Montessori International Issue 127 – JANUARY 2020
Sowing the seeds of renewal | Voice of the teacher in China | Reclaiming feminism Action research explained | Voice of the student in Brazil The Montessori call to UK government | Montessori entrepreneur showcase
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EDITORIAL BOARD’S LETTER
Our cosmic task
On the cover A preschool girl from
PHOTOGRAPH: ISTOCK
North East India
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As the newly-appointed editorial board of Montessori International, we have taken the opportunity over the last few months to review and refine the magazine. Amid the growing concerns of social and environmental collapse, induced by structural injustices and economic disparities, there is a pressing need for us to respond to this predicament with hope for more liveable worlds. It is our conviction that Maria Montessori’s approach to education has the potential to inspire new and generative ways of thinking and living. Through the experience of two devastating world wars and spearheading the fight against various social injustices, Montessori developed a cosmic vision that helps us see the interconnectedness of all things. In our present troubled times, it is imperative for us as an international community to revisit, reimagine, renew, re-engage and unite around Montessori’s restorative vision for the world. (Read our cover feature on renewal on page 6). Over the years, the Montessori community has become deeply fractured. Our differences from the past have kept us from being a cohesive voice in the present, and agents for change in the future. Last year, for the first time in history, Montessori Centre International
came together with other major Montessori training providers in the UK to organise The Montessori Conference 2019, a celebration of the 100-year milestone of Montessori training in the UK. With one, united voice, we wrote an open letter to Gavin Williamson, secretary of state for education, calling for changes to key policy areas where the Montessori approach could benefit children across the UK (see page 38). While this is a promising start, our greater work lies in creating a grassroots movement that amplifies diverse voices within our community, to take on our role as cosmic agents for positive change. As the editorial board, our vision is to capture the voices of children, practitioners, trainee teachers, parents, providers and researchers. We believe in taking the cosmic mandate seriously by accentuating the values of interdependence, responsibility, sustainability, social justice, respect, diversity, world citizenship and peace. Our interconnectedness with each other and the world calls for a collective, ethical and hopeful response.
The editorial board
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IN this ISSUE
Issue 127 – January 2020
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Montessori research Julie Compton introduces action research in the first of a two-part series
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Cov e r f e at u r e Catherine McTamaney explores the process of renewal
F e at u r e Helen Edwards examines the importance of self-reflection
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Voice of t h e STU D ENT Charlie Cavaliero’s life-changing trip to Brazil
Voice of the teacher Luca D’Andrea shares his new Montessori journey in China
Montessori insight Sid Mohandas on why Montessori classrooms need feminist perspectives
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IN this ISSUE
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F e at u r e Wendelien Bellinger compares three approaches to early years education
Montessori c o mm u n i t y Montessori Centre International news, Hannah Baynham’s conference digest, and Barbara Isaacs on the Montessori community’s call for change
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Voice of t h e pa r e n t Zainab Shamis-Saleem on introducing Montessori at home
Montessori Entrepreneur Emma Litvinova-Levermore on her Montessori materials business, Montessori Enterprises Januar y 20 20
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COVER FEATURE
Sowing the seeds for renewal As the season of renewal is upon us, it is time to create space for personal, spiritual and professional growth. Catherine McTamaney explores how It is cold where I am today. Not cold enough for hats or gloves or boots, but cold in that watery, silver way that you feel in the tips of your fingers and the space between your toes. It is almost winter here in North America and, looking out of the window beside my desk, my view is white with snow and grey with sleeping trees. A thick fog surrounds the house today, and I have to search to see the
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edge of the water, still steel against the muted shoreline. It is silent and heavy and dull in every direction. The stillness is an illusion, though, like the trick the fog is playing that hides my view of the lake. This place looks still. It is not still. It is kinetic with tiny movement, down under the crackling surface of the fallen leaves, inside the branches of the trees. Decay is rebirth. Spring will come.
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We have a responsibility to the children in our care to renew ourselves and grow
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COVER FEATURE
When we question our practice...we demonstrate that we value that practice enough to observe it [and] to allow ourselves to abandon what does not serve our teaching
The same is true for us as teachers. Which of us has not faced that gnawing cold of self-doubt, asking ourselves whether we are up to the challenges of this work? Or the more common stagnation of experience, when we know we have fallen into patterns of particular material sequences, switching out blue water for purple, rotating science activities by season or, worse, changing nothing at all? Silent, heavy and dull. We look still. We are not still. We are kinetic with tiny movement, down until the surface. Decay is rebirth. Spring will come. W e a r e o n ly h u m a n There are endless ways in which our culture tells us, as teachers, that we are meant to be unceasingly inspirational, that we are heroes for the work we do, that we are built of different, magical stuff. And sure, some of us are. But most of us are, most of time, complicated people capable of having a bad day, or a bad week, or a bad season. If we look only to the messages about teaching we read on social media, we will take the wrong message away. You are not meant to be superhuman, despite what your tote bag tells you. And sometimes it is going to be hard. Sometimes you will doubt whether the work is for you. Thank goodness. This work is too important to allow it to become mundane. Doubt yourself. Question whether you are up to the task. It is the only way you will know what lies between where you are now and the teacher you want to become. When we question our practice as teachers, we demonstrate that we value that practice enough to observe it, to lean in to the ways in which we can improve, to allow ourselves to abandon what does not serve our teaching and to lay the seeds for how we might grow. Decay is rebirth. Spring will come. S e as o n o f r e n e wa l This is a season of renewal, even in its seeming stillness. And as teachers, we can take a cue from the nature around
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us to understand what we need for our own renewal. In the day to day business of our classrooms, we might think that working on ourselves as teachers requires the same active movement. Pull back from the urge to look busy, though, and think of your practice in the same way that you would observe a child in the classroom. Ask yourself the same questions. For example, what do you believe about a child, and why do you believe it? When we observe children to know how to best serve them, we need to begin by unpacking the presumptions we make about who they are and how they experience the world. When we turn the lens on ourselves, we need to begin in the same way. Define what you think you understand about what motivates your work. Do you love teaching because you love the connections you are able to make with children? Do you love teaching because you love the moment when learners grasp new concepts for the first time and the light bulbs go off? Do you love teaching because you love the reliable salary? What brought you to teaching? What do you believe drives your work? What examples can you give of times when your joy in teaching reflected the phenomena you believe motivates it? O b j ec t i v e data After we have named our presumptions, we need to look for more objective data to suggest what we might do about it. With the learners in our classrooms, we know this means regular, repeated observations to help us identify patterns of thinking. Our teaching deserves the same assessment of practice. You can begin some of this yourself. Can you track how your disposition toward your practice changes over the course of the day? Can you observe patterns in the kinds of interactions that give you joy and the ones that seem to erode you? If you feel too close to the process yourself, can you find the courage to ask a colleague to observe you? The isolation of being one of a small number of adults Jan uar y 20 20
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COVER FEATURE
It takes courage and vulnerability to intentionally crack the veneer of our own expertise, but it is worth the loss for the green growth within
surrounded by children can make Montessori teaching a lonely practice. When we open ourselves to objective, evidence-based details about our practice, we can better identify where our energies are best focused. More importantly, we make the practice of teaching more humane when we welcome each other in (see page 36). It takes courage and vulnerability to intentionally crack the veneer of our own expertise, but it is worth the loss for the green growth within.
PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK
S t r at eg i s i n g Based on the patterns you have identified, can you name the specific ways in which you want renewal? Are there areas of the classroom you are avoiding because you are not sure about those materials? Are there relationships with other colleagues from which you have distanced yourself? Be specific. Do your observations suggest that you are struggling with an intellectual concept, with an emotional engagement, with a physical limit? Where are your resources? What can you do now to influence what happens next? When you have identified the patterns of your own practice that you want to re-engage, you are ready to identify what support you might need to engage them. Maybe it is more time, or professional development, or an opportunity to reconnect with other adults. Maybe it is space away from the classroom or support to observe your learners more frequently. What is available to you already, what is available to you with a little bit of a reach, and for what might you need to ask other people’s support to be able to grow? Just like when we observe the children, when we observe our own work, we need to propose some strategies that we think are likely to support us as we grow. Slow down When we feel out of sorts and we are seeking renewal, it is easy to start with the conclusions, to jump to the ‘what next?’ part of the process. You may believe that you need more support in material making, or perhaps someone 10 Ja n u a r y 2020
else to help prepare for conferences. As teachers, we are often fixers, and we want to jump to the solutions. We know, though, with the children that if we intervene before we have observed, our actions are more likely to reflect our own assumptions instead of what the children need. Slow down. Notice that the first few recommendations are ones that do not look particularly active. They are largely intellectual and reflective and, as such, difficult for someone watching us to realise what we are doing. And they are critical to our renewal. When we seek lasting renewal, we need to allow first for the decay. We need to be willing to break down our own tough outer barks, to sit in seeming stillness, to observe and to be observed. Just like when we design environments for the children’s best growth, we start first with unobtrusive observation, to name the specific phenomena that may be of most service. It remains cold where I am today and a thick fog continues to surround the house. I continue to search to see the edge of the water, still steel against the muted shoreline. This place looks still. It is not still. It’s kinetic with tiny movement, down under the crackling surface of the fallen leaves, inside the branches of the trees. The environment needs this time of stillness to rebuild what is within. And while it may not look busy, the muted, blue-grey view out my window hides the promise of new growth. I cannot speed that along, in either my horizon or my own teaching. But I can make space for it in the busyness of my day. I can talk about it aloud with the people I trust. In these woods, I can predict when winter will come. In my teaching, I am not so lucky. But I am made of this same stuff, and the cycles of growth and rebuilding exist in me, too. Decay is rebirth. Spring will come. Even in your grey days, you are part of the wonder.
