When Tammy Oesting of ClassrooMechanics introduced the term “Mirrors and Windows and Sliding Doors” in the webinar which she led for Montessori Musings in the Autumn of 2020, I was very inspired by this analogy and felt it fitted so comfortably within my understanding of Montessori principles.  So with Wendelien’s help by finding further references … Continue reading Mirrors and Windows

Chapters 4, 7 and 8 This is the clearest endorsement of play by Montessori I have come across recently and makes me wonder how we got to the more general attitude of negation of play in Montessori settings.  So it is useful to follow Montessori’s somewhat more accessible use of language when speaking to parents, … Continue reading Maria Montessori Speaks to Parents

By Helen Moylett, first written for Nursery World, Monday, 29 April, 2019 Reference to ‘cultural capital’ in the draft** Education Inspection Framework has sparked a number of concerns in the early years sector, finds consultant and author Helen Moylett A new phrase has entered the early years lexicon: cultural capital. Associated with the work of … Continue reading Ofsted: Cultural Capital – a Capital Idea?

Practical life activities are often seen as the starting point of Montessori education because they enable children to focus their attention on a use of objects and, through repetition, perfect the skills of using them. The activities usually relate to objects used in daily life and reflect the culture of the child.  From a very … Continue reading Practical life – starting point of the Montessori classroom?

We selected Maria Montessori Speaks to Parents for our book club having been introduced to its Chapter 4 and 5 in our Autumn book club. Our first book club of the year will take place this Tuesday, 26 January, at 7 pm (UTC). Register here. I reflect on the current global situation which has highlighted … Continue reading Respecting the Child

Over one hundred years ago, the young child’s emerging self-discipline was seen by Montessori as one of the positive outcomes of her pedagogy, which advocates respect for the child, freedom with responsibility in an environment prepared to meet the child’s needs, as well as support from a trusting and sensitive adult who cherishes the child’s … Continue reading Self-regulation is the Greatest Gift We Can Give to Children

“It is our duty, as parents and as teachers, to give all children the space to build their emotional strength and provide a strong foundation for their future”The Duchess of Cambridge in the keynote speech launching the publication of her 5 question survey on 27 November 2020. When the Duchess of Cambridge convened the steering … Continue reading Teaching is about learning and learning is about teaching

By Andy Lulka, December 2020 My favourite aspect of education is the expansion of perspectives, and my favourite element of Montessori professional development is supporting adults in shifting paradigms around education and childhood. Curating the Montessori Everywhere Challenge Pavilion with Barbara Isaacs, whose work in this area I have long admired, was a dream come … Continue reading Community

By Annamaria Guild & Antonella Cirillo "Stories are not to be treated lightly as they both carry and inspire significant obligations and responsibilities: stories must be cared for as they are at the heart of how we make meaning of our experience of the world."Huber et al. 2016: 214, in Carr and Lee, 2019:1 Stories … Continue reading Learning Stories

Re-watching the panel discussion focusing on ‘The Child’ from the Montessori Everywhere day of celebrations,  I was  inspired by the global perspectives and the challenging questions posed by KimAnh Nguyen Anderson to the panellists:  Trisha Moquino (New Mexico),  Dr Laura Flores Shaw (USA) and Gabriel Salomao (Brazil). The well informed, thoughtful and respectful responses provoked … Continue reading The Child