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
Whilst Montessori declares normalisation to be one of the key goals of her pedagogy, many of us either avoid the use of the term because of its negative connotations, or use it as a tool for covert behaviour and learning assessment of the child’s progress in our settings. Neither one of these approaches seems comfortable … Continue reading What Do We Understand by Normalisation?
The last three chapters we have chosen to share for our Book Club this month, highlight Montessori’s deep commitment to her vision of reform to education. She advocates for a reform which requires a fresh view at the uniqueness of each child and articulates pedagogy which supports the young child’s capacity to learn spontaneously from … Continue reading The 1913 Rome Lectures
We have been receiving a lot of requests for information about level 3 and 4 training to become an Early Years Educator in Montessori Pedagogy recently. We spoke to Michelle Wisbey who offers this training through her consultancy, Westwood Training and Consultancy. Montessori Musings (MM): Michelle, thank you for taking the time to talk to … Continue reading Montessori Teacher Training
By Barbara Isaacs I felt really excited when reading the chapter devoted to Attention (p: 183) in The 1913 Rome Lectures. Montessori offers us deep insights into the importance of preparing an environment which presents a child with age-appropriate activities which draw children’s attention, stimulate repetition and support their unfolding of deep concentration. She also … Continue reading Pearls of Wisdom
By Barbara Isaacs Montessori recognised very early on, that connecting with parents, and helping them understand what the Montessori environment offers their children, was an essential element of her approach. This is evident in the several short pieces she has written specifically for parents, all of which are tied together like a bunch of flowers … Continue reading Working with Parents
By Tammy Oesting, ClassrooMechanics, 25 February 2022 An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of humans, the enhancement of their value as individuals, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live. (Montessori, 1949/1992, p. 30) Just about every Montessori teacher I … Continue reading Evolution of a Montessori Guide
Time and time again, we return to the discussion of the prepared environment, the lynchpin of the Montessori approach, as we all take to heart Montessori’s quote (1936/1966:60): “Our educational system esteems a child’s environment so highly that it makes it the centre of instruction.” I have seen so many inspirational environments over the years; … Continue reading The Favourable Environment
Selecting the chapters to read from The 1913 Rome Lectures has been a fun task. In typical Montessori fashion, the chapters jump from topic to topic. The last book club session, before Christmas, facilitated a really meaningful discussion about the nature of freedom and what this freedom represents in context of giving lessons. At our … Continue reading Independence and Movement
By Barbara Isaacs, January 2021 What a lot of learning the early years workforce has done since the introduction of the first nursery voucher scheme 1995! It was designed to contribute to the cost of nursery education of 4-year-olds and later 3 and 2-year-olds. And was followed with a raft of regulation and guidance designed … Continue reading The Trials and Tribulations of the Early Years Foundation Stage
Montessori Musings 