In celebration of the birthday of Maria Montessori on 31 August, we convened a special AMI online talk that explored the evolution of Maria Montessori’s thoughts on human development. Our historical archive is a wonderful instrument to mine and extend knowledge and feed the future.
This is more than a collection of documents—it is a living repository of thought, experience, and evolution.
Our 31 August talk reflected on the significance of preserving these materials—as a foundation for future exploration. On Maria Montessori’s birthday we celebrated the journey, and opened the doors for those who wished to engage, research, and contribute to the legacy.
We heard the stories of two young PhD students, Irene Pozzi and Emma Perrone, who, facilitated by AMI’s legacy team, came to do extensive research into the archives.
AMI Talks - International Women's Day: Finding my Voice
Montessori’s contribution to helping women develop their sense of agency
Years before she became an advocate for the rights of children, Montessori was a voice for the women of her time. Growing up in the late 19th century, Montessori overcame societal strictures that defined what she could achieve as a woman and worked actively to help other women take control of their bodies and advocate for themselves. As we celebrate Women’s Day today, author, researcher and historian, Erica Moretti traced Montessori’s early work in this field.
Reflecting on their observations of the impact of Montessori training on women in different settings, Trainers Uma Ramani and Helen Mohan Elias discussed how the Montessori approach to Education as an Aid to Life helps women gain a fresh perspective on themselves and their role in society, helping them become agents for social change in their communities. As we celebrated Women’s Day, they explored the enduring power of Montessori’s work in helping women find their voice and realise the strength of their contributions to society.
In this Voices of EsF edition, Dr Susan Nyaga discusses what mother tongue education and multilingualism entail and how they relate to identity and culture. She shares research findings underscoring the importance of mother tongue learning and how this can be supported in the classroom and beyond.
We are delighted to present our 6 January AMI Talk - the date is one well known as it marks the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini, in Rome.
We are grateful to be able to present two strong speakers from our network: Dr John Exalto, assistant professor in theory and history of education, and Sarah Kiteleja, Executive Director of the Montessori Community of Tanzania. Inspired by the vision of Maria Montessori that education is the best instrument for change in society, they will explore the need for innovation and reform in educational systems, sharing insights from practice and academia.
In this episode we will first hear from AMI trainer Liza Davis, who in her 6 August contribution to Voices of AMI Training, discussed the science of how trauma's impact on brain development can be mitigated by supportive environments. Her presentation is followed by Susan Shea who will speak on the healing power of music when working with children with trauma.
You can learn more about the speakers of this AMI Talk by visiting the link here.
This EsF stories episode is about taking initiative, integrating into a community, and creating sustainable change in the community. Born in Spain, today’s guest has made a long, interesting, and circuitous journey to Mexico, where she currently lives. Her local community has benefited from her experience, her insight, and her boundless energy to develop a meaningful educational program, from early childhood through adolescence.
After traveling around the world, from India to Guatemala to refugee camps in Nigeria, Carolina had a vision. With the help of the community and local sources, she was able to build a Montessori center in 2015 in Oaxaca, Mexico, and create most of the 3-6 materials. She was able to be connected to EsF and to an AMI-trained guide. Two years ago, she started an adolescent program. Listen to this episode to learn more about Carolina’s work and how she got there!
🌐 EsF Website: https://montessori-esf.org/
In this episode, our president Alain Tschudin, professor of Peace Studies and Takako Fukatsu, Montessori advocate in Japa tap into their varied and wide experience in a Montessori concept embedded in all our work and values: the preparation and transfer of peace.
You can learn more about the speakers of this AMI Talk by visiting the link here.
Welcome to the latest episode of the AMI Talks! On November 15th, we hosted an insightful talk exploring the topic of The Importance of Movement. Our lineup of speakers was dynamic, and we began with the globally renowned Professor Adele Diamond, who is a pioneer in the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience. In her presentation, she discussed the profound significance of music, dance, and movement. After Professor Diamond's talk, we had the privilege of hearing from Ruben Jongkind and Patrick Oudejans, the two visionaries behind Montessori Sports. They shared their perspective on how "Sport is a key to educating human potential."
