Anne Kelly

Montessori Ageing Support Services
Jamison, Australia

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: ORAL
Time: 90 min
Room: South Hall I

Title of presentation

Montessori & Dementia - a perfect match

Short description

Montessori's concept of a prepared environment can be easily applied to the care of older adults and those living with dementia. This workshop will showcase how Montessori philosophy has been applied to aged care, resulting in positive outcomes for both the older adult and those who care.

Author's biography

Anne Kelly is a Montessorian Dementia Consultant who has worked extensively in dementia care both residential and community for the past 30 years. She is currently the Managing Director of Montessori Ageing Support Services and is considered an Australian leader in Montessori methods for ageing care. Anne will present together with Gail Elliot, BASc, MA. She is an Author, Educator, Gerontologist & Dementia Specialist, and Founder of DementiAbility Enterprises Inc. Gail’s work is being used across Canada and around the globe.

Video Invitation

Molly O'Shaughnessy

Montessori Center of Minnesota
St. Paul, USA

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: SUPER BREAKOUT
Time: 90 min
Room: Meeting Hall IV

Title of presentation

Outreach to diverse communities

Short description

Montessori education continues to grow worldwide, and yet, many of our most vulnerable and under-resourced children and communities have little or no access to it. The heart of Montessori is social justice and creating a peaceful world. This offering will explore possibilities of returning to the roots of Montessori’s vision. As Montessori leaders and practitioners, we have an opportunity and responsibility to be advocates for all children.

Author's biography

Molly O’Shaughnessy is an accomplished AMI trainer as well as a consultant and lecturer. She is a highly requested speaker at both national and international conferences. She earned her AMI primary diploma from the Montessori Center of Minnesota in 1976 and holds an M.Ed from Loyola University, Maryland. Molly served on the board of AMI, she is a member of the NAMTA board. She helped launch Montessori Partners Serving All Children, an initiative of the Montessori Center of Minnesota committed to providing high quality Montessori for low income and culturally rooted communities.

Sue Pritzker

Childpeace Montessori School
Portland, USA

Target Audience: School Administrators
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 2.4

Title of presentation

What do I do now? 

Short description

How does the school leader support the beginning Montessori teacher from the beautiful "ideal" of training to the challenging "reality" of the classroom? What approach helps a Montessori teacher build confidence, skill, and self-reflection as they travel the journey to becoming a happy and mature professional? This workshop explores the leader's role in creating a nurturing prepared environment for the adult.

Author's biography

I am a graduate of UC Berkeley with degrees in Sociology and Spanish, have an AMI Primary diploma and worked as a teacher and administrator at Marin Montessori School from 1974-1986. I have been a AMI Primary consultant since 1985, a lecturer for AMI-USA and NAMTA, founding member and President of MAA, and a member of the Montessori Leaders Collaborative.  I currently work on the AMI Global School Accreditation Committee and have a certificate in Non-Profit administration from Portland State.  My greatest joy has been my 30 years at Childpeace Montessori with 70 amazing staff and 360 children.

Video Invitation

Alyssa Conklin-Moore

Hershey Montessori School
Concord Township, USA

Target Audience: Teachers - Infant & Toddler (0-3)
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 220

Title of presentation

Exploring Parker Palmer's 'five habits of the heart' to enliven our role as Montessorians

Short description

As a Congress participant in both Paris (2001) and Portland (2013), I found my time at both events to be incredibly rich and stimulating. I was grateful for the deep dive into theory, exposure to current scientific research and the company of like-minded souls from all around the globe. What I needed was a little more spaciousness for personal reflection and the invitation to spend some time contemplating my own personal practice. As Parker Palmer reflects in his writings, "we teach who we are". That says to me that we have important work to attend to that falls under the heading of this "Pillar of Self". In this 90 minute workshop, we will explore Parker Palmer's "Five Habits of the Heart". These are powerful and peaceful tools which allow us to look within, meaningfully examine our role in relation to serving as agents of social change, strengthen our Montessori practice and increase our potential impact. If you are looking for a taste of new material that harmonizes with your strong Montessori foundation serving the child under three, then this just might be the workshop for you. Come see what bubbles up with a little bit of poetic prompting and the opportunity to turn within.

