AN INTRODUCTION TO MONTESSORI: FOR THE MONTESSORI CLASSROOM ASSISSTANT   (COK- Curriculum, 4 hours)

This workshop will focus on Montessori's philosophy, principles, the Method and materials. The purpose of this workshop is to prepare the classroom assistant to best meet the needs of children in the Montessori environment. Participants will learn the importance of observation, the purpose of key Montessori materials and equipment, and to communicate effectively with classroom partners, peers and administration.

MONTESSORI SERIES: UNDERSTANDING LEARNING DISABILITIES            (COK- Special Needs, 4 hours)

Dr. Maria Montessori began her career working with “special needs” children. Many materials and activities in the Montessori classroom can be used to enrich learning for children with various disabilities. This hands-on, highly interactive workshop will provide participants with the information and resources they need to accommodate, assist, and plan for children with various learning styles.

PROFESSIONAL ROUNDTABLE FOR MONTESSORI EDUCATORS                     (COK-Professionalism, 2.5 hours) 

This workshop provides Montessori educators the opportunity to share materials and information with colleagues, to discuss classroom strategies, and collaborate for the good of the whole Montessori community in a casual networking environment.

MONTESSORI VALIDATION WORKSHOP (COK- Professionalism, 2 hours)

Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has opted to approve “Validating Organizations” to be responsible for informing the State as to which programs meet the criteria to call themselves ‘Montessori schools’. Education Matters, LLC is a MSDE approved Montessori validating organization. In this workshop, participants will learn about MSDE's Montessori validation requirements, and be guided through the validation process for Education Matters, LLC.

AN INTRODUCTION TO MONTESSORI FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDERS(COK: Curriculum, 2hrs)

This workshop is the first of a series of Montessori workshops developed specifically for Family Child Care (FCC) providers. In this workshop we will examine the Montessori philosophy and its supporting principles. Because the philosophy and principles are the foundation and core of every successful Montessori program, a solid understanding of these is imperative.

Participants will be able to...

We will cover a lot of information. To maximize our time, we ask that participants complete an Initial Program Assessment (IPA) and bring it with them to the workshop.

DISCLAIMER

This workshop is not a Montessori certification course. It is designed to give a general overview of Montessori so that participants will have a strong foundation on which to build future knowledge. A Montessori certification involves a rigorous training and an internship of at least one year (or more depending on the training program).

There are numerous Montessori training and accrediting programs, each with their own interpretation of Maria Montessori’s philosophy and principles. The common thread between them all is the “purposefulness” of Montessori. Everything we do in Montessori, from something as obvious as pouring water to something as abstract as solving a multiplication problem, we do with purpose.

Too often Montessori is misinterpreted, misrepresented and misused because individuals have not made the personal investment to learn the science and purpose behind The Method. The Montessori Method is supported by principles and theories that must be understood and applied before Montessori’s method and materials are practiced.