You can learn more about the speakers of this AMI Talk by visiting the link here.
On 31 August 2023, AMI held an enlightening AMI Talk featuring three exceptional speakers who discussed the importance of parent engagement. Hear from Eduardo Cuevas, Francescah Kipsoi and Lilian Wairimu Mwaura who generously shared their stories and expertise in this field.
Parents play a crucial role in shaping their child's educational journey, and when equipped with deeper Montessori knowledge, children can reap the benefit of closer and more joyful collaboration between home and school. You will love hearing about experiences from various backgrounds and cultures.
In this episode of EsF stories Monique Bekker and Felista Urassa tell the story of the Kilakala Montessori classroom for deaf children in Morogoro, Tanzania. Monique and Felista have been working together to support deaf children for over 20 years and they share their experiences and their thoughts on why Montessori education is a natural fit for deaf children. They also reflect on the evolution of the initiative and the impact it has had on the children, their families, and the broader community.
Felista joined the conversation from Tanzania. Her internet connection was a little unstable at times, but we were so grateful she was able to join the conversation and share her inspiring story. If you have any questions or if you would like to get in touch with Monique and Felista, please send us an email at info@montessori-esf.org.
To celebrate International Women’s Day we hosted an AMI Talk with Professor Noah Sobe and Beverley Maragh, lecturer at the Maria Montessori Institute, London. Noah Sobe’s presentation explored whether the concept of childhood has its historical lifespan and traced ways that childhood changed across the 20th and 21st centuries. Beverley featured on an amazing initiative that was created in collaboration with the Born Inside project, aimed at benefiting mothers, babies, and pregnant women in one of the biggest prisons for women in Britain.
Noah Sobe’s presentation explored whether the concept of childhood has its own historical lifespan. It began with an examination of how a proper, protected, healthy childhood was understood at the time of Montessori's first work in education, and then traced ways that childhood changed across the 20th and 21st centuries. The talk concluded with an evaluation of historical arguments that we have reached an "end" to childhood and what this might mean for early childhood education.
Beverley Maragh presented an amazing initiative that was created in collaboration with the Born Inside project, aimed at benefiting mothers, babies, and pregnant women in one of the biggest prisons for women in Britain. Her story is testimony to the great commitment and dedication to give infants and babies a “head-start” in circumstances where love and care can be scarce commodities. Beverley sketched how the initiative developed, also having to battle against institutional prejudices, and the disruption caused by Covid. The Born Inside initiative has been replicated in Mexico, where recently a mother and baby unit opened in a penal institution.
We were happy to host such an interesting presentation which highlighted the importance of childhood, education and children’s and women’s interaction with society, its structures, challenges, and opportunities.
On January 6, the day that marks the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo, Rome, we hosted an AMI Talk with Victoria Johnson, Agnese Fontanaand Rosario di Girolamo. The speakers shared their experiences around the theme of the Global Path of Montessori.
Victoria Johnson, PhD in Global Family, Health and Wellbeing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, gave a fascinating overview of her research into the introduction of Montessori in communities, and how Montessori’s unique capability of taking on a diverse hue underscored its universality.
Agnese Fontana, producer and author, and Rosario di Girolamo, cross-media creative director of MontessoriRoad delighted the audience by showing this spread across cultures, sharing highlights from their filming of Montessori children at work in different countries.
Our AMI Talk of 19 October with Uma Ramani and Pieter Verstraete focused on the theme of silence and highlighted how silence in education can be both an instrument and an outcome of the practice of education as an aid to life.
Uma is an AMI Trainer, and currently Director of Training (3-6) at the Montessori Institute of North Texas (MINT), Dallas, Texas. Uma is deeply interested in the study of Maria Montessori’s writings and enjoys exploring the continued relevance of Montessori philosophy and practice in the modern-day context.