Author's biography

Alyssa Conklin-Moore received her B.A. in Anthropology, minoring in psychology from Oberlin College (1998). She attended the Ohio Montessori Training Institute where she earned her AMI Primary diploma (1999), and then completed her AMI Assistants to Infancy diploma at The Montessori Institute (2000). She earned her M. Ed. from Cleveland State University specializing in Montessori Education, curriculum development and instruction. She is an ALACE trained doula and Facilitator-In-Training for The Center for Courage and Renewal. Alyssa has been serving children at Hershey Montessori School since 1999. She and her husband, Chris, are the proud parents of two.

Helena Kosková

Natural Spirit
, Czech Republic

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 342

Title of presentation

Way of council - power of the circle

Short description

Way of Council is a practice of non-hierarchical and violence-free form of communication, based on traditional ways of sharing and governing in circle. It teaches us sharing from the heart, listening without judgements, respect and focus on what serves – to us, to the community and to higher good. The workshop will introduce basics of the Way of Council, provide personal experience of sharing in Council circle and offer space for discussion about possible use of the method within our school communities.

Author's biography

Helena Kosková is involved in field of education and facilitation of group processes for 20 years. She works with youngsters, adults and communities, using nature-based methods and power of circles. She works with individuals and groups also as a psychotherapist using body and emotions based method Pesso-Boyden System Psychomotor. Her third working focus and passion is gardening. You can often find her sitting in a circle, deepening Way of Council, or walking, exploring pilgrimage as a tool for learning, development and change. More info about her activities on Natural Spirit web: www.naturalspirit.cz

Joyce Pickering

Shelton School & Evaluation Center
Dallas, USA

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: ORAL
Time: 90 min
Room: Meeting Hall I.B

Title of presentation

Empowering Montessori teachers to create inclusive environments - part 1

Short description

This session will give an overview of learning differences and the ways in which Montessori education is beneficial for these children. Additional strategies needed to apply Montessori to the needs of students who learn differently will be discussed.  

Author's biography

Joyce Pickering is Executive Director Emerita of Shelton School & Evaluation Center in Dallas, Texas. Joyce travels the world to present classes and keynote speeches about Montessori education and how to meet the needs of learning-different students. She is a forty-year Montessorian, speech and hearing pathologist, and learning disabilities specialist. Joyce is the 2013 Living Legacy Recipient for American Montessori Society as well as Past President of AMS Board of Directors.

Alison Awes

Montessori Center of Minnesota
Saint Paul, USA

Target Audience: Teachers - Elementary (6-12)
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 223

Title of presentation

Supporting moral development while navigating the digital age

Short description

In this Information Age, Grace and Courtesy is more critical than ever as navigating technology requires an additional set of skills for building independence, self-confidence, and responsibility. Children need experience and practice with these new skills to be well poised to enter society as contributing members. Join Ms. Awes to explore how we prepare elementary children to enter a society vastly different than that of Dr. Montessori’s time.

Author's biography

Alison Awes is the Director of Elementary Training at the Montessori Center of Minnesota and the Co-Director of Elementary Training at the Maria Montessori Institute, London. Ms. Awes holds AMI diplomas for Primary and Elementary levels, a B.A. in Art History from Smith College, a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Tulane University, and a M.Ed. in Montessori Education from Loyola University in Maryland. She has taught in both six-to-nine and nine-to-twelve classrooms. An international lecturer, she has given numerous workshops on a wide variety of topics.  Ms. Awes attended Montessori school until the age of twelve.

Karissa Lightsmith

Lighthouse Montessori
Seattle, USA

Target Audience: Teachers - Primary (3-6)
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 221

Title of presentation

Creating Montessori families

Short description

Ever feel at odds with the parents of your students? Are you not sure how to share Montessori with the families of your classroom? Come learn practical, inspiring ways to connect with parents and spread Montessori knowledge. Feel great knowing you are doming more than creating Montessori children, you are creating Montessori families.

Author's biography

Karissa Lightsmith is founder and head of school at Lighthouse Montessori in Seattle, WA, a year-round, all-day, Children's House. Karissa designs and runs the parent education and involvement program at Lighthouse Montessori. In addition to her work at Lighthouse, Karissa is also a parent educator and personal coach. She teaches Positive Discipline courses and workshops to teachers and parents.

Video Invitation

Elina Rautasalo

Maria Montessori Institute
London, United Kingdom

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: SUPER BREAKOUT
Time: 90 min
Room: Chamber Hall

Title of presentation

Cultivating character: Lessons of vintage Montessori for the 21st century teacher

Short description

The aim of this session is to draw from ‘vintage Montessori’ – not as in ‘old-fashioned’ or outdated, but vintage as in high quality and of lasting value. We will revisit Montessori’s timeless words on the preparation of the adult, and see how they continue to offer insights for the contemporary, 21st century teacher in support of the unfolding life of the child.

