Claim OwnershipVoices in Montessori Podcast
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Voices in Montessori podcast shares interviews with seasoned Montessori educators and leaders, as well as learning specialists, and other experts to inspire and support you. Our podcast is a resource for Montessori educators and leaders packed with actionable ideas to elevate and support your practice. Hear from Montessori elders about real-world classroom tools and school management strategies.
How do I offer positive discipline in my Montessori classroom? How do I get the support that I need as a first year Montessori teacher? How do I change the culture of my Montessori school community? We will explore these questions and more on the Voices in Montessori podcast. Topics include supporting learning differences in the Montessori classroom, positive discipline strategies, the neuroscience of learning, creating school cultures of belonging, and Montessori for elders and dementia.
Tune in and subscribe to deepen your Montessori practice and join a revolutionary community of Montessori educators and leaders who are shaping the future of education.
View the show notes at https://greenspringcenter.org/podcast/
Join the conversation on our Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/greenspringcenter
Learn more when you follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/greenspringcenter/
How do I offer positive discipline in my Montessori classroom? How do I get the support that I need as a first year Montessori teacher? How do I change the culture of my Montessori school community? We will explore these questions and more on the Voices in Montessori podcast. Topics include supporting learning differences in the Montessori classroom, positive discipline strategies, the neuroscience of learning, creating school cultures of belonging, and Montessori for elders and dementia.
Tune in and subscribe to deepen your Montessori practice and join a revolutionary community of Montessori educators and leaders who are shaping the future of education.
View the show notes at https://greenspringcenter.org/podcast/
Join the conversation on our Facebook community at https://www.facebook.com/greenspringcenter
Learn more when you follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/greenspringcenter/
56 Episodes
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Heather Barger joins the podcast to talk about bringing Montessori outside. She shares Dr. Montessori's vision for outdoor learning, which was for children to learn primarily through first-hand experiences in the natural world.
Heather is the founder of The Montessori Field School in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. She describes how its nature and Montessori-based curriculum supports a hands-on, experiential approach that nurtures the development of the whole child.
Heather shares what a typical day looks like at The Montessori Field School, including the practical logistics. She also shares her discoveries about how learning outside impacts children's academic development, as well as their social/emotional growth.
Tammy Oesting joins the podcast to talk about raising ecological awareness in young children, which includes cultivating awe in Montessori classrooms, integrating nature seamlessly, and empowering educators to nurture eco-consciousness. Tammy discusses why is it important to support children with ecological consciousness, and which specific Montessori principles and practices align with nature education. Tammy talks about how Montessori guides can nurture their own sense of ecological wisdom, and then offers some practical strategies for integrating nature education across the planes of development. Finally, Tammy talks about how Montessori communities can collaborate with environmental education initiatives. She also shares some resources that educators can use to learn more about how to bring ecological consciousness into their classrooms.
Seth Webb joins the podcast to discuss tools that can be used to support Montessori practice, while keeping human development as the focus. Seth starts by highlighting current research about developmental objectives and "dimensions of wellness." He advocates that we redifine educational outcomes to what matters most: executive functions, social fluency and emotional flexibility, linguistic and cultural fluency.
Seth then shares how the Montessori philosophy has human development at its core by focusing on planes of development, human tendencies, spontaneous activity, and a prepared environment. He then shares how we can extend this framework to the school community as a whole.
Seth describes the resources offered by the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS) that support both classroom and school-wide Montessori practices.
Mandy Cheskis and Margaret Jarrell join the podcast to discuss Montessori for Aging and Dementia and how this movement is changing care for elders. After painting a picture of the current state of longterm care, our guests then share some exciting research findings about the impact of the Montessori approach on older adults and people living with dementia. They discuss features of a prepared environment for adults that combine best practices for people living with dementia with the Montessori approach of meaningful engagement. Mandy and Margaret talk about the importance of deeply knowing the person and designing individualized activities and roles that invite elders to contribute to their care of self, care of others, and care of the community. They also share how specific Montessori materials can be used to help elders maintain skills. This approach often requires a longterm care community to undergo culture change, but the results speak for themselves. Listen in to learn more about this innovative approach to elder and dementia care!
Uniit Carruyo visits the podcast to discuss the additional responsibility that Infant & Toddler Guides have to serve as "tone setters" for new families. Many times, this is their child's first experience away from home. 0-3 Guides must shepherd the entire family through the transition to school, thus setting the tone for the way they view Montessori throughout their entire journey.
Tone setting starts with building the relationship with the family and truly getting to know their family culture. Uniit strongly advocates for doing home visits before the school year begins. Tone setting continues through the phase in process, and includes sharing Montessori philosophy, inviting parents to observe in the classroom, and offering multimodal communication. It requires staying non-judgemental, meeting families where they are, and inspiring them by showing them what is possible.
The community Infant/Toddler Guides help new families to build may last their entire lives!
