2010 Public School Forum Information
November 5-7, 2010
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Hyatt Regency Milwaukee
Public School Forum Schedule
Friday, November 5, 2010
| 9:00-12:00 a.m. | | School Tours
Visit the classrooms of Maryland Montessori School and Craig Montessori School (option A) or Fernwood Montessori School and MacDowell Montessori School (option B). School tours are optional, and there is a $15 fee for either option A or option B. |
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| 1:30-3:30 p.m. | | Optional Presentation:
How to Start an Alternative Certification Program
with Susan Ristow and Doreen Britton Lange
In this session we will explain how Montessori trained teachers who teach in a public school setting in Milwaukee become state certified through the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center (MTEC) proficiency based certification program. |
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| 6:00-7:15 p.m. | | Keynote Address: Open to the Public
Good at Doing Things: Montessori Education and Higher-Order Cognitive Functions
with Steven Hughes, Ph.D., L.P., ABPdN
In this highly visual, rapid-paced, and entertaining talk, Dr. Hughes describes how Maria Montessori’s brain-based approach to education provides an unparalleled foundation for the development of academic, social, and executive functions critical for advanced problem solving and lifetime success. He shows how Montessori education parallels what we now know about brain development and fosters the development of advanced cognitive functions, social cognition, and such higher-order competencies as empathy and leadership. |
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Saturday, November 6, 2010
| 9:00-10:00 a.m. | | Featured Address:
Observation as a Foundation for Practice and Alternative for Assessment
with Molly O’Shaughnessy
Our work with children is not a teaching method, but rather a method based on deep and sustained observation. Dr. Montessori’s most profound discoveries were based on her scientific observations of children as they freely interacted with their environment in a meaningful way. Many discoveries and inventions that are attributed to genius actually germinate through observation coupled with patience and accurate interpretation. Explore some of the latest, yet surprisingly simple observation recording and interpreting techniques and rediscover why observation is the cornerstone of the Montessori method. |
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Morning Breakout Sessions
10:15-11:15 a.m.
(Choose One) | | The Importance of Early Language Development
with Gretchen Hall
The early years of a child’s life are the most critical in terms of language development because it is the period when language is in its formation. Early language development is embedded in the social interactions that children have with their parents, caregivers, extended family, and community. Research has shown that social risk factors, such as poverty, present obstacles to language development. The effects of such obstacles are lasting and are difficult to remediate, even once the child enters school. This session will address the importance of supporting early language development for at-risk children as a foundation for learning.Helping Children Develop Reading Skills in the Lower Elementary and How to Continue in the Upper Elementary
with J. McKeever
We hope that children enter our elementary classrooms having reaped the benefits of a full and rich children’s house experience, equipped with the basic tools of literacy that will enable them to explore the “seeds of culture” of cosmic education. We know that not all children have reached that point when they join us. One of our responsibilities is to assist each child in the attainment of requisite skills; as Montessorians, we are also obliged to do this in such a way that we appeal to the child’s second-plane characteristics. These two goals are not mutually exclusive. In this session, we will explore some strategies to help us reach these ends. Administrators: How to Observe and Support Staff in a Montessori Setting
with Elizabeth Slade
Working in a public Montessori setting holds a host of challenges for Montessori teachers. This session is designed for administrators to review the fundamental needs of public Montessori teachers and to reflect on ways to support their faculty. The presentation will be followed by an open discussion and an opportunity for questions. The Language of Art: Integrating Art in the Curriculum
with Kristina Snapp
The visual arts are a vehicle for expressive language for each child. Our students have a strong need and desire to create. The question remains how do we meet that need in the classroom in a meaningful, simple approach that is teacher and student accessible and aligned to our curriculum? This presentation will provide hands-on, basic and essential art techniques, materials, and art area organization that empowers all teachers to feel at ease with their own creative process, and in turn, channel that creativity into visual art lessons for the students. The language of art can be simple and powerful all at the same time! |
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| 12:00-1:30 p.m. | | Luncheon
Luncheon with special tribute to AMI trainer Hildegard Solzbacher who was instrumental in facilitating AMI in the public sector over 20 years ago, as well as a special presentation with Carol Hicks titled A History of Montessori in the Mikwaukee Public Schools. |
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Afternoon Breakout Sessions
1:30-3:00 p.m.