Above cis repudae. Uptaturemqui omnias qui offictum desto etur? Quis nim fuga. Net qui qui unti bla nonectem comnihi llitiae
Catherine McTamaney is Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College
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FEATURE
Green shoots of growth depend on focused preparation
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The Montessori Framework on Tapestry! Tapestry already provides software to build a cherished journal of videos, photographs and memories for Early Years. Montessori settings can now use Tapestry with our Montessori Curriculum, in conjunction with other frameworks, to record the learning and development of children and to share and celebrate their progress with parents and other relatives across the world!
Montessori assessment screens
f s f:
foundation stage forum
Features include: • Detailed descriptors of Montessori activities across all areas of learning. • Explanations for staff and parents of the purpose of Montessori materials. • Simple and clear analysis screens showing the attainment and progress of individual children and groups of children. • Sharing observations securely with parents and relatives anywhere in the world! • Next steps suggestions to support planning for each individual child. • Reflections section to record and develop reflective practice. Visit www.tapestry.info/montessori.html
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Reflective practice Reflective practice is key to professional and personal development, explains Helen Edwards to build a journal of self-evaluations and actions, to which they can refer back, discuss further, and share with colleagues, tutors, advisors and inspectors, ultimately helping to improve outcomes for the children in their setting.
Self-reflection enables practitioners to raise the quality of their offering to children
Early childhood professionals, who engage effectively in reflective practice, are more able to actively explore and develop their professional skills. Reflective pratice involves staff coming together to discuss and evaluate the quality of their settings, which helps to boost staff wellbeing, as it provides an opportunity for individuals to contribute to the ethos of their setting. This process of enquiry is especially relevant with the new focus on intent, implementation and impact by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) in the UK.
PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK
New framework Ofsted’s inspection reports, since the new inspection framework was introduced in September 2019, have regularly included recommendations to review and evaluate provision. For example, practitioners must: n Make use of the self-evaluation process, to continually review practice and to devise an improvement plan, in order to raise the overall quality of the provision; n Extend reflective practice and professional development, to continuously maximise opportunities for children, to increase their creativity and critical thinking skills. Effective reflections The most effective reflections are the ones started by an individual and then shared with colleagues. Participation in debate and discussion about these reflections can also help practitioners to ensure that their practice is based on critical engagement with the underlying theoretical and philosophical principles of Montessori education. Furthermore, uploading these reflections to an online platform can help practitioners
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S ta rt i n g p o i n t Practitioners unfamiliar with documenting their reflections should start by reading their last Ofsted report and choosing one of the recommendations within it. Consider interesting recommendations that will help to engage your colleagues, as well as the children. Then, once you have identified an area to work on, take some time to think about what this looks like currently in your setting. What works well? Why does it work well? Where does it work well? Only then will you be in a position to explore the issue, consider improvements and document the process using observations, photos, videos and comments from your colleagues, onto your online journal. Reflective practice helps to support professional development by enabling staff to investigate, and learn from, an experience at a deeper level. It also enables connections to be made between theory and practice, as well as develop practitioners’ academic abilities. In fact, reflective practice is a component in almost every undergraduate early years course, so if you are thinking of studying at a higher level, this is great preparation. Mindset Reflective practice is a mindset, which can and should be role-modelled by managers in all early years settings. Leaders and managers need to be committed to staff members’ efforts by supporting them to develop their observation skills, encouraging them to build on successes and to think about appropriate improvements to their practice. This process requires mutual trust and respect; suggestions and feedback by both parties must be constructive. Reflecting on practice and provision has a direct impact on the Montessori community’s drive to consistently improve provision, and as a result, the learning experiences and outcomes for children. Why would teachers and practitioners therefore not want to get involved in developing their reflective practice skills? Dr Helen Edwards is a Director at Tapestry and The Foundation Stage Forum
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New beginnings Establishing a new class, in a new teaching post, and on a new continent,
When I announced to family and friends, roughly one year ago, that I was going to start a new chapter of my life as a Montessori teacher far away from my current abode in London, I received many different colourful reactions. However, the most common was, ‘Why China?’. My initial reasons for embarking on this new journey have not changed after having been in Shanghai, which is on China’s central coast, for more than four months. First and foremost, I love the Chinese people and their approach to life. Generally, in all the places I have explored in China, people are incredible friendly, open and attentive to international visitors to their country. They seem genuinely interested in learning about the experience of others, so that one feels considered, valued and accepted for one’s uniqueness as a human being, without any judgments or prejudices. Sadly, outside of China, I have found such genuine and sympathetic inclusivity rare, with anxiety and fear about new encounters and the future having become more common sentiments. Conversely, in China, people seem positive towards the future, which seems to enable them to focus fully on the present and live in the moment, which is a joy to experience in all aspects of life. 14 Ja n u a r y 2020
School environment This positivity is reflected in every aspect of the school environment in which I have started to be part of at the Montessori School of Shanghai (MSS) (2004). The school is a real community that is focused on fostering the child’s self-esteem and sense of love and security, with teachers who understand the importance of providing a stimulating environment that facilitates their ability to observe, plan and scaffold each child’s holistic development, as Maria Montessori intended. My new Montessori teaching post is at the Minghang Campus, one of four MSS schools, which has 246 children across 12 classes. I am responsible for the Gardenia class, a newly-established class with 17 children aged three to six years, whom I guide with the help of two wonderfully supportive Chinese teachers. Obviously, there were many challenges to starting in a new school and in a new continent with a different culture, so a positive mindset has been key. Situations can either be seen as difficulties or important opportunities to reflect on one’s own practice, which I value as a vital element for the progress of the Montessori educator’s learning journey.
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PHOTOGRAPHS: Montessori School of Shanghai
has enriched Luca D’Andrea’s Montessori journey. Here, he explains how
V oice o f t h e t eache r
For example, as Gardenia was a new class, the children were going through the delicate process of transition. I therefore had to remind myself to be patient, and to have faith that the children were going to reveal their true personalities to me, providing that I offered them a suitably prepared environment that fostered the concentration they required for their further learning.
Children busy in their work cycle in the Gardenia class
Reflection I have always had a strong curiosity about life, especially with regard to human behaviour, but on reflection I realise that it was the learning and understanding I experienced during my Montessori training that really inspired the Montessori journey upon which I find myself today. In particular, I value the opportunity that my Montessori Centre International training provided to deepen my interest and understanding of the huge potential for the early stages of human development. All of these experiences helped me to understand how fundamental it is to give the child appropriate consideration, respect, and trust. When placed in a favourable environment prepared by an adult, children can reveal their true nature as active agents, able to live in harmony with their environment. This process starts from birth and evolves through the practice of doing rather than being taught. My training has also given me the opportunity to
I believe it is crucial for all future teachers to examine carefully their own physical and emotional health, if they are going to be successful in helping young children to achieve good health and emotional wellbeing Mo ntes s or i I nte r n at i o n a l
reflect on the current state of society, and the drivers required for a better future and social progress. Consequently, I have started to value education through different eyes, with hope, realising that children are our future and should, therefore, have a central role in the world. But ultimately, what I have most valued on my Montessori journey is the spiritual preparation I have been forced to undertake. I believe it is crucial for all future teachers to examine carefully their own physical and emotional health, if they are going to be successful in helping young children to achieve good health and emotional wellbeing. Teachers must also be reflective about what means to work with children, and to understand fully the part that they can, and must, play in their development. Spiritual journey Teachers should embark on their spiritual preparation and journey of self-discovery with the awareness that they are not perfect, and can only provide a consistent educational approach to their guidance by working cooperatively with other guides and in partnership with parents. Only through collaboration can guides ever hope to support the child to explore their full potential. As Maria Montessori said: “We cannot teach children from three to six years of age. We can ... follow their development� (Montessori, 1998, p221). And it is through my observations of this development that I continue to learn and grow, as the children continue to inspire and teach me, and enrich my life daily.