Author's biography

Elina Rautasalo is an AMI Teacher Trainer with over 30 years of experience in education, working with both children and adults. She has served as the chair of Montessori Society AMI(UK) and as a council member of Montessori Education UK. Elina is an AMI examiner and lectures both in the UK and internationally. At present Elina is Director of Training at the Maria Montessori Institute, London and Montessori Institute Prague. In addition to her work in London and Prague, Elina has directed AMI’s 3-6 courses in Thailand and Vietnam.

Helen Mohan Elias

AMI - Montessori Training and Research Trust
Hyderabad, India

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 45 min
Room: Room 344

Title of presentation

Montessori without boundaries

Short description

EsF has come to Hyderabad – what we have learned about the reality of Education for all in a country with almost half a billion children below 14 years of age and 150 million children below 5 years of age. The scope of the work and the limitations in resources has forced us to a new understanding of the essence of Montessori work. Learn about how our work has evolved so far and what is planned for the future.

Author's biography

Helen Mohan Elias has got her primary AMI training from Montessori Training and Research Trust ( MTRT ) Hyderabad, India in 1999. Since then she has been working with the Trust. She assisted on several Montessori Training Courses and was the Chief Directress of the Model Montessori House of Children run by the Trust. She worked with AMI in arranging for the Fifth EsF Assembly at Hyderabad, She is now the designated contact person for Esf Activity in Hyderabad/India . She has been active in developing EsF work under the guidance of Ms Uma Ramani and Ms Lynne Lawrence. This will develop along two lines –with children in the 0-5 age group, in Anganwadi Centres and with elementary level children in the Minority Community Schools. She conducts workshops for parents and teachers of the Missionary schools Montfort Brothers of St Gabriel and has worked on the making of their text books for the primary level based on Montessori Principles. She has also worked with Maxine Swenson in helping the elderly with dementia following Montessori principles in Hyderabad. She is part of KGF School Foundation. They have adopted a government school, raised funds to improve the living conditions with basic amenities and all set to start a Montessori primary environment to reach out to the underprivileged.

John McNamara

Ruffing Montessori School
Rocky River, USA

Target Audience: Teachers - Adolescent (12-18)
Style of Presentation: ORAL
Time: 75 min
Room: South Hall II

Title of presentation

How the Montessori philosophy meets the (psychic) needs of the (new) young adolescent

Short description

This presentation discusses how the Montessori approach to the adolescent makes psychic development the highest purpose of education. How we provide an environment where students can experience community, affirmation, love and support.

Author's biography

John McNamara is a teaching principal at Ruffing Montessori School in Rocky River, Ohio. He holds the AMI Montessori Elementary Diploma from the International Center for Montessori Studies in Bergamo, Italy. He has a BA from the University of Windsor, Ontario and a MA from the University of Toronto, Ontario. He has taught adolescents at Ruffing for over forty years. He was on the staff of NAMTA’s Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies in the United States, Sweden, and Mexico.

Judith Cunningham

Montessori Model UN
Ft Lauderdale, USA

Target Audience: Teachers - Adolescent (12-18)
Style of Presentation: SUPER BREAKOUT
Time: 90 min
Room: Meeting Hall V

Title of presentation

Montessori stepping stones towards peace

Short description

Montessori Path to Peace demonstrates through videos, case studies and lecture how Montessori principles and practices in the elementary and adolescent curriculum reveal the underpinnings for peace during this critical period for the development of social justice.  

Author's biography

Judith Cunningham is the Founder and Executive Director of Montessori Model UN. Judith founded MMUN to help students find their voices, take action and build peace as a way of honoring Maria Montessori’s legacy and implementing her dream of world peace.

Video Invitation

Katy Myers

Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School
Golden, USA

Target Audience: Teachers - Adolescent (12-18)
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 224

Title of presentation

Developing adolescent agency in an urban public Montessori secondary school

Short description

The upper adolescent has a developmental tendency to become a change agent for social justice. The lower adolescent Montessori program provides direct and indirect preparation that allows high school students to reach for this goal. How do we insure that our schools stay focused on developing agency and educating the whole child amidst a high stakes testing environment and deep rooted beliefs regarding what is or is not rigorous education? This interactive workshop will address these important questions and introduce a framework for decision making as we design adolescent programs especially for public schools and schools serving diverse student populations.