(Choose One) | | Assistants: The Practicalities of Language
with Uma Ramani
The language we use and what we communicate is a living, breathing part of the prepared environment of the classroom. As much as, or even more than, the material on the shelf, our use of words is key to the development of language in children. How can we as adults support the innate processes of language development in the toddler and primary classrooms? What can we do to support the conscious exploration of language in the elementary classroom? In this session we will explore ways in which our use of language can enrich the prepared environment of the classroom.Developing an Early Intervention Process to Support Struggling Students
with Elizabeth Slade and Melissa Gagne
Our Montessori classrooms are filled with a variety of learners, with a range of skills and abilities. This early intervention process was designed to support teachers in supporting their struggling students. Using a team approach, teachers are offered new perspectives and ideas, an action plan is created collaboratively, and student growth is tracked until there is student success. Empowering Children’s Literacy
with Emily Green
Human beings are naturally drawn to communicate with each other. Today’s society rarely allows a child the chance to experience the strength of his/her own voice, thoughts, and ideas. Creating an environment that emphasizes the importance of basic human communication is critical to a successful Montessori classroom. The Montessori approach to literacy is equally based on both an enriched language environment and opportunities for social development. Bringing each child’s individual voice to the forefront provides an appropriate context and empowers each child in their quest to move beyond listening and speaking to fluent writing and reading. We will examine how much of daily Montessori practice directly and indirectly bolsters the development of literacy in children. High School: Culmination of Literacy
with Chip Johnston and Terisa Folaron
Montessori educational philosophy treats education as the continuous development of the whole child, and as a result upper-adolescence is a developmental stage where skills, such as literacy, that were developed during earlier developmental stages are refined. This refinement can refer to the literacy of any medium, but more commonly refers to the mastery of language use in terms of grammar, syntax, and register and the expansion of vocabulary in terms of specific lexicons. This session will also cover how to successfully integrate metacognitive practices with technology to increase students’ productivity, reading comprehension, and understanding of their own word processing practices. In addition, the session covers the prerequisite language lessons that 11th grade students must successfully pass, such as semantic reaction, language code-switching, etc., before they can begin their literature work at the International Baccalaureate. The goal of the session is to give the audience practical tools that can be placed in prepared environments that will assist in their students’ development in terms of language literacy. |
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Sunday, November 7, 2010
| 9:00-10:45 a.m. | | Research:
Building Better Brains: Enriched Environments, Activity Based Learning, and Higher Order Cognitive Functioning: The Neurological Case for Montessori Education and Why Children in the 21st Century Need it Now More Than Ever
with Steven Hughes, Ph.D., L.P., ABPdN
For over 100 years, Montessori educators, parents of Montessori children, and Montessori children themselves have asserted, “Montessori works!” However, why Montessori works and what it does (and whether it fully lives up to its billing) has remained something of a mystery for many. Yet, when viewed from the perspective of environmental enrichment and activity-based learning, it is clear that Montessori education offers a profoundly developmental environment, one that may not be found in any other educational setting. This presentation will review research showing that Montessori’s approach anticipated—by decades—much of what we know about optimal environments for the development of human children. |
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| 10:45-11:45 a.m. | | Panel: Transition from Montessori to Further Education
with Graduates from AMI Montessori Programs
A panel of students will discuss their experiences moving from an AMI Montessori program to further, traditional education. |
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Speakers Include…
 | | Keynote speaker Steven Hughes, Ph.D., L.P., ABPdN, is a pediatric neuropsychologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is also a diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology and a guest lecturer at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota and at Montessori schools throughout the Twin Cities area. For many years Dr. Hughes has been a consultant to families of children with learning, behavior, or developmental concerns who attend Montessori schools. |
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 | | Terisa Folaron has been teaching English for over 10 years and has worked in the private and public sectors as well as in international schools in China and Thailand. She currently teaches International Baccalaureate (IB) world literature at Montessori High School, an IB World School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she is also the English chair. Terisa received certifications in both Montessori adolescent orientation (NAMTA) and IB Language A-1 from Rice University. She is a licensed instructor in English and Broadfield Language Arts, with an M.A. in secondary education in English instruction from Alverno College. Terisa is currently completing her two-year research study on the effects of metacognitive reading strategies for readers of electronic texts and has been consulting professionals and academic institutions in literacy practices since 2007. |
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 | | Melissa Gagne grew up in New Jersey where she spent her primary and lower elementary years at The New World Montessori School in Paramus, New Jersey. From there she went on to receive her bachelor of fine arts degree from The Boston Conservatory of Music, her masters degree in arts and education from Connecticut College and her sixth year degree in educational leadership from Sacred Heart University. Melissa taught for 13 years in diverse, urban environments and joined the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) in 2004 as a literacy teacher. She became a dean of students, department chair of English/reading, and an assistant principal. Melissa is currently the principal of the CREC Montessori Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut and feels privileged to offer a free, high-quality AMI Montessori program to children and families from 39 different towns. |
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 | | Emily Green recently completed seven years as the founder and Montessori Implementer of San Francisco Unified School District’s first public Montessori school. An alumna of Educateur sans Frontieres, she is currently working with San Francisco State University to grow a public AMI Montessori masters and teacher credentialing program.
