Webinars

How can we make distance learning work for our Montessori schools? What are the best practices? CGMS offers free webinars to assist teachers as they prepare for the possibility of returning to distance learning whether on a consistent or intermittent basis. Topics span Infant-Toddler through Elementary.

How are structures essential in the Montessori secondary prepared environment? How do they meet the varied needs of adolescents, offering them independence, choice, and collaboration? And how do structures differ from but support strategies for differentiation, deep learning, and the development of character in our young adult learners? In this webinar, we’ll explore 4 key structures essential to a Montessori secondary classroom: 1. Project-based Learning – Montessori style 2. Study Guides 3. Open Work Cycles 4. Frameworks for Conceptual Understanding We'll also look at how structures bring educational equity to our classrooms and our teaching practice.

Are you interested in building a theater program or expanding the scope of your current theater program? Are you interested in developing original screenplays in collaboration with your students and performing them for your school community? Join Montessori Guide and college professor Adam Darlage as he shares concrete ways to build and develop a strong theater program at the Elementary and Middle School levels. He presents strategies and timetables with respect to the entire process of play production, including: playwriting; procuring costumes, sets, and props; rehearsals; musical choices; technological demands; and community outreach. In addition, he explores proven models to help you build compelling stories that matter, most notably the Hero’s Journey of Joseph Campbell. Whether you want to perform a short play for a special event in your classroom or write and perform original full-length productions for the gathered school community, this webinar can help you achieve your theater performance goals as an Elementary or Middle School Montessori Guide.

Following Maria’s lead, who gave education a scientific approach, this workshop will connect marketing and education. Stores and businesses commonly use marketing strategies to prepare their environment and to better serve their customers. This workshop will approach these tools to our classroom and help us build the right classroom for our students. It will be an interactive workshop full of examples and will use accessible language.

Dr. Montessori was very clear about interrupting a child at work, but redirection may be necessary when the 3 D’s (dangerous, destructive or disrespectful) are occurring in the classroom. Learn some new practical tips to use that are safe, constructive and respectful all at the same time.

“Art is an understanding of the beauty around us. What we strive to achieve is the development of a better audience, giving the child the skills to appreciate art surrounding them at all times, and utilizing the classroom to create this appreciation." In this Webinar, you will be exploring many ways to interrelate the art curriculum in the other areas in the classroom. You will be receiving many ideas and resources to help you create an art shelf, shelf work, and art based books.

In this workshop, we will discuss activities to make the history curriculum "Come Alive" through an integrated curriculum experience. We will explore ideas for creating a whole class and even school-wide activities and celebrations. Join us to get excited about using art, music, reading, and writing and to create an enthusiastic learning community.

Come and explore the depth and breadth of the Nomenclature Materials in the 3-6 classroom. Learn how these common materials in Botany and Zoology can truly meet the needs of all levels of learners in your community. From extensions with “Part of” Puzzles to Three-Part Cards through Definition Books and Definition Matching Cards, this workshop will extend the learning of these materials across all levels. We will share the basic work as well as extensions in Nature, Art, and even the Movable Alphabet. This workshop can help you entice children to enjoy and benefit from these materials to their fullest across all three years.

You will explore your definition of "Spirit" and how your connection to "the teacher within" prepares you for your work as a teacher. You will personally connect to Spirit more deeply and consistently. Insights, Aha!s, epiphanies, creativity and genius become more frequent as wisdom, truth and guidance flow from the right brain with the help of a stronger superhighway between the left and right brain via the callus callosum. The six-step process of how Aha!s are attained will be integrated into your experience, changing your life not only in the arena of your teaching, but with a holistic process incorporated into every aspect of life. The six-step process will then be integrated into your classroom as you observe your students experiencing Aha!s, changing not only their learning capabilities, but infusing the experience into their being for positive change in their lives.