Author's biography

Katy Myers is the founding principal of Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School (DMHS) located in Colorado. DMHS is a Denver Public School with Innovation Status that opened in August 2013. Katy was a founding parent of Compass Montessori, a 3-18 public charter school in Golden, CO where she served as assistant head of school for four years and head of school for six years. Katy’s educational background includes elementary Montessori diploma (AMI), adolescent Montessori certification (NAMTA), a B.S. (Speech/Economics) from Northwestern University, and an M.Ed (Education Administration/Supervision) from Arizona State University. She also serves as a Montessori Administrators Association trustee.

Video Invitation

Angeliki Yiassemides

Morningside Montessori Elementary- Cyprus
Nicosia, Cyprus

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: ORAL
Time: 45 min
Room: Room 344

Title of presentation

Montessori education in Cyprus, the last divided country in Europe

Short description

Peace education, as expressed and developed through Maria Montessori’s work, is the optimal method through which to address and heal the existing conflict that children experience while living Nicosia, the last divided city in Europe. Morningside Montessori Elementary is the first school on the island that aims to promote peace education, across and beyond the dividing line that splits our city in two, through its mission and educational aims.

Author's biography

Duckworth Cheryl (2008). Maria Montessori’s Contribution to Peace Education. Katerina Standish (2015). The Critical Difference of Peace Education. Journal of Peace Education and Social Justice. Volume 9 Number 1: 27-38 Montessori, M. (1949). Education and peace. (H.R. Lane, Trans.). Chicago, IL: Henry Regerny.

David McNees

Hershey Montessori School Adolescent Community
Huntsburg, USA

Target Audience: Teachers - Adolescent (12-18)
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 80 min
Room: Room 3.2

Title of presentation

The masks we wear: Role identity and adaptation in the adolescent

Short description

As Montessori guides we have unique opportunities to coalesce ideas concerning healthy role fluidity (adaptation) and the spark of creative flow as they inform our pedagogy and enhance our students’ experience. The adolescent is a Seeker on the path of discovering his or her authentic and personal roles and their power to serve the good, recognizing the value of character and how it can affect the community. Along this path, the adolescent tries on many roles . . .

Author's biography

David McNees, a guide at Hershey Montessori’s Adolescent Community, studied English Literature and Education at the University of California Berkeley, and did his graduate work at New York University studying Applied Psychology and Creative Art Therapy, specifically the use of storytelling and drama within the therapeutic space. He was a therapist for adolescent and adult populations in Manhattan. David has studied Mindfulness directly from Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh, receiving from Hanh certification for Mindfulness in Education. He has also been acting and teaching Shakespeare for 25 years. He received his certification in the NAMTA/AMI Orientation to Adolescent Studies.

Video Invitation

Diana Dimitrov

Montessori Zentrum Hofheim
Hofheim, Germany

Target Audience: Teachers - Adolescent (12-18)
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 222

Title of presentation

Autonomy and peace with command of foreign languages in the Montessori environment

Short description

There is a sensitive period for learning languages within the age of 0-6. This is the time children attend a “Lido” and a “Casa de Bambini” hopefully with multinational, Montessori-trained guides. These guides work with children in their native tongues in such a natural way that the children start school being able to speak, read and probably write in one or two or even more foreign languages. OK, I do admit this is not my professional reality either. However, this is also not the only approach to teaching foreign languages according to Montessori principles. If you want to know more about this, you will be heartily welcome in the workshop as well as anyone who wants to know more about foreign language learning. This workshop aims at Montessori guides who are working with children and adolescents at school. It will provide them with insights into fostering autonomous foreign language learning in a genuine Montessori way. Besides receiving input, participants are expected to do some reflective and interactive work throughout the workshop.

Author's biography

Diana Dimitrov has been a teacher for English at the Montessori Zentrum Hofheim for 16 years, is responsible for quality management and development. She also works as a teacher-trainer for the educational ministry. After graduating as foreign language teacher from university in Jena she started working with children attending school in the second plane and has been accompanying them until they are passing the final exams at the age of 18. She has got a wide range of practical experience in a Montessori environment but has also led many workshops for teachers of foreign languages.