References lM ontessori,
M. (1998) The Absorbent Mind Oxford:
Clio Press
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Montessori insight
Reclaiming feminism in the early years Sid Mohandas explores how early childhood education is riddled with inequalities, and proposes the need to reclaim feminism Throughout history, the lives of women and children have been intertwined both in their interdependence as well as in their marginalisation. In reality, children’s and women’s issues have quite often been dissociated in politics. Policies are framed in the light of protecting children’s rights, but used as a lever for the social and economic progress of a nation, whilst brushing aside matters relating to women’s right to better pay, status and working conditions. By exploring the history as well as current state of early years education in the UK, I make the case for the need to restore and reclaim feminism in early childhood education and care (ECEC). History The history of ECEC in the UK is riddled with gendered, classed and raced inequalities. The beginnings of ECEC can be traced back to the inception of the infant school movement in 1816 at New Lanark, in Lanarkshire in Scotland, by the Welsh 16 Ja n u a r y 2020
social reformer, Robert Owen. Like Maria Montessori, Owen believed that education and social justice were inextricably linked, and that in order to transform society we needed to start with its youngest members. For him, teachers needed to show unceasing kindness to all children, irrespective of their gender or class. Owen’s vision for social justice kindled the first organised movement for British women’s suffrage led by the Langham Place Circle, a group of women who campaigned for improved women’s rights in law, education and marriage. But these ideals for a new society swiftly changed when English educational pioneer, Samuel Wilderspin, was appointed as leader of Spitalfields Infant School in 1820. Wilderspin espoused traditional Victorian values, and believed that men were best suited to educate children, while women did not possess the physical prowess or intellectual abilities required to teach and discipline young children. His views on the role of men in his schools were shaped by “powerful patriarchal
Women student teachers training in a kindergarten class in 1898
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PHOTOGRAPH: Archives of Ontario
discourses…supported by religious beliefs” (Burn & Pratt-Adams, 2015, p20), as driven by an attempt to reproduce family structures in public domains (Clarke, 1985). Women’s role in the infant schools, therefore, occupied the traditional Christian status of ‘a helper’. This disparity was further evident in the average pay, where men were paid £70 per annum, compared with £35 per annum for women (Turner, 1970). Lost impetus Wilderspin’s movement, however, lost impetus in the 1840s, resulting in men being considered more as theoretical experts and physical work with children becoming the domain of women (Clarke, 1985). These roles within ECEC were further consolidated by the work of German pedagogue, Friedrich Froebel, who believed that women were best suited for this role ‘as they possessed an innate maternal tendency’ (Hilton & Hirsch, 2000, p12). Considering the social status of women during the time, where the very thought of
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[Robert] Owen believed that education and social justice were inextricably linked, and that in order to transform society we needed to start with its youngest members women needing an education was viewed with disdain, Froebel’s emphasis on ‘higher education for women for the purpose of teaching young children’ (Ailwood, 2008, p159) was indeed a step forward in raising the social status of women. E q ua l pay Later, Montessori as well as social reformer, Margaret McMillan, who were both actively involved in women’s suffrage during the first wave of feminism, saw women’s contribution to education as a platform for feminist activism. In 1919, a year after some women in the UK were granted the right to vote, McMillan set up a centre Januar y 20 20
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Elevating the status of women in early childhood education is needed, to prevent the reproduction of patriarchy
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to train young women to care for children from slum areas. Despite these efforts, there was an alarming increase of uncertified female infant teachers, resulting in women being used increasingly for cheap labour. In the same year, the National Federation of Women Teachers called for an ‘equal pay for men and women teachers’ of the same professional status, which was vehemently opposed by the National Association of Schoolmasters (NAS), a trade union of male teachers. In 1937, the NAS published a booklet making a case against the demand for equal pay for men and women teachers. In this booklet, the association argued in favour of unequal pay, painting women teachers as a threat to boys’ education and failing education altogether (Graves et al., 1937). “Such feminism claims that woman, given the opportunity, can do everything that man can do…If this is feminism, then we are anti-feminists” (Graves et al., 1937, p42). Regrettably, equal pay for male and female
teachers was only achieved much later, through the Equal Pay Act 1970. Even so, the early years workforce continues to be deprofessionalised, lacking voice and agency, but also subject to low pay and working conditions. A finding from The Early Years Workforce in England report, published by the Education Policy Institute and the Nuffield Foundation in January 2019, suggests that a large portion of staff are struggling financially, with over 44% claiming benefits (Bonetti, 2019). Despite the undeniable female presence, it is evident that the early years sector is built on distinctively patriarchal structures that devalue work traditionally associated with women. F e m i n i sat i o n For the past several decades, there has been an increased call to recruit more men into the early years sector. There is no doubt that normalising and de-stigmatising men’s involvement in ECEC has the potential to stop childcare being viewed as the sole
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Montessori insight
The low pay, status and working conditions in ECEC are unquestionably a product of depreciating the contributions of women and work traditionally associated with women
background. These mirror wider concerns of injustices, as highlighted in successive waves of feminism that underscore the importance of considering how the experiences of oppression and discrimination are inflected by the intersections of identity.
PHOTOGRAPH: ISTOCK
Reclaiming the f-word Against this backdrop, where a female-dominated sector has systematically and consistently been devalued, mistreated and scapegoated, the need for feminism and feminist perspectives has never been more critical. At the core, feminism has always sought to dismantle patriarchal ideology that justifies the dominance of men and masculinist perspectives in our societies. The low pay, status and working conditions in ECEC are unquestionably a product of depreciating the contributions of women and work traditionally associated with women. Dissociating feminism from ECEC will therefore only work to reinstate the social reproduction of patriarchy. Elevating the status of women is definitely a starting point, but the deeper work lies in reconfiguring how we think, live and do early years every day in the classroom.
responsibility of women. However, the discourses surrounding the recruitment of men, as revealed in popular media and government-led policies, frame children, particularly boys, in crisis as a result of the so-called ‘feminisation’ of education. The solution thus offered is to ‘re-masculinise’ education by recruiting more men into the sector. A large body of research rejects the correlation between ‘feminisation’ and ‘failing’ boys, but also repudiates claims that suggest men’s involvement in ECEC can resolve the underachievement of boys. For example, research data that compared male and female teachers’ impact on achievement from 413 classrooms with primary-aged children failed to reveal any conclusive evidence for a correlation (Carrington et al., 2005). More importantly, such claims portray women as having failed the system, whilst concealing the interlocking influence of other systemic inequalities on children’s achievement, particularly those based on class, race, sexual orientation, location as well as socioeconomic
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References lA ilwood, J.
(2008) Mothers, Teachers, Maternalism and Early Childhood Education
and Care: some historical connections, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 8(2), pp157-165, DOI: 10.2304/ciec.2007.8.2.157 lB onneti,
S. (2019) The Early Years Workforce in England London: Education Policy
Institute lB urn,
E. & Pratt-Adams, S. (2015) Men Teaching Children 3–11: Dismantling Gender
Barriers London: Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd lC arrington,
B., Tymms, P. & Merrell, C. (2005) Forget gender: whether a teacher
is male or female doesn’t matter, Teacher: Australian Council for Educational Research, December, 32–34 lC larke,
K. (1985) Public and private children: infant education in the 1820s and
1830s, in Steedman, C., Urwin, C., & Walkerdine, V. (eds.) Language, Gender and Childhood London: Routledge & Kegan Paul plc lG raves,
G.M., Jarvis, F.R.A., & Pocock, A.N. (1937) Equal Pay and the Teaching
Profession London: National Association of Schoolmasters lH ilton,
M. & Hirsch, P. (2000) Practical Visionaries: Women, Education and Social
Progress 1790-1930 Essex: Pearson Education Ltd lT urner,
D.A. (1970) 1870: The State and the Infant School System, British Journal of
Educational Studies, 18(2), pp151-165, DOI: 10.1080/00071005.1970.9973279
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Action research
Enquiry and action are at the heart of action research. Julie Compton explains how this methodology goes hand in hand with Montessori
It is well-established within the ‘new’ sociology of childhood (Qvortrup, 1994; Mayall, 2002; Wyness, 2006), that children are positioned as autonomous beings with inalienable human rights. In the context of early childhood, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) requires that “the very youngest children be respected as persons in their own right” (CRC, 2005, p3). Children’s provision, protection and participation rights are enshrined in the 54 articles of the United 20 Ja n u a r y 2020
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (UNICEF, 1989). To make children’s rights a reality, it is an “essential prerequisite” for children to know and understand that they are holders of rights (Mitchell, 2005, p316). It is of concern that, in the year of its 30th anniversary, the convention remains “widely unknown and not well understood” (Nicholl, 2019, p345) within the States Parties that are its signatories. This is in direct contravention of article 42 (UNICEF, 1989, p12): “States Parties undertake to make the
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principles and provisions of the Convention widely known, by appropriate and active means, to adults and children alike.” Article 12, in which “States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child”, is widely considered to be the “linchpin” of the UNCRC (Freeman, 1998, p438). This view is echoed in general comment 12, which states that article 12
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(one of the convention’s four guiding principles) should “be considered in the interpretation and implementation of all other rights” (CRC, 2009, p3). Without article 12, children’s access to all other rights is compromised. children’s rights In its most recent Concluding observations (CRC, 2016, pp6-7) expressing concern about the state of children’s rights in the UK, the CRC recommended that “particular Januar y 20 20
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“A spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action and fact finding” (Lewin, 1946, p35, in Hayes, 2014, p186)
REFLECT
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attention should be paid to involving younger children… in active and meaningful participation.” At the heart of Maria Montessori’s vision for children is recognition of the child “as a citizen, as a dignified human being with a right to live and be protected” (Montessori, 2007b, p68). In Hart’s view (1992, p5), participation is “the fundamental right of citizenship”, intrinsically linked to equality and inclusion. For Nutbrown and Clough (2009), inclusive
Action research, as part of a life of enquiry, generates the kind of knowledge that contributes to sustainable personal, social and planetary wellbeing (McNiff, 2017, p17) 22 Ja n u a r y 2020
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practice supports meaningful participation, enabling children to actively experience citizenship. In Nutbrown and Clough’s study of inclusion and belonging in early years settings (Nutbrown and Clough, 2009), practitioner-led action research was found to be effective in helping children (and adults) to understand that children are citizens and rights holders. At Montessori Centre International (MCI), foundation degree students are introduced to action research as part of the Professional Studies and Practitioner Placement module. In implementing a small change to provision in their placement settings, students are encouraged to adopt a “rights-based approach” (Beazley et al., 2009, p370), taking into account provisions from article 12 and other general principles of the Convention, including upholding the right to non-discrimination (article 2) and prioritising the best interests of the child (article 3). What follows is a brief explanation about what action research is and who can undertake it.
