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 Making Connections course provides concrete demonstrations, materials, and samples of how building ecological consciousness in young children is possible and involves the teacher’s own wonder and awe. Utilizing traditional Montessori geography and life science lessons, teachers will learn how to lay a foundation for ecological thinking that introduces a variety of concepts including networks, nested systems, interdependence, diversity, cycles, flows, and development.
Teachers will be introduced to Maria Montessori’s own writings about the natural world and see lesson demonstrations that can be used with students. They will also learn how to integrate systems thinking into the classroom to foster an understanding of the many connections that make up the natural world.
The Montessori Math Curriculum refresher course is designed for Montessori teachers that want to explore the primary Montessori math materials and learn to see the connections that build the foundation of the mathematical mind.
Whether you are a teacher new to the math materials or a seasoned Montessori guide this course will provide further rationale and guided visuals for your practice that will re-ignite your passion for the brilliance of these materials. These lesson demonstrations offer possibilities for new approaches that will enhance your training and provide alternate ways of using the math materials. This will build your cognitive flexibility and broaden your responsiveness to your students so that you can better “follow the child” in the realm of math curriculum.
The Onboarding Montessori Substitutes workshop is geared to the Montessori Leader that wants a structured procedure for bringing substitute teachers to work in their school’s Montessori classrooms. It provides a step-by-step process for preparing a substitute to easily blend into existing school operations, which will help reduce stress in your community and yourself as well as inspire your new support staff member.
The workshop provides a substitute manual that can be revised as well as checklists of the most significant information that should be covered with the new employee. Topics include the onboarding journey, team culture, various adult roles in the Montessori classroom, need-to-know school guidelines and classroom expectations, staff communication, and emergency protocols.
Every school needs substitutes at some point, and as a leader, you can prepare yourself and your organization for bringing these new members to your team with the structured onboarding process provided in the Onboarding Montessori Substitutes workshop.
The Montessori Substitute Orientation workshop provides the substitute teacher new to Montessori with an understanding of basic Montessori principles and practices as well as the the operations of a Montessori classroom. Participants will learn the responsibilities of the adult in a Montessori Classroom, the differences between a trained guide and a substitute, a typical daily schedule and classroom expectations, practical classroom management strategies, and important communication priorities with other staff members.
At the end of the course, substitutes will have developed confidence in their classroom role, understand the responsibilities of the adult in a Montessori classroom, be prepared to step into any age level classroom, and be able to effectively guide children. They will also have downloadable checklists for getting started, a handbook for quick reference, and resources for professional development.
Give your substitutes the training they need to be successful and a headstart on guiding a Montessori classroom with the Montessori Substitute Orientation workshop.
The Building Number Sense workshop provides teachers and caregivers with the tools they need to support children in the early learning of numeracy so they can begin a positive relationship to math. Participants will gain an understanding of the basic conditions, developmental milestones, and key experiences with building number sense that will assist them in creating a math-rich environment for children aged 2-4.
The course also examines current brain research into early numeracy and its relationship to Montessori’s work, including connections to the curriculum that contribute to number sense. Participants are provided with games, activities, and real-life examples they can implement right away as well as a scope and sequence for a clear blueprint of early math experiences. There are also two articles to extend your learning that can also be shared with parents or other staff, and printable math exercises to nurture a strong foundation for the entire math curriculum.
Enroll today to give your students the strong foundation they need for their lifelong use of numbers and math.
The Montessori Assistant Toolkit – Elementary 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 elementary Montessori classrooms (6-12 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.
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.