Video Invitation

Rosemary Quaranta

Xavier University Montessori Lab School
CIncinnati, USA

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 3.1

Title of presentation

What is social imagination: Nature, art and play

Short description

NATURE, ART AND PLAY is a workshop that will awaken your senses and inspire interactions with children while exploring nature. Social Imagination is the capacity to respect the past and envision the world as it could be through interactions with others in the natural environment. Nature, Art, and Play are direct ways to experience and cultivate Social Imagination. We will talk about current research on the brain (movement and emotions) and how we want to also move the child into social, creative, artistic expression while experiencing nature. The tool we use for this workshop is NATURE. We will discuss the many symptoms of disconnect that adults and children experience (Ecophobia) and how to reconnect them with a love of Nature (Biophilia). We will discuss Montessori's approach to Nature in Education, the importance of play and playful learning, and how to move the children to creative expression. Teachers will leave with ideas on how to be the catalyst for artistic expression and creative interactions in Nature, fostering curiosity and wonder and how to nurture Inter-Contentedness through patterns, rhythms, cycles and creative communications.

Author's biography

Rosemary Quaranta, MEd, currently Clinical Faculty/Head of the Lab School at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a graduate of Edgecliff College where she received her 3-6 AMI training, The Washington Montessori Institute (AMI Elementary), and Cleveland State University (OMTI program with David Kahn) where she received her MEd/specialization in Montessori. Rosemary has over thirty years of experience in Montessori classrooms. She will co-present with Petra Singerhoff-Mohr who is currently an Early Childhood Teacher at Montessori Kinderhouse Wasserburg, Germany in a nature class, where the children are spending their days in the outdoors, staying outside the whole day in the woods and the fields.

Alexandre Mourot

Dans le Sens de la Vie
Baden, France

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: FILM
Time: 90 min
Room: Meeting Hall I.A

Title of presentation

Let the child be the guide

Short description

As a young father, watching his daughter go through her life experiences, film director Alexandre Mourot discovered the Montessori approach and decided to set his camera up in a children’s house (3 to 6 years of age) in the oldest Montessori school in France. Alexandre was warmly welcomed in a surprisingly calm and peaceful environment, filled with flowers, fruits and Montessori materials. He met happy children, who were free to move about, working alone or in small groups. The teacher remained very discreet. Some children were reading, others were making bread, doing division, laughing or sleeping. The children guided the film director throughout the whole school year, helping him to understand the magic of their autonomy and self-esteem - the seeds of a new society of peace and freedom, which Maria Montessori dedicated her life work to.

Author's biography

After studying engineering and working in the field of new technologies, which didn’t fulfill his creative needs, Alexandre attended art history classes at La Sorbonne University, as well as photography, and then documentary film-making trainings at the Ateliers Varan. In 2009, his first documentary, Poubelles et sentiments (Garbage and Feelings), a reflection on our attachment to objects, was released and selected by several festivals. Since 2014, Alexandre has dedicated himself fully to documentary making, with a passion for education. In order to better understand the Montessori approach, which is the topic of his second film, he has attended a full AMI 3-6 Montessori Teacher Training.

Sharon Damore

DePaul University, Chicago
Chicago, USA

Target Audience: School Administrators
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Room 343

Title of presentation

A model for facing government roadblocks to authentic Montessori

Short description

Join leaders of the Montessori Public Policy Initiative, a collaboration of AMI/USA and the American Montessori Society, to learn how American Montessorians have approached government regulations. MPPI works to eliminate public policy barriers and increase student access to Montessori education in the US through organizational solidarity – enabling strategic and purposeful advocacy for high quality Montessori education.  

Author's biography

Dr. Sharon Damore serves on the Board of the American Montessori Society (AMS) and as a founding member of the Montessori Public Policy Initiative (MPPI), a collaborative effort between AMI/USA and AMS. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and AMS Montessori 3-6 credential. She presents together with Alyssa Schwartz who is the Executive Director for AMI/USA and she is a Montessori child herself and completed her AMI primary training at the Maria Montessori Institute in London.

Jacquie Maughan

Educateurs sans Frontieres
Seattle, USA

Target Audience: General Audience
Style of Presentation: WORKSHOP
Time: 90 min
Room: Small Theatre

Title of presentation

Educateurs sans frontieres: Transcending borders, changing the world through Montessori education

Short description

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead Join us for a journey through the history of EsF and a sampling of the initiatives that the EsF assemblies have inspired. We will travel to prisons in the UK, Montessori volunteers in China and community partnerships in Hyderabad, India. Find your path to joining the Montessori ambassadors, the Educateurs sans Frontieres.

Author's biography

I am a member of the EsF working committee which plans and organizes the EsF assemblies. I am a Board member of Association Montessori Internationale and North American Montessori Teachers Association. I have worked as a Montessori primary and adolescent teacher and school founder/director for over 30 years. Currently I am working on a project to support the development of Montessori birth-to-six programs in communities who lack access.