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It is possible to have research without action and action without research but action research is about the links and integration that exist between the two, the ‘doing’ with enquiry (Whitehead, 2014, p20)
ACT practical: improvement(s) can be implemented in the immediate context of the setting. It provides space for criticality and reflexivity: practitioners’ engagement in self-reflective enquiry as part of the research process informs and shapes their daily practice. It is a collaborative process that aims for a co-construction of knowledge among participants. It can be emancipatory: practitioners have autonomy to decide how to develop their own practice. It can be transformative, personally and professionally, individually and collectively.
action research Action research sits somewhere between scientific research and professional practice. The former is usually concerned with demonstrating cause and effect by proving (or disproving) a hypothesis, with findings that can be applied more widely. In action research, findings cannot usually be generalised to the wider population; the primary aim is to make changes to practice by formulating inquiries along the lines of “How do I do this? How do I learn to do it better?” (McNiff, 2017, p13). The term ‘action research’ was coined by Kurt Lewin in 1946 (in Hayes, 2014, p186). A simple framework engages action researchers in an iterative cycle of enquiry and action, sometimes referred to as a spiral (see above). According to Kemmis and McTaggart (2005), action research is a social process in which participants work together for their mutual benefit. It is participatory: the active involvement of all participants is encouraged and facilitated. It is
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S u i ta b i l i t y Early years practitioners are well-placed to engage in action research in their settings. Positioned as ‘insiders’, they are already familiar figures to children, families and colleagues. Observation is the key tool of all early years professionals in supporting children’s development and learning. Practitioners working within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (DfE, 2017) have a statutory obligation to observe children as part of their daily practice. Therefore, they have the prerequisite skill to employ observation as a primary method in research involving young children, where other means of generating data that rely on participants’ verbal communication skills may be problematic or simply impracticable, depending on age, language skills, different abilities or other perceived barriers. Alderson et al.’s (2005) study of the participation rights of premature babies offers a powerful example of how the views of young children can be taken into account through close observation of body language, gesture Janu ar y 20 20
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The child’s way of doing things has been an inexhaustible fountain of revelations (Montessori, 1988, p164)
and other non-verbal cues, and acted upon through respectful and responsive caregiving practices. o b s e rvat i o n It is well-established that Montessori used observation as her primary research method in studying children. It has been suggested that her aim was not one of research in the more formal sense, but rather to gain an in-depth understanding of children’s behaviour in order to inform practice (Montessori, 2007a, in Jones et al., 2019, p18). For others, her contribution is rooted firmly in the context of scientific research (Sackett, 2016). Liebel (2008, in Beazley et al, 2009) equates
scientific research with ‘systematic curiosity’, defined as terms that can be equally applied to Montessori’s in-depth studies of children’s behaviour. Regardless of the language used to describe her life’s work, it is clear that Montessori (2007a, p32) herself did not underestimate the significance of her findings: “My experimental work with little children has been, in fact, a practical contribution to research which has for its aim the discovery of the treatment required by the soul of the child…” (Montessori, 2007a).
JULIE COMPTON is an Academic Lecturer at Montessori Centre International
Key references lB eazley,
H., Bessell, S., Ennew, J. and Waterson, R. (2009) The right to be properly researched: research
with children in a messy, real world, Children’s Geographies, 7:4, pp365-378 https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/43524019_The_right_to_be_properly_researched_Research_with_children_in_a_messy_real_world lC lark, A.
and Moss, P. (2011) Listening to Children: The Mosaic Approach, 2nd ed London: NCB
lC ommittee
on the Rights of the Child (2009) General Comment No. 12 (2009) The right of the child to be heard
CRC/C/GC/12. Geneva. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). https://www2.ohchr.org/ english/bodies/crc/docs/AdvanceVersions/CRC-C-GC-12.pdf lE thical Research
Involving Children (ERIC) (2013) International Charter for Ethical Research Involving
Children. https://childethics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ERIC-compendium-Charter-section-only.pdf lH art,
R.A. (1992) ‘Children’s Participation: From Tokenism to Citizenship’, Innocenti Essays, No 4. Florence: UNICEF
International Child Development Centre. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/childrens_participation.pdf lM cInnes,
K. (2018) Child-friendly research in the early years The Bera Blog: Research Matters. https://www.bera.
ac.uk/blog/child-friendly-research-in-the-early-years lM cNiff, J.
(2017) Action Research: All You Need to Know London: Sage
lN utbrown,
C. and Clough, P. (2009) ‘Citizenship and inclusion in the early years: understanding and responding to
children’s perspectives on ‘belonging’, International Journal of Early Years Education, 17:3, pp191-206 https://www. PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK SHUTTERSTOCK
tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09669760903424523?needAccess=true lQ vortrup J.
1994. Childhood matters: an introduction, in Childhood Matters: Social Theory, Practice
and Politics, Qvortrup J, Bardy M, Sgritta G, Wintersberger H (eds). Avebury Press: Aldershot; 1–24 lS ackett,
