This course is a targeted collection of seven of the workshops below that gives a classroom assistant new to Montessori all the needed skills to support teachers and children in early childhood and early elementary Montessori classrooms (2.5-9 years old).
Each of the seven workshops consists of a series of lessons 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 workshops designed for classroom assistants, we throw in a 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 bonus materials, please visit the Montessori Assistant Toolkit page or read the descriptions of the individual workshops below.