In this very interesting webinar, we will discuss the ways that Montessori practice can be used successfully to support those with dementia, and we will discuss some basic activities you can use with elders. This will be a great introduction for those who think they may want to seek additional certification in this area.

Session 1: From Peace to Equity: An Introduction. It’s no coincidence that, in the 21st century, we hold dear to our hearts Dr. Montessori’s work with peace, which any true Montessori environment reflects—safety, pristinely ordered aesthetics, and a culture of kindness. But is it enough to create peaceful environments? In this first session of a three-part webinar, we will work on expanding our view of peace education, placing EQUITY at the center. We will examine how EQUITY enables us to see the whole child and surrounding world conjointly as a mechanism to the child’s success. Beginning with a review of our roots in Dr. Montessori’s original work, focusing on the demographics of her students and why she chose them, we will bring it into the forefront of our work with today’s global child. As we evolve our ideal from peace to equity, we will reflect on how bias shapes our interaction and consider the impact of inclusion and exclusion. We will look at passive and active sympathy and explore ways to maintain our beliefs while adjusting our behaviors toward humankind. Session 2: From Peace to Equity: Global Citizenship. “We must revise our concepts, our attitudes, our educational systems if we wish to help man to become more cultured, more disciplined, more open to abstract ideas; if our aim is indeed to help him grow to become a citizen of the world. ”- Dr. Maria Montessori. Most Montessori adults were not educated as citizens of the world, yet we are tasked to model it. In session two, we will dive deeper into our identity by examining how our past, present, and future experiences shape our spiritual development. We will work on constructing interpersonal skills based on global relationships; and learn actionable steps to embrace ourselves and our identities as a worthy citizen of the world. Only then can the Montessori adult prepare themself to guide the future citizen of the world (the child). Session 3: From Peace to Equity: Global Communication for the Montessori Community. Building on our work in the previous session, we will further examine how identity intersects with community. Who we are affects whether we react or respond and how we relate to others. We learn and grow in relationships. It is through these relationships that we construct our school culture which contributes to the development or deconstruction of the global child and their community. Participants will discover ways to connect with the whole child by expanding the definition of the prepared adult, based on relationship and communication. We will examine the correlation of our own personalities with the Montessori Triad and learn tools to meaningfully establish the educator/family relationship while daily engaging with families based on efficacy.

This two-session webinar will examine both the basics of the early childhood Language Arts Curriculum and some twists and tricks to keep your classroom alive and interesting as the year progresses. Although we know that many children need a solid sequential progression of skills, how do we decide when to add in steps, skip steps, and review to meet the particular needs of our learners? This workshop will look at the curriculum and search for ways to entice children with variations and extensions when appropriate, provide group practice, individual challenges as well as striving to create a classroom culture that encourages and supports “big” works for children to aspire to within the three-year cycle. From the pre-reading exercises through writing with the Movable Alphabet and a pencil all the way to Nomenclature Cards and Grammar, this workshop has something for everyone, including lower elementary guides, addressing young first years and emergent readers.

A prepared Montessori environment provides endless opportunities to explore science. When children use their senses, interests, and natural curiosity, the sky is the limit! Perfect, right? Well…sometimes that limitless opportunity can be overwhelming and confusing. You might ask yourself, “Where do I start?” “There’s just too much to cover,” or “What if I am less confident in teaching elementary-level science?” Join this webinar to discuss how to organize a Montessori 3-year curriculum cycle in science to make sure you’re including cross-curricular, hands-on, inquiry-based activities. You’ll leave with a plan, and most importantly, feeling confident that you can teach elementary science regardless of your current knowledge in science.

Too many lessons? Too much work to check? Too many tests to administer? For so many Montessorians, the passion and excitement felt at certification, has waned under the stress and overwhelm of those giant albums, the mandated assessments, remote learning, and children who are stressed and missing the normalcy of the classroom. Deciding where to put your energies, while striving to meet all the different expectations can be a real enthusiasm-killer! But it doesn’t have to be like that! In this 3-hour workshop, Claudia Mann will share strategies she has used to overcome the overwhelm and find the joy you sense is possible but haven’t been able to achieve or maintain. We’ll identify your areas of greatest concern, use a system for teasing out the most important expectations, practice a system for planning and decision-making, and help you create your manageable prepared environment for successful, peaceful, and joy-filled days.