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 | | Gretchen Hall is the AMI primary director of training at the Montessori Training Center of New England as well as the assistant director of the CREC Montessori Magnet School. Gretchen has over 16 years of experience as a classroom teacher, administrator, consultant, and lecturer. She holds an AMI primary diploma from the Washington Montessori Institute, a B.S. in electrical engineering from Michigan State University, and an M.A. in education curriculum and instruction from Loyola College Baltimore. |
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 | | Carol Hicks holds both primary and elementary AMI diplomas and earned a B.A. in history with a minor in elementary education from Marquette University. Carol is an AMI elementary trainer, consultant, and examiner. Carol has fourteen years of teaching experience at the elementary level in both public and private Montessori schools and served eight years as a program coordinator in the Milwaukee Public Schools. She is currently the director of training at the Kansas City campus of The Montessori Institute of Milwaukee. |
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 | | Chip Johnston is the executive director of curriculum and instruction, International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme coordinator, and IB history teacher at Montessori High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Chip received a B.A. in history and political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an M.A. in social studies education from the University of Florida. He holds teaching licenses from the states of Wisconsin and Florida, has received teacher training in advanced placement courses from the College Board, IB coordination and teacher training from the IB organization, and the Montessori adolescent orientation from NAMTA. Chip began his teaching career in two large comprehensive high schools in Gainesville, Florida before joining the staff of Montessori High School in Milwaukee. |
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 | | Doreen Britton Lange is co-director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Assessment Collaborative (SEWAC) and the director of the MPA/Alverno Administrator Mentoring Program. She is an assessor for Montessori teachers being certified through the Milwaukee Teachers Education Centers and has over 40 years of experience in public education. Doreen has been an elementary teacher, a reading resource teacher, an elementary assistant principal, an elementary principal, and a K-8 leadership specialist. She also serves as co-director for one of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) assessment centers and is a trainer of assessors in this program. |
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 | | J. McKeever is an elementary trainer, examiner, and consultant for AMI. She is AMI-trained at the primary and elementary levels and has twenty years of experience in elementary classrooms. In addition, she has worked on a number of AMI elementary courses. Currently, she is the co-director of training at The Montessori Institute of Milwaukee, and is director of elementary training for Montessori Institute of Atlanta’s first elementary training course. She has presented workshops and in-service practica on cosmic education, American history, ecology, classroom management, art, drama, writing, how to inspire follow-up work, and how to implement a going-out program. J. holds a B.A. in English, an M.A. in educational processes, and a secondary level teaching credential. |
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 | | Featured speaker Molly O’Shaughnessy is a leader in Montessori education and a national and international speaker. She is a consultant to numerous schools regarding their Montessori programs and for the AMI school recognition program. She is a published author on Montessori education and leads the expansion project in Minnesota to bring Montessori to low income children. Molly’s interest in the development and welfare of children is central to her career. Since 1996, she has served as director of training at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota (MTCM), adjunct professor for Loyola University, as well as a community faculty member for Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul. She is a seasoned trainer who has prepared adults from around the world to teach children. |
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 | | Uma Ramani received her primary diploma in India in 1980, as well as a masters degree in textiles from Cornell University in 1993. She has worked as a primary teacher in Montessori schools in the U.S. for over 10 years and currently works as a mentor for the primary program and in parent education at The Montessori School in Wilton, Connecticut. Uma is an auxiliary primary trainer and is associated with the Montessori Training Center of New England. She is most interested in the practicalities of translating Montessori philosophy in different settings. |