G. (2016) ‘The Scientist in the Classroom: The Montessori Teacher as Scientist’ NAMTA Journal, Vol. 41, No.
2, pp5-20 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1112257.pdf lU nited
Nations (1989) United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) http://www.ohchr.org/
Documents/ProfessionalInterest/crc.pdf For a full list of references, visit: http://bit.ly/Jan2020ref
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Voice of the student
It was in the favela where I first saw the immense and unlimited power of education to change the world
In 2014, I had just graduated from the University of St Andrews with a master’s degree in social anthropology, and my brain was fizzing with possibilities. I mulled all the interesting places in the world I could visit, and all the interesting people I could meet. Like all new graduates, I was hunting for the missing pieces of my puzzle. I ended up working in Bristol for an anti-slavery charity, organising campaign events, to spread awareness of modern-day slavery in the UK. I worked on issues including forced marriage, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, which affect many people across the country, many of whom are children. But I wanted to do more. After a couple of years working for various charities in the Southwest of England, I decided to volunteer for a children’s charity in Brazil. I had first visited Brazil in 2010 after leaving school, and visited again during university to conduct the research for my dissertation. On both occasions, I had fallen in love with the country; the people, the music and the culture. Brazil had, without a doubt, captured my imagination. Local community I spent seven months working in Rocinha, one of the many favela communities in Rio de Janeiro, and the largest in Brazil. The favelas of Rio have gained notoriety, due to the high level of gang activity, violence and poverty, which their residents encounter daily. I worked for a small project, which ran a whole series of education programmes for the local community. In the morning we worked with young children aged three to six years, and in the afternoon we worked with older children aged six to 12 years, leaving the evening to work with teenagers and adults. More than 100 people came through our doors every day. The programmes were mainly centred around building English skills, something which opens many doors in Brazil, especially for favela residents, but we also ran more holistic programmes, including science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), as well as foundational literacy and numeracy. Money, time, space and resources were always tight, but we did our best to give the children something to which to look forward in their incredibly challenging lives. It was in the favela where I first saw the immense and unlimited power of education to change the world. Despite 26 Ja n u a r y 2020
A boy studying in a favela in Brazil
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Peace crusader After seeing the affects of exploitation on the children with whom he worked in Brazil, Charlie Cavaliero went in search of an education to build peace and found Montessori Mo ntes s or i I nte r n at i o n a l
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Voice of the student
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everything these children had seen and had lived through, they still came to us every day ready and willing to learn. Sense of purpose My time in Rocinha changed everything. It gave me a purpose and something to fight for, and resulted in me enrolling in a master’s degree course on my return to the UK. I studied International Education and Development at the University of Sussex, and was able to immerse myself in education theory and policy from around the world. I chose this university because the course offered a module that looked specifically at the role of education in emergencies, whether that is in active conflict, post-conflict reconciliation or following a disaster. This module was everything I was looking for; it made me think deeply about how education can be an emergency service in times of suffering. Education is often the first thing people affected by conflict ask for once their immediate humanitarian needs have been met; it is at the heart of rebuilding communities that have been destroyed, and at the core of building peace. However, a piece of my puzzle remained missing. I 28 Ja n u a r y 2020
was still trying to work out how to build an education for children affected by exploitation, like those I had met in Brazil, and like those about which I had read during my master’s degree. I wanted to know what a pedagogy of peace looked like in the real world. And then I read this: “Preventing conflicts is the work of politics; establishing peace is the work of education. We must convince the world of the need for a universal, collective effort to build the foundation for peace. Constructive education for peace must not be limited to the teaching in schools. It is a task that calls for the efforts of all mankind. It must aim to reform humanity so as to permit the inner development of human personality and to develop a more conscious vision of the mission of mankind and present conditions of social life” (Montessori, 2007, p21). Peace pedagogy Maria Montessori’s pedagogy was the puzzle piece for which I had been searching. Her fundamental belief, that the child is a transformative and positive force in the world, was inspiring. Furthermore, unlike many other educationists,
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Education can be an emergency service in times of suffering Montessori actually developed a pedagogy that I could learn, practice and develop. I decided to train with Montessori Centre International (MCI), and as my course continues, I am seeing with every class how revolutionary Montessori’s pedagogy is, and the potential for applying her approach with refugee populations, with children who have suffered because of war, and with children whose lives have been uprooted by disaster. Montessori teaches us that peace is possible if we follow the child. Montessori training has been an incredibly positive experience for me. I have found MCI extremely encouraging and supportive, both in terms of the tutors and my fellow students. I really appreciate the diversity of this network; how we all come from different places, speak different languages, and have different reasons for studying Montessori education, but we all share a commitment to
providing children with the best care that we possibly can. Montessori said that “education is the help we must give to life so that it may develop in the greatness of its powers” (Montessori, 2012, p6). I have only just begun my journey, but I am already excited for the future, and about exploring ways that I can use Montessori’s method, to ensure that every child gets the chance to see their greatness unfold. Charlie Cavaliero is a postgraduate student in international education and development
References lM ontessori,
M. (2007) Education and Peace Amsterdam:
Montessori-Pierson lM ontessori,
M. (2012) The 1946 London Lectures Amsterdam:
Montessori-Pierson
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A conversation between friends
Wendelien Bellinger explores the similarities and differences of three educationalists, Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori and Rudolph Steiner, in the context of play 30 Ja n u a r y 2020
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I recently had the pleasure of spending the day exploring the concept of play at London’s V&A Museum as part of its conference, Future museums: play and design. The conference brought together play futurists, policymakers, designers, museum professionals and play practitioners. Recognising play’s critical role in the healthy development of children, and yet disturbed by the noticeable decrease in children’s opportunities to participate in play, the conference speakers and delegates were agreed: we are preparing our children for an uncertain future requiring key skills such as creativity, flexibility, resilience and cooperation, and it is more important than ever before that we protect and encourage our children’s right and need to play. Over half a century ago, Maria Montessori spoke about “the sudden and amazing changes that have taken place in the organisation of man’s material environment” (Montessori, 2007c, xii), but warned also that we seemed to be “trapped in the interlocking gears of a mechanised and bureaucratic world…Either mankind as a whole will organise and master the mechanical world, or the mechanical world will destroy humanity” (Montessori, 2007c, xii). It is poignant that now, 50 years later and against the backdrop of a fourth industrial revolution, we are really coming alive to this issue and are turning, as Montessori advocated, to our children as a hope to transform our future (Montessori, 2019).
Barbara Isaacs (far left) joins early years peers, Janni
pioneering approaches In a workshop session set away from the hubbub of the conference, representatives of three pioneering approaches to early years education came together to celebrate their similarities and explore their differences. Tina Bruce, Honorary Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Roehampton, represented the Froebelian approach; Janni Nichols, Early Childhood Representative at the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, represented the Steiner approach; and Barbara Isaacs represented the Montessori pedagogy in the capacity of Montessori Centre International Global Ambassador. To explore aspects of the different approaches, it had been agreed to present materials reflecting three themes: wooden blocks, weaving and dolls.
used a long period of observation in the school of Swiss pedagogue, John Heinrich Pestalozzi, to develop his own approach, and became the founding father of the first dedicated kindergarten. Froebel highlighted concepts that are now integrated into mainstream early years practice, stressing that the symbolic life of the child is empowered by play, and that children learn through self-activity, including through their hands. Steiner Austrian philosopher, Rudolph Steiner, born during the second industrial revolution in the 1800s, also believed that children learn best by doing, in a creative and unhurried environment that allows them to develop naturally. Montessori, born just a few years after Steiner, was equally influenced by Froebel’s principles, advocating that a child learns best through sensory experiences, making the abstract concrete through manipulation, and in an environment that follows the child. Similarities The similarities do not end there. All three pedagogies put the child at the heart of early years practice and focus on providing a holistic education, responding to the child’s inner needs, determined through close and careful observation by the adult; all recognise the importance of the environment and highlight the adult’s responsibility as a role model; all approaches focus on motivating the child intrinsically, rather than extrinsically, and trust the child’s inner desire to learn; all believe materials should be natural, beautiful and a reflection of the real world; and all embrace the value of play and imagination.
Nichols (centre) and Tina Bruce (far right) to debate the concept of play
Froebel As each of the three pedagogies were chronologically introduced, it was easy to spot an evolutionary thread between them. Friedrich Froebel, a German educationalist born during the first industrial revolution in the late 1700s,
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m at e r i a l s Bruce shared at the workshop some of Froebel’s gifts; crafted educational materials, which can be used by the child in open-ended play activities, helping them to develop a concrete understanding of properties, purpose and representational imagination. It is difficult to avoid noticing the similarities between Froebel’s gifts, such as the cubes and other geometric, solid shapes, and Montessori’s sensorial materials. Both approaches introduce the child to a three dimensional exploration of shapes and their relationship to each other, and to the world around the child. Montessori was inspired by Froebel’s gifts when she studied anthropology of education. She recognised the importance of his materials, as they allowed the child to travel from spontaneous play when initially exploring the materials, to more structured play and an understanding of the relationship between shapes, as additional scaffolding materials are introduced. The Steiner approach steers clear of introducing any academic content, providing instead open-ended materials for the children to play and imagine with, but which also offer a concrete experience. S c a ff o l d i n g Isaacs explained how the child in the Montessori environment is scaffolded to progress through the activities available to them by the nature of the materials. For example, in sewing, the child starts with threading, moving on to embroidery using binca, an embroidery canvas, and weaving both independently and, perhaps on a larger scale outside, with a group. 32 Ja n u a r y 2020
The V&A Musuem in London at which the
All three approaches embrace the need for the work to be rooted in reality and inspired by examples offered in the setting, which is why none of the pedagogies shy away from using real materials, including real needles and thread.
conference on play was hosted
Blended approach Interestingly, the similarities between the three pedagogies were easier to spot than the differences, with one audience member observing a ‘pot pourri’ of pedagogies now being used within early years settings. There is nothing wrong with practitioners ‘borrowing’ ideas from a range of pedagogies, providing that the child remains at the heart of all practice, and that the practitioner can articulate the reason why they have chosen to include a particular activity in the setting. In fact, all three pedagogies borrowed from others, and our primary duty as educators is to prepare the child. As Montessori said, education is... “a help to life; an education from birth, which feeds a peaceful revolution and unites all in a common aim, attracting them as to a single centre. Mothers, fathers, politicians: all must combine in their respect and help for this delicate work of formation” (Montessori, 2007b, p15). D i ff e r e n c e s There are, of course, subtle differences between the different philosophies. The adult plays a stronger guiding role in the Froebel and Steiner classrooms than in the Montessori environment, where the materials are the predominant guide. Furthermore, in a Montessori setting, there might
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Montessori addressed the issue of imagination many times throughout her lifetime, and simply objected to pretend play as an exclusive method of educating children
not be quite such an abundance of materials and activities, as the pedagogy holds that it is through learning to take turns with the materials, of which there is one set of each in the classroom, that the child develops their social as well as their executive function skills. The materials are developed by the adult in the Froebelian and Montessori classrooms, while in the Steiner classroom the materials are likely to be developed by the children themselves. P l ay All three pedagogies embrace the value of play. Froebel believed that ‘play is the highest expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free expression of what is in the child’s soul’ (Froebel, 1826, pp50-51). Steiner, like Froebel, believed that children construct their own knowledge through play. Montessori has often been accused of excluding imaginary play from her pedagogy, and her reality-based approach to early years education and the strong focus on the materials in many modern settings can be seen to perpetuate this interpretation. To the contrary: Montessori addressed the issue of imagination many times throughout her lifetime, and simply objected to pretend play as an exclusive method of educating children. In fact, she believed that “Imagination is the real substance of our intelligence. All theory and progress come from the mind’s capacity to reconstruct something” (Montessori, 2008, p48). R e a l i t y a n d i m ag i n at i o n Montessori saw the social embryonic stage (the stage at which she considered the child’s mind to be conscious and absorbent, which occurs when the child is aged between three and six years) as “the special period for the construction of the imagination” (Montessori, 2012, p174).
