Montessori in Action Podcast

Season 3, Ep. 4: Public Montessori in Ukraine

Our next episode features the emergence of public Montessori in Ukraine. Anna Volokhova and Viktoriia Shcherbyna and talk about their Montessori journeys, the impact of the war in Ukraine and their work together to support Montessori schools during this time. Anna is the CEO of Montessori UA, an organization founded this past spring in response to the war in Ukraine with a goal of bringing people together and spreading the Montessori method across the country.  Viktoriia is the director of a Montessori program who working with the government to support open access to Montessori education.

Season 3, Ep. 3: A New Era of Indigenous Representation in Montessori Materials

Our next episode is a conversation with Trisha Moquino and Marcus Trujillo, the creators of new Montessori material coming out through Montessori Services. This material offers Montessori classrooms nomenclature cards created by Indigenous educators that represent Indigenous people across the land. Trisha is the author and Marcus is the illustrator of this new work created to reach children and educators with their words and beauty.

Season 3, Ep. 2: Montessori on Wheels

Rungano Montessori on Wheels is a mobile learning incubator whose mission is to create Montessori-based learning environments within Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities. 

 

In this episode we hear from Tatenda Blessing Muchiriri, the Founder and executive director of Rungano Montessori on Wheels as he shares the inspiration for and journey of actualizing this project.

Season 3, Ep. 1: Summer Read: The Future of Smart

Welcome to Season Three! Last season we launched with an episode about summer reads- Montessori-related books to explore. Our premier episode for this season will do the same as we discuss The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help all Young People Thrive. The author, Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, shares her inspiration for the book and how Montessori schools play a role in changing our education system so all children flourish.

Season 2, Ep. 12: Special Education in Montessori

Our final episode for this season is a conversation with two passionate Montessorians exploring the intersection of high quality Montessori implementation and special education. This interesting discussion exposes some of the tensions that exists between prevailing thoughts in special education when interacting with the Montessori philosophy. Ideas of language choice, structures and systems, and ongoing professional development are shared about best practices for Montessori guides creating environemnts supportive of all learners and their families.

Season 2, Ep. 11: Renewing the Montessori Curriculum

Our next episode is a conversation with two Montessori educators who are working on a project called ‘Renewing the Montessori Curriculum’. This is a group of Montessori practitioners who are working to renew the Montessori curriculum - thinking and talking about how Dr. Montessori's liberatory principles would be applied with a lens of equity, in a way that is culturally responsive, and what current practice needs to shift to meet Dr. Montessori's original vision. The team is rewriting lessons and stories, creating new lessons and stories, as well as developing Montessori material to be used in classrooms.

Season 2, Ep. 10: A Conversation with Sarah Harvey

Our next episode is a conversation with Sarah Harvey, the founder of Sankofa Montessori, a proposed culturally responsive, child and family-centered tuition-free Montessori charter school opening in Atlanta, Georgia in August of 2023. Sarah lives in Atlanta with her daughter Yaa and husband, Tyler. 

Season 2, Ep. 9: A Conversation with Dr. Amira Mogaji

Amira Mogaji, EdD, is the president of the AMS Board of Directors and a founding board member of Montessori for Social Justice. Her special interests lie in Montessori public school education and anti-bias, antiracist education. Previously, she has worked as chief academic officer for City Garden Montessori School in St. Louis, MO; principal of Northglade Montessori Magnet School in Kalamazoo, MI; chief executive officer of Philadelphia Montessori Charter School and principal of Chester Upland School District and Village Charter School, both in Chester, PA. She has served as a Culturally Responsive Education facilitator and is a member of ERACCE: Eliminating Racism and Creating/Celebrating Equity regional team in Kalamazoo, MI. AMS credentialed (Administrator).

 

More information about the AMS Pre-Conference Day for public Montessori Educators 

 

Read more about the 2016 Yale Study Dr. Mogaji mentions in the conversation.

Season 2, Ep. 8: MACTE Conversation

Our guests for this episode are from The Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education ( MACTE) which is an organization that accredits Montessori teacher education programs. They are committed to improving academic degree and certificate programs for Montessori professional educators who teach and lead in schools at the Infant and Toddler through Secondary II levels. 

 

As one of only two teacher education accreditors, MACTE is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) and is nationally recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE).  Founded in 1995, its constituency now represents a broad range of educational institutions not limited to those within the United States.

Season 2, Ep. 7: Elementary Reentry Conversation

Season Two, Episode 7 of Montessori in Action Podcast hosts a conversation with two Montessori educators working in Elementary classrooms in public Montessori schools. They had not met or spoken prior to this conversation. The topic for discussion is how children are reentering school this year following the disruptions of the pandemic and what educators are doing to support them.