As Montessorians we thoughtfully prepare our classroom spaces to support children's self-construction. Sarah Moudry, both a Montessorian and an interior designer, joins the podcast to share her knowledge of design research and best practices. She identifies five design elements essential to a well prepared environment that you may not have considered before!
The Invitation
Perspective
Purposeful
Enchantment
Surrender
Join us for this fascinating conversation. You may be inspired to look at your classroom with fresh eyes!
In this episode, we have a conversation with long-time Montessorian, Elizabeth Slade who talks about the importance of using Language of Reverence as a central part of the Montessori practice.
Language of Reverence explores the power of our words and their effects on human flourishing. By examining and changing our word choice to and about children, each other, and ourselves, we can change our sense of the school community and ultimately our impact on each other. The Language of Reverence model emphasizes creating a powerful, shared language that allows all members of the community—children, families, and school-based adults—to feel respected and valued.
Sylvia Glassco joins the podcast to share how the Adolescent Community prepares students for high school and beyond. As they straddle the line between childhood and adulthood, their time in the Adolescent Community is a time of skill building. Students need to be comfortable with drafting and revision as a writing process; entering into a math problem and searching for a way to represent it; and using evidence to support an argument. They must build executive functioning and self-regulation skills. They must discover what kind of learners they are and build the self-advocacy skills they need in the adult world. They must be empowered to make meaningful contributions.
Sylvia discusses how all this skill building is interwoven through a rigorous academic curriculum, how students engage in formative and summative assessment (without traditional letter grades), and how Microeconomy work provides Adolescents the opportunities to build many of these skills while working as a team, experiencing failure, and overcoming challenges.
Marcia Perez joins the podcast to share her expertise with Montessori music curriculum and materials. Long before the technology existed to prove it, Montessori realized that music was key to children's neurological development, and language development in particular. The Bells, therefore, can not be thought of as an "extra." Instead, they are an essential part of the Sensorial curriculum in the Primary classroom.
Marcia briefly shares the history of the development of the Bells and Tone Bars. She then encourages Guides who are intimidated by the music work to think of it simply as pitch and rhythm. They can be studied individually, or together in the form of song. Marcia dives into how to incorporate rhythm, pitch, singing, movement, and music appreciation into a rich experience woven throughout the curriculum.
Marcia does a deep dive into how the Bells should be set up, introduced to the children, and used by the Guide when singing. She talks about how to use the White Boards (the singing charts), which introduce pitch and pattern, and the Rhythm Patterns (clapping charts), which work on rhythm. These materials become centerpieces for the child training their ear in music, which in turn, improves the child's ear for the development of language. Marcia says, "Music IS language!"
Sue Saad joins the podcast to talk about providing early art experiences for toddlers. Sue describes how to lay the groundwork for toddlers to use art experiences in their self-construction. Sue explains that toddlers are in the process of gaining the true creative spirit required for producing innovative art, confident independent thinking, and problem-solving. They are truly absorbed in the process, not the product. Sue shares the art materials and experiences that are appropriate for toddlers and how to refrain from stifling their creativity and learning.
Junnifa Uzodike and Simone Davies join the podcast to talk about how we can educate families about the Planes of Development to facilitate closer partnership. As Montessorians, we know how vital our understanding of the Planes of Development is in shaping how we approach and respond to children, yet families don't often have this same understanding. The Planes of Development can serve as a "guidebook" for families, helping them to understand the characteristics and needs of their children, manage their expectations, and how better to respond to their children. Junnifa explains that when we give our families the gift of this knowledge, we empower them to be partners and collaborators in supporting children to their full potential.
Junnifa and Simone share the most important characteristics, tips, and tools they share with families about children in each Plane of Development.
Jen Cort joins the podcast to discuss how to approach diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations with our students. Jen begins by helping to reframe (and detoxify) the terms bias and privilege. She also offers strategies specific for having conversations with children at different ages and how these can be woven into the fabric of our classrooms (rather than designating certain blocks of time to discuss DEI). She also offers some themes we can introduce to our students (i.e., same and different, equity detectives, etc.) and suggests scripts for how to respond to certain questions that may make us feel uncomfortable. Jen's book, Help Us Begin: Strategies and mindsets for meaningful conversations with kids, especially when you are challenged by the topic, is an excellent resource for more tips.
Andrew Faulstich joins the Voices in Montessori podcast to discuss resisting the push toward standardization in our current educational system. Andrew discusses how this trend emerged in the 1980’s and continues today. He contends that the question, “What works?” is not the right question to be asking. Andrew argues that standardized education is aimed at an imaginary child “in the middle,” which means it isn’t actually meeting the needs of anyone. And instead of asking, “Are students proficient at x, y, and z skills?”, he wonders why we aren’t instead asking, “What do we want for our students? What kind of society are we creating?”
So what is the alternative? Andrew makes a case for an alternative model (such as Montessori) that honors what students can do with real-world work. Andrew describes humanistic methods of assessment, such as student self-assessments and goal setting, student-led conferences, and portfolio-based evaluations. The focus of these methods, rather than a numeric score, is actually preparing students for life. In light of the current trends of anxiety and depression in teens, is it not our moral responsibility to better serve the needs of our students? Join us for this fascinating discussion!