She believed this process should be child- rather than adult-led, avoiding the development of ‘credulity’ (Montessori, 1991). Montessori promoted the notion that the child should be free to make their own connections between reality and imagination (Montessori, 1991). For example, the introduction of a doll to the classroom is often in response to a sibling being born, with the doll forming an outlet for the child to explore their emotions surrounding the birth of the new child, as well as creating an opportunity for the child to imitate the adult’s care of the newborn baby. All three pedagogies embrace the idea that children imitate the world around them and play it out, so that they can begin to understand it. Dolls in the Steiner environment are therefore treated with the utmost respect, as they are in the Froebel setting. R e l e va n c e One might be forgiven for wondering whether these pedagogies, established in past centuries, are still relevant today. While times have changed since the V&A Museum was established in 1857, it continues to seek out ways to stay relevant while staying true to its core aim; to inspire and educate its visitors. Similarly, the three pedagogies continue to stay relevant while staying true to their roots. In a postmodern world, where we are faced with challenges that require a reconstruction of our educational system, these three approaches have stood the test of time, and equip children for a rapidly changing future with inner resources such as flexibility, resilience, imagination, determination, empathy and a sense of being part of a social whole. wendelien bellinger is a Lecturer at Montessori Centre International
References lB ruce, T.
(2020) Educating Young Children: A Lifetime Journey into a Froebelian Approach London: Routledge
lF roebel F.
(c1826, trans. 1912) Froebel’s Chief Writings on Education (Rendered into English) S. S. F. Fletcher and J. Welton
(trans) London: Edward Arnold lM ontessori,
M. (1991) The Advanced Montessori Method I Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company
lM ontessori,
M. (2007a) The Absorbent Mind Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company
lM ontessori,
M. (2007b) The Discovery of the Child Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company
lM ontessori,
M. (2008) The Child, Society and the World Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company
lM ontessori,
M. (2012) The 1946 London Lectures Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson Publishing Company
lM ontessori,
M. (2019) Education for a New World Delhi: Aakar Books
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G o g r e e n w i t h t h e O M E P S u s t ai n a b l e Ci t i z e n s h ip A w a r d actively in activities relating to the pillars of sustainability, In line with the pledges made at The Montessori Conference 2019, environmental, social and cultural and economic education, we are delighted to offer the OMEP UK Early Childhood Education in a bid to raise their awareness about the importance of for Sustainable Citizenship Award. creating of a sustainable future. OMEP, a non-profit organisation that campaigns for the wellbeing and education of children from birth to eight years of To register your setting, contact: age, has designed the award to encourage children to engage ellie.locke@montessori.org.uk.
Introducing Montessori Ac c r e d i tat i o n I n t e r n at i o n a l After 12 years of accrediting quality Montessori settings, we are relaunching our Montessori Accreditation and Evaluation Board (MEAB), to offer settings an updated framework that continues to support the Montessori community and that safeguards Montessori standards. To reflect this change, the new scheme will be called Montessori Accreditation International (MAI). All current MEAB schools will remain accredited through MEAB, and will migrate into the new scheme when they are due for reaccreditation. For more information, contact: mai@montessori.org.uk
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Professional Body develops m o r e ta r g e t e d p r o p o s i t i o n The Montessori Schools Association is evolving into a professional body offering individual membership. Membership benefits, which include training and development for practitioners, will be bolstered to include our revamped magazine, Montessori International, and support from our new Regional Ambassadors, who will provide on-the-ground assistance to settings across the UK. Free membership for current Montessori Centre International students is available. For more information, contact: membership@montessori.org.uk
G e t i n v o l v e d i n Na t i o n a l C h i l d r e n ’ s Da y UK sculpture, photo, or any other format. This year, we are celebrating 150 years Submit a photo of the work, since the birth of Maria Montessori, with the name of the setting, for it to and what better way to celebrate be used in a digital collage, which will National Children’s Day UK, on be published on our website, www. Sunday May 17 2020, than by montessoritraining.org.uk, on exploring the power of the Montessori National Children’s Day UK. legacy, as lived by the children of today. The deadline for entries is We invite you to encourage the March 20 2020. children in your care to capture what attending a Montessori setting means Please send submissions to: to them in a painting, drawing, reception@montessori.org.uk
Free online courses to help share Montessori best practice child, will feature bite-sized content, MCI Open Learning is relaunching in developed and supported by our February 2020. Our new, mobileexpert tutors, which can be enjoyed at friendly website will offer short learners’ own pace. Follow us on courses to anyone interested in Facebook or Instagram (see page 46) Montessori education, including for further information and updates, parents, teachers, families and as we add new courses every month. nursery schools. Courses, which include How to Visit www.openlearning. choose a Montessori nursery for my montessori.org.uk
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Montessori Network goes live Join our new, free resource hub for all things Montessori, including information sharing and expertise from around the world. Our vision for the network is to build a global Montessori community in which individuals, regardless of training, background, or location, can share ideas and learn from each other while promoting the Montessori philosophy in the process. To sign up and receive monthly updates in your inbox, as well as exclusive articles and offers, visit: www.montessoritraining.org.uk/network
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Montessori conferences Possibility, collaboration and unity were key themes at last year’s events. Hannah Baynham explains I have always cherished Montessori conferences, because I have spent most of my career as a Montessori island, isolated in my own practice. Conferences enable me to recharge, be inspired, connect with fellow Montessorians, but perhaps most importantly, they remind me that we are not alone on our journey. Montessorians from all over the world have the same struggles and delights, hence the importance of an opportunity to share, learn, reflect and understand what Montessori education is about on a deeper level for a group of people who believe that learning is a lifelong process, and a spiritual preparation for their practice. At almost fifty years of age, Maria Montessori said: “What I want now is a body of colleagues, research workers, who will examine what I have already done, apply my principles as far as I have gone, not in a spirit of opposition or conviction but as a matter of pure experiment. Then they can help me with constructive criticism, after, not before, the event. I have never yet had anyone starting from my own previous body of knowledge - work shoulder to shoulder with me a scientific independence…. At present I am in a kind of isolation, which is the last thing I desire.” (Montessori, 1920, in Kramer, 1976, p262). One can only imagine Montessori’s delight in a modern day conference, an evolution from her Rome and London lectures to a collaboration and sharing of ideas among practitioners, researchers, child development specialists, parents and scientists. Montessori education today, as seen through these conferences, shares common threads of possibility, collaboration and unity. These events prove that we as Montessorians do not have to be an island, but rather more of an archipelago connected by Montessori’s philosophy and the strong currents of peace, sustainability and hope for a better world for our children for which she campaigned tirelessly. It is with this thought that I reflect on my experiences at the three major Montessori conferences of 2019.
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The event: The Montessori Event Hosted by: American Montessori Society Date: March 2019 Location: Washington DC, USA
If Montessori conferences were a sport, the American Montessori Society (AMS) conference would be the Olympic Games. Seeing 4,000 Montessorians gathered together for a three-day event proved the magnitude and power of Montessori education globally, and its potential to drive change. I was able to meet and listen to some of my Montessori heroes, including Catherine McTamaney, author of the The Tao of Montessori: Reflections on Compassionate Teaching (see page 6), Anna Perry, executive director of Seton Montessori Institute, and Andy Lulka, Montessori trainer and social media guru. As these people who I had first encountered on the page and via blogs came to life for me, they shared a common humility; a quality all Montessori teachers strive for. The keynote speakers were inspiring and uplifting, each one enthusiastic and optimistic about possibilities for the future through the children we teach today. The workshop topics were diverse and covered a range of topics, from observation and the prepared environment for the adult, to guiding adolescent activism. The conference was a whirlwind of ideas and good practice, and served as a timely reminder of the importance of interconnectedness among Montessorians. It deepened my understanding of the responsibility we have, and what Montessori meant by our unique purpose of making the world a better place in which to live.
Conference highlight The Gender Diversity and Equality workshop, led by Teresa Hennessy and Sara Bloomberg of Protea Montessori Consultants, and Ashley Speed, Montessori
References lK ramer,
R. (1976) Maria Montessori: A Biography London:
Montessori International Publishing
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trainer. Inclusivity and tolerance are critical aspects of Montessori education.
