-than-human hierarchies are flattened, where matter most definitely matters and where a culture of freedoms and respect affords all children the time-space … Continue reading Piaget and Vygotsky
If we wish to bring to the children knowledge of the real and material world, nothing can be more significant and accurate than the image of the tree that is human solidarity, rooted in a distant past and extending its branches towards eternity, while we live the infinitesimal second allotted to human life. Maria Montessori, … Continue reading “Our House is on Fire”*
Urie Bronfenbrenner and Abraham Maslow By Joanna Ainsworth Ecological Systems Theory, Bioecological Systems Theory and the Hierarchy of Needs I struggled for some time with this topic before starting to write, digging fretfully around the edges. I had hoped to unpack, unpick, and unravel, but, instead, I was met with an impenetrable wall. We know … Continue reading Child Development Meets Montessori
Barbara Isaacs, September 2022 In a recent conversation, Wendelien and I were pondering the benefits Montessori Musings contributes to the Montessori community. We are both committed to our aim of engaging in conversations and questioning our practice; at the same time we are very aware that challenging established practice can be very daunting. However, if … Continue reading Reflecting on the Spiritual Preparation of the Teacher
In our last webinar of this academic year, we will consider Marlene Barron’s article, ‘Maria Montessori and the Postmodern World’, from the Summer 2002 Summer issue of Montessori Life, in which she reflected on Montessori education for a post-modern world. At the time of its publication, I was so excited by its content and was … Continue reading Preparing the children of today…
By Annamaria Guild, Owner and Founder, The Under Threes For Montessorians, the word ‘real’ should not be a new aspect of our teaching as using ‘real’ experiences and ‘real’ objects to aid children’s learning is one of the main principles of the authentic Montessori pedagogy. However, during my travels and visits to early years settings, … Continue reading The ‘real’ needs of the Under Threes
In recent years we have witnessed a significant interest in Montessori education and the expansion of the Montessori provision both by individuals aspiring to set up their own nurseries, and also from nursery chains wishing to extend their portfolios of provision. At the same time, it has been increasingly difficult to find experienced and/or newly … Continue reading Reflections on the Challenges of Managing Settings Today
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