Shelley Cruse joins the Voices in Montessori podcast to discuss supporting emergent readers in the Lower Elementary classroom. Rarely does every child entering Lower Elementary come in as a fluent reader. Shelley discusses normalizing that fact that learning to read begins in the toddler and children's house classrooms and it continues in Lower El.
How do you know which students need additional support? Which Montessori materials are appropriate for the Elementary child (and which aren't)? What other activities can you create for emergent readers in the second plane of development? How do you monitor their progress? How do you discuss their progress with parents and guide parents how to help (or not) at home? Shelley shares her expertise as Montessori Guide and reading specialist.
Dr. Nicole Evans and Carly Riley join the podcast to share five goals that can support you in developing the stamina and skills for effective anti-racist learning, awareness, and action in your teaching practice and beyond!
Nicole and Carly see anti-racist education as the lever for social transformation. Through their organization, Embracing Equity, they work alongside educators and leaders to co-create authentically equitable organizations through:
Individual learning so people themselves raise their knowledge, awareness, and action when it comes to identifying, analyzing and knowing what to do in the face of oppression.
Interpersonal action because anti-racism work is community-building work, and we have to do it together.
Institutional transformation in order to create new systems and structures that center equity.
In this episode, Nicole and Carly focus on individual learning - specifically, five anti-racist learning goals you can do RIGHT NOW to build a sustained anti-racism practice in your classroom.
Jennifer Shields joins us to talk about creating a culture of writing in the Primary classroom.
Jennifer explains how Montessori Guides first build up children's ability to express themselves orally by talking to them, singing, reciting poetry, and maybe most importantly, by listening to them. In a Montessori setting, children can explode into writing when their hands and minds are indirectly and directly prepared through practical life, sensorial, and through spoken language. The key lessons in sound games, sandpaper letters, and movable alphabet get a child on the road to writing.
Jennifer then details all the ways Guides can encourage writing through a variety of modes from modelling, creating important opportunities to write (e.g. thank you notes, invitations), using a class journal, and more. She encourages us to use our intimate knowledge of each child to create experiences of writing that are personalized and joyful!
Linda Englehart joins the podcast to talk about supporting children's connection to nature. She talks about how the child's experience of nature has changed over time. Today’s children are “containerized” (examples: playpens, bouncy seats, car seats, strollers, spending more time indoors in general) and cut off from the natural contact that generations past had. Yet physicians, educators, psychologists, sociologists, and others have all discovered many benefits in nature immersion, as well as detriments to health and well-being from nature-deficit disorder.
Linda reminds us that humankind’s first prepared environment was the natural world. Montessori materials--in our second prepared environment, the classroom--were designed with the assumption that children had hands-on experiences in the first prepared environment. So what can educators do to help mitigate this deficit that many children are experiencing?
Linda gives practical suggestions for things to do in the classroom and ways to partner with parents to support children in developing biophilia, a love of nature. Our host, Tamara Sheesley Balis, also shares ways we can support our staff in developing their own connection to nature.
Tatenda Blessing Muchiriri joins the podcast to tell the story of how his non-profit organization, Rungano Montessori on Wheels was born. Tatenda's goal is to move education liberation forward by co-creating Montessori-based learning environments within Black and Brown communities, ensuring that children and families can learn, play, and dream together. Tatenda chose to put the classroom on a bus, because as he explains it, "Equity is bringing a service to the families, who otherwise would not have access."
MoW offers parent-partnership programs, small group Montessori experiences, and small group tutoring with trained Montessori guides. Tatenda describes how important it is to demystify the term "Montessori," instead emphasizing the aspects of hands-on materials, individualized learning, and storytelling. Tatenda explains that by exposing families to Montessori, even in small doses, parents are able to see their children as learners, see themselves as educators, and become empowered to advocate for their children's education.
Chip DeLorenzo joins the podcast to discuss setting and maintaining limits in the Montessori classroom. First Chip distinguishes between setting and maintaining limits, and then share guiding principles for these practices. Chip also describes some roadblocks that teachers encounter when attempting to maintain limits with children, and most importantly, a few effective and respectful tools that help encourage and develop cooperation and follow-through.
One tool that Chip discusses in depth is "the power of silence." So many times, teachers overexplain when maintaining limits. Instead, Chip recommends giving nonverbal prompts (or at least limiting our words) and then stepping back, remaining present, warm, and silent. Chip delves into how and why this technique works so well, and what to do when it doesn't.
Gabrielle Kotkov joins the podcast to discuss starting a dual language Montessori program. She explains the different models of bilingual education and why the enrichment model is her recommended program structure. Gabrielle describes things to consider when starting a dual language Montessori program, and how to transition an existing monolingual Montessori environment into a dual language environment. Tamara describes Greenspring's journey in creating its own dual language program.
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