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M o n t e ssori comm u n it y
With Maria Montessori’s work, we have received a valuable inheritance, and we have to be responsible with this inheritance. We need to respect our differences, but realise that everybody has inherited the same philosophy. We need to come together for those things we agree on. It is our responsibility of our inheritance to do so
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Philip O’Brien, President, Association Montessori Internationale
The event: The Montessori Conference 2019 Hosted by: Montessori Centre International, Maria Montessori Institute, Bournemouth Montessori Centre and The Montessori Partnership Date: September 2019 Location: London, UK
The spirit of collaboration demonstrated by established UK Montessori trainers uniting for the very first time to host this conference proves the wave of change happening in the Montessori community. The best example of this was evident in the hosts uniting on stage to announce their call to action to the UK government to overhaul its approach to early years education (see page 38). Dr Angeline Lillard, Professor and Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions at the University of Virginia, presented her research on the correlations between Montessori education and wellbeing, and breakout sessions covered a wide range of topics, from sustainability to how Montessori can be used to support people with dementia. The highlight of the conference was the panel debate featuring representatives from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), AMS, and Montessori Centre International (MCI), along with Dr Lillard and Michael S. C. Thomas, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London, and Director of the Centre for Educational Neuroscience, who discussed the prerequisites for education in a modern world. AMI President, Philip O’Brien, added: “With Maria Montessori’s work, we have received a valuable inheritance, and we have to be responsible with this inheritance....we need to come together for those things we agree on.” It is only through collaboration that our voices will be heard in the UK and beyond.
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The event: Montessori Europe Congress Hosted by: Montessori Europe and St. Nicholas Montessori Ireland Date: October 2019 Location: Dublin, Republic of Ireland
This event, unlike other conferences, focuses on sharing how Montessori works in individual countries in Europe, rather than on where practitioners completed their training. The conference provides the opportunity for individuals to share ideas, and to make connections with Montessori schools and trainers, as well as Montessori-inspired projects. Representatives from many different countries, working in all planes of child development, from early years to secondary school, united to explore how the world sees Montessori education, and how we can collaborate with parents, governments and each other by promoting research and engaging in dialogue. It was my third time hearing keynote speaker Scilla Elworthy, three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and peace advocate, discuss how important it is to empower young people to be agents of social change, and each time I am more in awe of her message. A closing panel, hosted by MERGe (Montessori Europe Research Group), discussed the importance of encouraging more research on the Montessori method, with MCI’s Director of Learning, Penny Johns, sharing the college’s experience of listening to children in its research. The Montessori community’s unity and commitment to lifelong learning was evident throughout. Montessori would be proud.
Conference highlight
Conference highlight
The workshop by Simone Davies, author of The Montessori Toddler,
My first workshop, ‘We are better together’, explored the
on the importance of communicating with parents, simplifying
idea of a united cosmic task; an authentic Montessori
language, role modelling expectations, and working with parents
movement. The outcome was a new Facebook group,
to help children fulfil their true potential by being approachable
Montessori Movement Unities, to help keep Montessori
and really listening to them.
education alive.
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Call for action The Montessori community has united to demand legislative changes in early years education, as Barbara Isaacs explains 38 Janu ar y 2020
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M o n t e s s o r i c o mm u n i t y
The Montessori Conference 2019 celebrated a centenary of Montessori teacher training in the UK, and so it was fitting for the four Montessori training providers that organised the conference, Montessori Centre International (MCI), Maria Montessori Institute, The Montessori Partnership and Bournemouth Montessori Centre, to close the event with a pledge to support the UK Montessori community. The providers have united to create a call for action in the form of an open letter to the Minister of State for Education, Gavin Williamson. Our commitment As well as being a commitment from all four training providers to the Montessori community, the call for action invites Montessori school owners, managers, teachers, parents and students to contribute to the pledge. As Philip O’Brien, President of Association Montessori Internationale, said during the conference, it is crucial that all parties collaborate and make our work visible to parents, educators and policymakers (see page 36).
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Ex tend the Early Years Foundation Stag e ( EY FS) We want the EYFS extended to cover Key Stage 1, to ensure that young children have time to develop secure foundations and dispositions for learning. This fundamental change would ensure a curriculum that meets the developmental needs of children, and would acknowledge the importance of the first plane of development (when children, aged birth to six years, are in early childhood and have an absorbent mind). It would give practitioners the opportunity to establish strong foundations for learning without the pressure currently experienced by children and practitioners, with children leaving our settings at the age of four to join reception. In the meantime, the Department for Education’s Early Years Foundation Stage Reforms consultation, which closed
Young children need time to develop secure foundations and dispositions for learning Mo ntes s or i I nte r n at i o n a l
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M o n t e s s o r i c o mm u n i t y
We believe in high quality early years education linked with high quality teacher training, and this has to be reflected in teachers’ pay
last week, provided a key opportunity for practitioners to express their views, to ensure that the new EYFS is relevant and supports their daily work with children. I do hope you responded before the deadline, which was January 31 2020.
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Scrap th e b as el in e a s s e s s me n t We want to scrap the baseline assessment that is currently being piloted with four-year-olds within the first four weeks of their attendance in a reception class. It does not provide reliable evidence of their capacity for future learning, and puts very young children under pressure at a time when they do not have the cognitive capacity or emotional resilience for such a test. While the current pilot does not affect the majority of Montessori practitioners, because it has to be implemented in reception classes, it affects all children who move from nursery to school reception classes. Many of the children who left you last summer were tested in the first few weeks of starting schools, and all of them will be tested next September. We need to campaign against this violation of the children’s right to be children, and for mandatory access to the results for their parents. We have joined the More Than A Score campaign, which you can join, too, to help change the way that children are assesses and schools are judged.
PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK
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Add r e s s th e stat u s of t h e e a r ly year s Mo n te s s o r i te a ch e r Recent reports on nursery teachers’ qualifications and salaries highlight the plight of our workforce. For example, the UK is one of only two countries (the other being the United States) in which school leavers can start work in an early years setting without any formal childcare qualifications, often resulting in them being paid around the base Minimum Wage level (currently £.8.21 per hour) (Christie & Co, 2019). We believe in high quality early years education linked with high quality teacher training, and this has to be reflected in teachers’ pay. MCI has commissioned research from the Open University, which will establish current levels of qualifications in Montessori settings, and provide evidence for our negotiations with policy makers regarding Montessori graduates’ remuneration. We urge all owners and managers of nursery schools to respond to the questionnaire as it reaches your inbox. It will give you an opportunity to contribute to this important campaign. 40 Janu ar y 2020
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B e sustainab l e Ensure that a sustainability programme becomes a significant element of early childhood education, fostering care and responsibility for each other and our planet. Our cosmic task urges us to care for the environment, and help all children understand their role in contributing to the future of our planet. Many of you are already actively engaged with the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. Later in the year, we will be devoting a whole issue of the magazine to sustainable development, but do not wait until then. Consider a UN goal that is close to your heart, and think about how your setting could support it.
How you can help l Participate in the More Than A Score petition
You need to participate in this petition, but you also need to engage and urge parents of the children who will be leaving you next summer to participate in the petition, too. For more information, and to join, visit: More Than A Score campaign: https://www.morethanascore.org.uk/ l Build a sustainable setting
Consider making your setting more sustainable through, for example, recycling, reducing your use of plastic, growing flowers that are appealing to bees, and being mindful about your energy consumption. l Promote Montessori education
Raise awareness of Montessori education throughout your community by, for example, sharing news from your setting with local newspapers, and building positive relationships with your local councillors and Members of Parliament. Consider inviting them for a visit, to help to improve their understanding of Montessori principles and practice.
References lC hristie
& Co, 2019, Early childhood education and care workforce trends
and associated factors, https://tinyurl.com/s42e4a
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Vo ic e of t he pa r e n t
Creating space in the home can be challenging
Home as a sanctuary Introducing Montessori principles to the home need not be complicated, explains Zainab Shamis-Saleem
Mo ntes s or i I nte r n at i o n a l
January is typically when many of us focus on the year ahead, on the setting of intentions, on the manifesting of hopes and dreams, on turning a page and on drawing a line in the sand, or snow if we are lucky. But renewed aims are something that can happen at any time, and right now, in fact, is perfect. We would do well to remind ourselves often that every second is a new opportunity, especially when raising and teaching children, for whom time is a concept to learn, and for whom hope is intrinsic to life itself. A big talking point during my workshops with parents and teachers, no matter the time of year, is that of home organisation: how to encourage children to tidy more, play more and read more while maintaining order and peace. Parents ask me how they can bring new energy into living spaces that may become overfamiliar, particularly for parents who are at home. Janu ar y 20 20
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PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK
C R E A T I N G s p ace It can be hard to designate space in the home for multiple use, and even harder to keep such areas tidy with small children. This can be particularly frustrating if you live in a flat or with extended family members, who may not necessarily understand or support your Montessori ethos. Or perhaps you live in rented accommodation and are therefore limited in the changes that you can make to your home to support your Montessori activities. It maybe that you feel finances are a barrier, particularly when you see the hefty price tags of items used to create the beautiful Montessori spaces that are taking over our social media feeds. R ene w a l The wonderful thing about seeing your home through Montessori eyes is that it takes all of these things into consideration. You are not expected to discard everything you have and start afresh with new, expensive materials. Of course, we should aspire to provide children with a suitably beautiful environment that allows them the freedom to develop, but I can confidently say you already have everything you need to renew and refresh your space, and to enjoy the new year with calm, focus and independence 42 Ja n u a r y 202
for yourself and the children in your life. Starting p o int Here are a few pointers by way of a starting point for creating a beautiful environment in your home. Be sure to take it slowly, and approach the task in a way that works best for you.