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 | | Susan Ristow is the administrator of the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center’s (MTEC) teacher certification programs. Prior to joining the staff of MTEC, Susan taught in Milwaukee public schools for 33 years, working as a teacher, diagnostic teacher, supervisor, and regional administrator in the department of special education services and manager of the office of certified staffing in the Milwaukee Public Schools’ department of human resources. Susan holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and a director of special education and pupil services certification from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. |
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 | | Elizabeth Slade earned her AMI elementary diploma from the Washington Montessori Institute in 1987. She taught in the private sector for 13 years before entering the public sector in 2000. She worked as a mentor teacher at the Zanetti Montessori School in Springfield, Massachusetts for seven years before going on to support the conversion of a second public school to Montessori, the Gerena Community School, coordinating the Montessori training and developing the Montessori program. She now runs New View Montessori Consultancy, working with a variety of both public and private Montessori schools to help support their growth and development, and works part-time at the Montessori Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut. |
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 | | Kristina Snapp is currently in her fourth year as a lower elementary teacher at MacDowell Montessori School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a licensed K–12 art educator. She received her AMI elementary diploma from The Montessori Institute of Milwaukee, a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin–LaCrosse, and is currently finishing her masters of education from the Washington Montessori Institute at Loyola University. Kristina has worked as an art educator for over 19 years, and her art and cultural perspectives, as well as the lessons she gives her students, have been formed in part by her travels to Central and South America and her studies in Florence, Italy. |
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Conference Location
Hyatt Regency Milwaukee
333 West Kilbourn Avenue
(414) 276-1234
*Hotel reservations can be made by clicking on the above link to the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee
Group Rates:
$109.00: Single or Double Occupancy
$129.00: Triple Occupancy
$149.00: Quadruple Occupancy
Please note: To receive the conference hotel rate you must make your reservations by October 14, 2010. The hotel will continue to accept reservations after this date on a space and rate available basis only. The group name is: Montessori Public School Forum.
Wisconsin’s largest city, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, is more than just a brewing and manufacturing authority. Milwaukee’s attractions include:
- Milwaukee Art Museum: Milwaukee’s first art gallery opened in 1888 and now holds more than 20,000 works of art and is also internationally renowned for its architecture.
- Riverwalk: spanning nearly three miles of the Milwaukee River, the RiverWalk is the place to go for shopping, dining, theater and entertainment and is just steps from the hotel.
- Miller Park: home of the Milwaukee Brewer’s.
- Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin: includes interactive science, technology and freshwater exhibits, learning labs, theaters, television and audio studios and fresh and saltwater aquariums.
- Marcus Center for Performing Arts: home to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Company, Florentine Opera Company, First Stage Milwaukee, Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and more.
- Harley Davidson Museum: this newly opened state-of-the-art museum pays tribute to any and all things Harley Davidson with a multitude of tour options for convenience.
- Miller Brewery: visit one of the world’s largest breweries and go on a free, one-hour indoor/outdoor guided walking tour and see every step of the brewing process as well as enjoy the Historic Caves, Miller Inn and frosty samples.
Conference Policies
Speakers are confirmed for the workshop, however, AMI/USA reserves the right to replace speakers who are unable to attend or to cancel presentations if necessary.
Refund Policy
75% of the registration fee paid will be refunded if the following procedures are followed:
- request must be in writing (includes e-mail)
- all requests must be received by October 22, 2010
Requests must meet these criteria.
No refunds will be issued for phone requests or for requests received after October 22, 2010. School tour fees are nonrefundable.
© AMI/USA, August 2010
