Well, am back on the Consultation Trail! Recently visited a Montessori school in the Boston area and will soon be headed to Virginia to visit another. As an AMI Primary Consultant, my task is to observe classes and meet with Guides and Heads of School to help them meet or maintain the Pedagogical Standards necessary for AMI Recognition. Recognition assures parents and the community that schools are offering an authentic Montessori program.
For those of you not familiar with AMI (www.amiusa.org), it’s the organization founded by Dr. Maria Montessori back in 1929 to protect the integrity of her work and to ensure that it continued to serve children according to her philosophy and methodology. The Pedagogical Standards represent the essence of her work.
Whenever I visit schools – new ones in particular – I like to share with parents what the Standards “are about” so they can better understand why things are “done the way they are” in the school, and to offer them guidelines for implementing Montessori at home.
There are five Pedagogical Standards:
- One AMI trained teacher at the appropriate level for the class
- Non-teaching Assistants
- A consultation conducted by an AMI trained consultant at least once every three years
- A complete set of AMI authorized materials in each classroom according to AMI training
- A philosophical approach that is consistent with what is presented in AMI training courses: an appropriate three year age span; age/gender balance; classes scheduled five consecutive days a weeks with three-hour uninterrupted work periods and Extended Day scheduled five days a week.
Each Standard is based strictly on the child’s developmental needs and tendencies.
Next Post: The AMI trained teacher
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