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D ec l u tter If you’re anything like me, since having children the accumulation of things has skyrocketed. Decluttering now saves time later, particularly when using the Marie Kondo system. The professional organiser’s method involves taking everything you have out of storage to systematically sort, item by item, and then either keep, donate or bin it. See Kondo’s Netflix series for more information on her approach. R o tati o n Rotation is your greatest ally when it comes to organising your home around young children. It can be applied to everything, including books, toys, clothes and arts and crafts materials. Young children need as few as four to six activities out at any one
Monte ssori I nter nati o nal
Vo ic e of t he pa r e n t
You are being true to your Montessori ethos by sourcing secondhand items, because you are playing your part in caring for the planet
makes passing them on them to others less painful. Other sustainable approaches to materials might include creating an activity swap network with local families, sharing materials that your older children have outgrown and which your younger ones are not yet ready for. Finally, do not forget to support your local library, which can offer all the books you could ever need. You need only invest in the ones that you feel will have meaning for your child.
Children need as few as four to six activities on display at any one time.
time, which allows them to build focus and concentration through manipulation and exploration of the materials for each activity. Books can be rotated according to theme or season. The more a book is read, the better it is understood, so don’t be afraid to repeat books, as long as they remain of interest. Rotation can be daunting, especially as children love order and may become disoriented by change, which can often be the case for sensitive or spirited children. But with good storage, you can rotate gently and flow with the child’s interests, always involving the little ones where possible. This can help avoid upsets, as you will not be taking away things that the child enjoys or is still engrossed in, and they can help choose new activities, which follow their learning.
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RECYCLE You certainly do not need to own everything in a beautiful environment to be able to enjoy it. In fact, you are being true to your Montessori ethos by sourcing secondhand items, because you are playing your part in caring for the planet by reducing waste, while being a great role model for your child. Secondhand shops are a firm favourite for finding affordable items for play, too, and their cheaper price tag
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B E R E SOU R C E F UL This may seem obvious, but it is amazing what a child can make with some imagination, so rethink your approach to arts and crafts supplies. For example, a child can develop and refine their fine motor skills by screwing and unscrewing the lids of empty makeup containers, as well as through pouring activities using foods such as dried beans. By reusing what you already own not only reinforces the initial use of an item, but also engages young minds to think laterally and not to rely on materialism for experience building. Renewing your intention with your space can bring about new love when it comes to using what you already own and repurposing spaces. If you observe that your book corner is not really sparking interest, move it. If you find the bathroom routine is messy and upsetting, simplify it. A few low hooks by the front door can allow your child to lead the way with independence, and contribute to a calm morning routine. Your home is a sanctuary for your family, so the more the children can do for themselves, including tidying up, the more peaceful your space will become. And we could all use a bit more peace in 2020. Zainab Shamis-saleem is a montessori parent and founder of The Montessori Studio
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M O N T E S S O R I entre p rene u r
Box clever
In each issue, we will showcase a Montessori materials entrepreneur. In this issue, we meet Emma Litvinova-Levermore
Montessori International (MI): In a nutshell, what do you make? Emma Litvinova-Levermore (ELL): Montessori Enterprises is a Montessori language materials maker and supplier, offering both ready-made sets of literacy materials and all the components with which to make your own materials. All our materials fit with the Montessori literacy curriculum, and we offer a completely bespoke service, whereby you can adapt your ready-made materials to meet the needs of the child.
A selection of prepared boxes and strips from the pink series
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MI: What is the process behind your material making? ELL: We adapt our process for material making, depending on what we are working on. For example, we have to follow particular rules when considering new words for pink level boxes (they must be three-letter words containing a consonant followed by a vowel, followed by another consonant). We aim to design products that meet the needs of the children, such as a phonics object set, which we introduced last year in response to numerous requests.
MI: How much time do you allow for each process? ELL: It really depends on what we are making and the order size. For large orders, it can take between two weeks to one month to make multiple sets from scratch, as we are very careful to ensure that they are suitably beautiful and fit for the shelves to which they are making their way. We also have to factor in whether or not we need to source new objects, which can be a time-consuming process, as it involves receiving a sample to check suitability before we decide to go ahead and add it to our offering. MI: What considerations are behind your choice of resources? ELL: We carefully choose our objects, so that they are as realistic as possible, and ensure that our objects are attractive, durable and inviting. We have our language boxes made for us in accordance with specific guidelines (to accommodate the word cards that go inside) and colours, so that they meet the specific requirements of the Montessori literacy curriculum. We choose words for our word cards and strips that are relevant to the child, and interesting and fun.
Monte ssori I nter nati o nal
MI: What advice would you give to help Montessori guides and their children get the best out of your materials, and Montessori materials in general? ELL: My advice to Montessori guides would be to carefully consider which materials they feature on the shelves of their setting, and how they will meet the needs of the child. There should be a sound reason why each and every activity is on display. In general, I would say never compromise on quality; although initially the cost of quality materials may be greater, they will last much longer, providing that they are cared for.
MI: How do you ensure that the aesthetics of your materials are in accordance with Maria Montessori’s vision? ELL: We spend a lot of time ensuring that our materials are ready to send out, which involves great attention to detail. For example, we always end our process by testing our complete sets before we send them off to their new homes. The literacy materials support the phonetic approach to reading, which assists early learners to decode words and read independently.
MI: What are your plans for new material making in the year ahead? ELL: We plan to make phonics objects storage, as well as phonics objects boxes for individual letters, pre-literacy materials and new word lists and phrase and sentence strips. We are always open to ideas, so it is exciting to see what the new year will bring.
Emma Litvinova-Levermore is founder of Montessori Enterprises and an Academic Placement Tutor at Montessori Centre
A miniature model bus, to support children working on pink series words, which is part of
MI: How much artistic license do you feel you have with your material making, given the precision involved in using Montessori materials? ELL: One area in which I think that we have used artistic licence is in the use of a computer font for our word cards and strips, as they are traditionally handwritten.
International
the Montessori literacy curriculum
MI: Why do you think that Montessori’s insistence on precision is crucial, and what are the benefits of this for the children using Montessori material in the classroom? ELL: Such attention to detail is crucial when supporting the child’s growing ability to read, and for this reason we ensure that we consider each word on our cards and strips, so that, for example, they follow the Montessori literacy specifications for each different colour scheme (the child will start with the pink series and then progress on to the blue series and through to the green series). We are also committed to using high quality materials that are durable in the classroom. MI: What challenges have you faced in making your own materials, and how have you overcome these? ELL: Initially, it took us a lot of time to make our materials. So certainly, this has been a challenge to overcome, but I can say that after three years, we have learned to work a lot faster.
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Montessori language boxes
Suitable for all Montessori language work Easy to open, durable and wipe clean ♦ Available in 15 colours ♦ Choose your own box objects, picture cards and words ♦ A vast range of materials to choose from, including picture stamps, objects, phrase and sentence strips, word lists, sets, grammar materials and ready-filled boxes ♦ International delivery options available ♦ ♦
sales@montessorienterprises.co.uk montessorienterprises.co.uk @montessorienterprises
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Montessori International
Editorial board Clare Mehmi Editor
Publisher Leonor Stjepic Chief Executive Officer, Montessori Group
Barbara Isaacs Global Ambassador, Montessori Group
Published by Montessori Centre International 38 Marlborough Place St John’s Wood London NW8 0PJ
Penny Johns Director of Learning, Montessori Centre International
General enquiries 020 7493 8300
Hannah Baynham Diploma Course Leader, Montessori Centre International
Editorial enquiries ellie.locke@montessori.org.uk
Catherine McTamaney Associate Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College
Design Mark Richardson Printed by Elle Media Group ISSN 1470-8647 Subscription & advertising enquiries reception@montessori.org.uk
Sid Mohandas Doctoral researcher, Middlesex University, and founder of The Male Montessorian
www.montessoritraining.org.uk
@MontessoriUK
facebook.com/montessoriUK/
S u sta i n a b i l i ty This magazine has been printed on FSC-Certified material from sustainably managed forests, using vegetable based inks. In the production process, the press plates are made on a process-less system (chemical free) system and alcohol substitutes are used on press for lower VOC emissions. Elle Media Group themselves hold FSC Certification, Carbon Neutral Certification and operate under an ISO14001 accredited environmental management system.
©2020 The views expressed in Montessori International are not necessarily those of the publisher, editorial board, Montessori Centre International, Montessori Group or printer, and none of these parties guarantees the accuracy of advertisements featured. Furthermore, these parties do not endorse any advertisements, or accept any liability for statements expressed. Reproduction of any Montessori International content is subject to permission by Montessori Centre International. 46 Ja n u a r y 2020
Monte ssori I nter nati o nal
Issue 127 – Spring 2020