Pieter is a professor of history of education at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Louvain in Belgium. In his most recent book Silence in the Classroom, he explores the history of western pedagogical approaches to silence in schools (Leuven University Press).
This podcast is about innovation, commitment, and resilience. It features people who found different ways to apply Montessori principles and started initiatives to serve communities in different parts of the world. They share their stories on what inspired and motivated them, and how their ideas came to realisation.
In this new episode of EsF stories, we have a conversation with Mayumi Saito. We got to know Mayumi during the Voices of EsF programme in 2021. As part of the programme, she conducted focused conversations with children between the ages of 6 and 12 about their life; the things that are important to them, the challenges they face, and the changes they would like to make. In our conversation, Mayumi shares how she got involved in Montessori through parenthood, in a search for the best way to support the development of her children. Her commitment to Montessori and child development eventually led to the establishment of a Montessori children’s club, where children can meet, work, and learn through Montessori principles.
If you have any questions or want to get in touch with Mayumi, please email us at info@montessori-esf.org.
The AMI Talk of 31 August 2022 with Nicolina Montesano Montessori and Yoliswa Mahobe focused on the laws of life and the role of nature in humankind’s true well-being. Nicolina Montesano Montessori, a researcher with a background in discourse analysis, reflects on the importance of connecting to nature. With her special interest in eco-literacy and social justice, she also uncovers some of the “policy speak” of leaders when referring to the protection of nature.
Yoliswa Mahobe is attached to the Sustainability Institute, Stellenbosch, S.A. where she is the training coordinator for the Living Soils Community Learning Farm; here she supports community engagement work around food security. She also facilitates experiential garden lessons with the Lynedoch Small School, Lynedoch Children’s House and Youth programme.
The AMI Talk of 19 May 2022 zoomed in on how children acquire life skills in Indigenous communities in the Americas, and particularly Mexico. Dr Barbara Rogoff shared some of her pioneering research work and Carolina Cerezuela spoke of a Montessori outreach initiative in Oaxaca.
The AMI Talk of 19 May 2022 zoomed in on how children acquire life skills in Indigenous communities in the Americas, and particularly Mexico. Dr Barbara Rogoff shared some of her pioneering research work and Carolina Cerezuela spoke of a Montessori outreach initiative in Oaxaca.
Listen to the latest episode of our EsF Stories series to find out more about Bambini in Emergenza, a non-profit foundation that operates in Romania to aid abandoned children from HIV/AIDS positive mothers. Our guests in this episode are Annamaria Minardi, project manager at Bambini in Emergenza, and Mariana Uliță, a 3-6 AMI trainer and the president of the Montessori Institute of Bucharest. Together, they tell the story of Bambini in Emergenza, Montessori in Romania and the close collaboration between Bambini in Emergenza and the Montessori Institute of Bucharest. Listen here to learn more about Annamaria and Mariana's wonderful collaboration.
Educateurs Sans Frontières recently spoke with mother and daughter Luming and Lora Woellhaf, to learn more about their work in the Philippines and their foundation Mithing Pangarap. Their initiative is two-fold, and combines a thriving private Montessori school in Metro Manila with an outreach Montessori program that nurtures the educational and holistic development of children from the underserved community at Smokey mountain, a former dumpsite in Tondo, Manila.
Stories are everywhere — when we talk of history, science, mathematics, and inventions, we do not only speak of facts, we also speak of wonder and speaking to the power of the mind. We used to be great storytellers: it was a way to pass on the history of our families, the animals, villages and our land.
In today’s world, we have often outsourced our memories to written text. And here is a fascinating dilemma: we must not forget how to tell stories, and yet the written word has also given us the possibility to preserve and share our stories with people from the other side of the planet.
On 31 August 2021, AMI trainer Carla Foster shared with us The Art of Storytelling - how important it is for the elementary child, and how to perfect this art in our teachers. She was joined by Gabrielle Ahuli'i Ferreira Holt who spoke about the importance of exposure to stories and legends of cultural significance in early childhood, helping children engage deeply with their culture and also creating more meaningful connections across cultures.