It was Plato who said, "Geometry is the experience of the eternally existent....The study of the One is among those that lead the mind on and turns it to the vision of reality." This is the basis for the sacred work of geometry. It offers us and the child a spiritual exploration through the physical means of the geometric work. Sacred geometry work can foster wonder, keen observation and a holistic appreciation of the universe and environment we live in. It is through this work of self-discovery that Maria Montessori's vision of peace can begin to manifest as a reality of our world. In this two-part workshop, we will explore the fascinating and awe-inspiring practice of sacred geometry. We will explore the story and history of sacred geometry and learn how to utilize the compass and straight-edge to create inspiring geometric works. We will also discuss how this practice implements and integrates into the elementary Montessori classroom and will have ample opportunity for discussion and questions on this topic. Please join me for this fun and exciting journey into sacred geometry

One of the few positive side effects of trying to conduct an authentic Montessori program in the midst of a pandemic has been that we had been forced to re-think the nature of the prepared environment, our instructional practices, and our relations and communications with students, fellow staff, and parents. Perhaps it is an ideal time to take a fresh look at some of our long-standing assumptions – about the use of technology, parent engagement, the classroom teaching team, learning different children, and many more. In this webinar created and conducted by Jonathan Wolff, we will discuss Montessori practices we need to reaffirm and retain, those that may need some alteration or updating, and those we may wish to delete from our classroom communities. This will be a highly interactive session, in which you will have an opportunity to share ideas and ask questions about your program and practices.

In this 2-session webinar facilitated by Christine Lowry, M.Ed., participants explore responsive guidance, compassionate teaching, trauma-informed care and more.

A webinar in two parts, presented by Bill Alsdurf Jr., M. Ed.

This 2-part series contains information on creating manipulatives for various areas of the Montessori classroom.

Presented in two sessions by Holli Andrews

Presented by Jocelyn Swanson

How Montessori communities become more cohesive and resilient through thankfulness. Facilitated by Jon Wolff and Kitty Bravo. This two-part webinar presents a variety of personal and group practices of gratitude that can transform anxiety, despair, and negativity into hope, collaboration, and creativity. In stressful situations the human brain tends to focus first on what is painful and problematic. This is a natural and self-protective response, as safety and survival always come first. But if a Montessori community becomes too problem-oriented, too mindful of “what’s not working,” people begin to lose sight of what is working, what is valued, and who is making key contributions to the lives and learning of children, families, and staff. Practicing an inner daily discipline of gratitude, accompanied by outer expressions of appreciation – especially in times like these – can help create a community-strengthening atmosphere.

Facilitated by Natalie Carver. For Early Childhood and Lower Elementary teachers. There is a lot we cannot control in our world right now, but preparing our environments for our children and leaning heavily on our Montessori roots can be a game changer - providing us with a sense of normality and routine among the challenges we are facing currently. We will look at a number of practical life topics over two evening meeting and focus on processes such as how to incorporate safe practices at home and in school, how and what grace and courtesy activities can provide structure and emotional stamina, and use of Care of Self and Care of Environment to protect and strengthen children during this pandemic. This Webinar will focus on Early Childhood and Lower Elementary aged children.

Facilitated by Angela Minahan. Standardized testing is a requirement most public Montessori students are tasked with during their 3rd through 6th grade years and beyond. As Montessori teachers how do we prepare our students for test questions that may be unfamiliar, testing language and comprehension essay writing? Join me for exploring standardized test formats, key test vocabulary and strategies to build stamina and confidence for state tests.

