ClassrooMechanics offers a variety of online, self-paced professional development workshops and courses, which are listed below. There is a brief description of each to give you an idea of the content, and some have links to additional information. To enroll yourself or others, click on the name of the course or on the image to the left of the course to be taken to its product page.
The Montessori Assistant Toolkit – Infancy and Toddlerhood Edition is a targeted collection of seven lessons that gives a classroom assistant new to Montessori all the needed skills to support teachers and children in an infant/toddler Montessori environment (0-3 years old).
Each of the seven lessons consists of a series of topics that cover key concepts necessary to understand and work in a Montessori Classroom. They utilize innovative features, multimedia content, summary assessments, and hands-on assignments in a workbook. Participants work through the lessons at their own pace; however, we suggest they complete them and the follow-up exercises over a period of seven weeks (one per week) to maximize their understanding. This pace is also easy to fit into any schedule as it is not a significant impact on a person’s time.
In addition to the 7 lessons designed for classroom assistants, we throw in a FREE bonus workshop for lead teachers titled Supporting Classroom Assistants. It provides lead guides with tips and strategies for working more effectively with their classroom assistant. It is designed to provide the leader of a Montessori learning environment with the insights and skills needed to make the best use of their assistants and raise the performance of the whole classroom.
Though aimed at classroom assistants, this course is also ideal for any adult new to Montessori, including board members, volunteers, parents, and others needing an overview of a functioning of a Montessori classroom. For more detailed information on the contents of the course, sample content, and included materials, please visit the Montessori Assistant Toolkit page.
The Montessori Assistant Toolkit – Early Childhood Edition is a targeted collection of seven lessonsthat gives a classroom assistant new to Montessori all the needed skills to support teachers and children in early childhood Montessori classrooms (3-6 years old).
Each of the seven lessons consists of a series of topics that cover key concepts necessary to understand and work in a Montessori Classroom. They utilize innovative features, multimedia content, summary assessments, and hands-on assignments in a workbook. Participants work through the lessons at their own pace; however, we suggest they complete them and their follow-up exercises over a period of seven weeks (one per week) to maximize their understanding. This pace is also easy to fit into any schedule as it is not a significant impact on a person’s time.
In addition to the 7 lessons designed for classroom assistants, we throw in a FREE bonus workshop for teachers titled Supporting Classroom Assistants. It provides lead guides with tips and strategies for working more effectively with their classroom assistant. It is designed to provide the leader of a Montessori learning environment with the insights and skills needed to make the best use of their assistants and raise the performance of the whole classroom.
Though aimed at classroom assistants, this course is also ideal for any adult new to Montessori, including board members, volunteers, parents, and others needing an overview of a functioning of a Montessori classroom. For more detailed information on the contents of the course, sample content, and included materials, please visit the Montessori Assistant Toolkit page.
This workshop is designed to help administrators, teachers, and guides create a plan for observing holidays in their classroom and/or school that both represents their community and appreciates the world’s many cultures.
After completing the course, participants will be able to survey their community, develop a holiday observation plan, and help their students broaden their view of holiday celebrations. For more information on this workshop, including a list of modules, bonus materials, pricing, the site license option and more, visit the Building an Equitable Holiday Approach page.
This workshop instructs teachers in best practices for working more effectively with their classroom assistant. It is designed to provide the leader of a Montessori learning environment with the insights and skills needed to guide and support the work of their assistants. It covers various topics that will help facilitate communication and collaboration between classroom team members, including establishing positive relationships, defining roles and routines for daily operations, how to model interactions, and helping the assistant develop professionalism as a representative of the school. After completing the lessons, workshop participants will have a new found appreciation of the assistant’s role and be able to more effectively run the classroom with their help.