Age 3-6

Sharing international Montessori work with children back in the USA

SusanMayclinStephenson1 Comment

Some years ago, when returning from work in Morocco, it was wonderful to be able to share some of what I had learned with children in a Montessori school here at home. I hope you enjoy it and perhaps share it with your own children and students.

4 presentation

Above is a picture of my daughter Ursula during the Morocco presentation shared with her two children and other students at Childpeace Montessori School in Portland, Oregon. I had been working at a Montessori school in Casablanca, and then traveling through Morocco with my hostess and her family. My grandson’s Montessori teacher in Oregon teacher asked if I would share some of this experience with the children as I would be stopping in Portland, Oregon on the way back to California. So I prepared a “Moroccan” experience based on the study of the physical needs of humans. Continue reading →

BOOK: “Please Help Me Do It Myself, Observation and Recordkeeping for the Montessori Primary and Elementary Class”

SusanMayclinStephenson9 Comments

Having been out of the classroom for two years, as I read this book I thought to myself “It is though I am in a Montessori refresher course”. Thank you for writing this book.
—Adebanke Foloye, Nigerian AMI 3-6 and 6-12 teacher

Even with the very best training and intentions Montessori teachers at times revert to the traditional TTI (teacher-text centered, adult scheduled) teaching rather than CC (child-centered, free choice) teaching—that is essential in authentic Montessori practice. This means giving group rather than individual lessons, gathering children in daily adult-led circle time, teachers making assignments rather than issuing invitations, and, at the 6-18 level, forgetting that the Montessori teacher’s role at this age is to assist the student in learning to create one’s own individual academic path, make one’s own work plans, and meet both state/country and personal goals. Montessori is not about learning to obey and let others do one’s thinking.

Being able to follow the instincts, needs, and interests of each child requires scientific observation, record keeping, and planning. Please Help Me Do It Myself, Observation and Recordkeeping for the Montessori Primary and Elementary Class, supports successful child-centered, concentration-protected practice and explains the practice in great detail. Continue reading →

Book: Montessori for Family and Community

SusanMayclinStephenson1 Comment

Montessori for Family and Community

Engagingly written, this book makes the important elements of the Montessori approach accessible to a wide audience, using clear practical examples to explain profound developmental concepts.
—Lynne Lawrence, MBE, Executive Director of AMI,
the Association Montessori Internationale

154 pages: This is the book to begin with, for both parents and teachers. There are QR codes that lead to YouTube video clips the author has used in her work in thirty countries. They show the potential—especially in the first years—much more convincingly than words could (14 QR codes in the 0-3 section; 6 in the 3-6 section; and 3 more). There are pictures and practice from the author’s own teaching, and other authentic Montessori programs around the world.
Chapters:
Introduction . . . 1
Birth to Three Years . . . 10
Age Three to Six Years . . . 39
My Primary and Elementary Consultant and Mentors . . . 74
Age Six to Twelve Years . . . 81
Age Twelve to Eighteen Years . . . 115
Conclusion . . . 139
Maria Montessori . . . 140 Continue reading →