Montessori classrooms commonly integrate their learning across the curriculum, and participate in service learning projects. Both of these practices are authentic experiences for children. This article outlines examples of technology being used to create authentic learning environments, tasks, audiences, sources, and assessments. Technology…

Article briefly discusses an analysis of students' academic and social scores in a Montessori school as compared with other elementary school education programs. Montessori education is characterized by multi-age classrooms, a special set of educational materials, student-chosen work in long time blocks, collaboration, the absence of grades and…

This article describes Bob Montgomery's Famous Kindergarten First Graders! project. The aim of the project is to assist his students in learning about each other, to introduce them to digital photography using iPhoto (they participate in a group lesson in editing as well), and to introduce them to moviemaking using iMovie software. The project…

Asserts that charter schools provide unique and rich opportunities for Montessori educators to influence public education. Notes obstacles to establishing Montessori charter schools related to loss of funding for the local school district, the difficulty of Montessori teachers obtaining state certification, testing requirements to show student…

Examines eschatology as the heart of Christian faith, suggesting that an appreciation of an eschatological interpretation of the cosmos enables acceptance of nature's transience and a grounding for an ecological ethic. Maintains that recent scientific developments present a promising, rather than pessimistic, picture of the universe. Holds that…

This article is an excerpt from a keynote speech delivered by Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut at the 2007 Annual Conference of the American Montessori Society held last March 3, 2007 in New York City. In his speech, Dodd talked about how Dr. Maria Montessori literally took the teacher's desk out of the classroom when she developed the…

Differentiates chronological time and the Greek concept of "Kairos" (a quality of time without measure) as they relate to Montessori philosophy. Argues that the child's need for "Kairos" time conflicts with the adult "Chronos" world of schedules, and that the Montessori classroom environment is successful due to its…

Describes the three-phase process of developing a new school facility for the Wilmington Montessori School in Delaware. Focuses on the unique school design requirements of Montessori schools and the collaboration between the architect, the school board, and the administration. Offers suggestions for selecting an architect, hiring a construction…

Presents fundamentals of systems thinking and sustainability within an ecological theory to shape education to the needs of human development in relation to the environment. Emphasizes that effective learning is a system embedded in the web of life, giving humans the ability to see the interconnectedness of the environment, community, and the…

This article discusses how parents nurture their children's interest and passion for the arts, and describes the art education model in place at one Montessori school, involving integration with cultural studies and music as part of the daily learning experience. Suggestions for family art activities include creating family art projects, playing a…

Presents a plan for developing an effective Montessori primary class for young children. Considers the appropriate number of children, children's ages, class entry, class duration, teaching staff, classroom and school design, transition to the lower elementary class, interaction between students of different ages, lunch service, and recess. (KB)

As leader of a People-to-People tour to Russia, and one whose family history is linked to the cataclysmic history of 20th-century Russia, Ruth Corey, felt a special responsibility to introduce her traveling companions to Russia, and Russian Montessorians to her cohorts. Her traveling companions were a group of 15 Montessori teachers, committed to…

Montessori middle schools can be immensely successful and highly beneficial to students. Traditional schools notice differences in students who come from Montessori backgrounds; they find them to be adaptable self-starters who often take on leadership roles. Prestigious high schools seek to recruit Montessori middle school graduates. As more…

This author observed that many Montessori schools have made efforts to include diversity in their programs. She toured schools in Chicago and found them oozing with multicultural awareness--from the library books on the shelves to the marketing materials they provided to the classroom celebrations of a variety of holidays. However, she observed…

Papers from a seminar of the American Montessori Society are presented on various kinds of environments for learning. The first addresses itself to the ideas of Montessori herself, focusing on the interaction of the child at the place which he found himself as an alternative to interaction with an instructing and supporting adult. The power of…