Facilitated by Julie Cash. This two session webinar will introduce you to Writer’s Workshop for the elementary multiage Montessori classroom. Including not only theoretical ideas, but many practical suggestions and examples, you will come away with a solid understanding of the whats, whys, and how’s of this approach to developing a community of writers. We will discuss definitions, goals, tools, and look at examples of children’s writing and videos of Writer’s Workshop in action. While implementing Writer’s Workshop in the multi-age classroom is typically not addressed by the experts, it can be adapted, and (as we know) will actually benefit from the interactions between a wide range of writers. Motivated, invested and joyful writers will flourish in your classroom!

Whether your incoming adolescent learners are new to Montessori or new to the third plane, they need to reorient themselves for a successful year ahead. They want to know: What will it be like in Montessori Secondary and what’s expected of me? And they aren’t the only ones. Parents want to know too and need to understand how to support their young-adult’s social and academic development! Explore how to prepare as a guide to lead for a new year, how to prepare learners and parents, and how to strengthen the leadership of those learners who are returning.

During this workshop, we discover out-of-the-box applications of our beloved math materials. These lessons will help our students understand concepts such as Money (with the Hundred Board), Metric System Conversion (with Golden Mat), Volume Conversion, and Phases of the Moon (with Fraction Box), Graphing and the Coordinate Plane (with Peg Board) and many more. Come and refill your math bag of tricks!

Caregiving routines, when practiced by highly skilled caregivers who are educated in child development and pedagogy, are educational. Not simply custodial duties to rush through each day to get to the “real teaching”. This webinar will focus on the caregiving routines in the Montessori infant and toddler classroom, and how infants and toddlers build skills by experiencing and participating in caregiving routines. We say “caregiving is the curriculum”, and these routines and interactions are the most important interactions infant and toddler caregivers have with children each day. Participants will understand the importance of the respectful model of caregiving routines practiced in the Montessori infant and toddler classroom. Participants will also be skilled in these caregiving routines through demonstration and practice. And develop a new perspective on the developmental impacts of the caregiving routines. We will cover the diapering and toilet learning process for infants- age 3. Participants will also learn the process of development from bottle feeding the infant to self feeding at the weaning table. We will discuss how these caregiving routines aid in the development and satisfaction of sensitive periods and developmental domains. Participants will understand the importance of the first 3 years of life. And how undervalued practices such as caregiving have a profound impact on the development of a child.

Join Martha Zimmerman and Ann Winkler, veteran Montessori educators, to discuss your toolbox for a successful start to the school year. These tips can be applied to any level. Be prepared to share and expand ideas in small breakout groups that are level specific. We all have something to offer each other in our work of preparation for the school year.

Begin your year by developing a cohesive and resilient teaching team. Effective teams exhibit certain partnership behaviors that are the underpinnings of their success. Foundational to everything is trust, respect, and empowerment. Team members feel heard and appreciated. There are ample opportunities for professional growth and making contributions to the children’s learning experience. It is the role of the Montessori Guide to create a prepared environment of inquiry, learning, and support for their classroom team. How this can be accomplished on a daily basis, through guided observation, guided practice, guided experimentation, and supportive feedback will be the focus of this workshop.

What better way to spark the joy of language and build community in the classroom than with poetry? Children are naturally attuned to rhythm and easily drawn to experiences that include poems that immerse them in the richness of language and the joy of reciting together. In this webinar, we will explore practices that use thoughtfully selected poems, seeing how they can become vehicles for ELA instruction, teaching empathy, creative self-expression, curriculum enhancement, and strengthening a sense of community in the E1 classroom. As a participant, you will listen to sure-fire poems as we explore the benefits they offer and the possibilities they inspire. We'll also see how teaching a new poem each week can be a delightful group experience that exposes the students to a wide range of literacy skills. Resources for creating your own collection of poems will be provided. While much of this may be applicable and adaptable to E2 classrooms, it is geared towards younger children.