Issue 104:Montessori International 25/6/12 15:18 Page 1 Issue 104 July – September 2012 £5.00 MONTESSORI INTERNATIONALpublished by the Montessori St Nicholas Charity www.montessori.org.uk MONTESSORI Issue 104:Montessori International 25/6/12 15:18 Page 2 Issue 104:Montessori International 27/6/12 14:45 Page 3 MONTESSORI Issue 104 July – September 2012 INTERNATIONAL published quarterly by Montessori St Nicholas, London Editor: Philip Davies Editorial enquiries Tel: +44 207 493 8300 e-mail: [email protected] welcome Marketing and Display Advertising enquiries from Catherine Tubbs on +44 207 493 8300 e-mail: [email protected] Job advertising enquiries Stephanie Ilo, e-mail: [email protected] the editor Subscription enquiries Stephanie Ilo on +44 207 493 8300 “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it Annual subscription rates, incl. p&p (4 issues): means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” UK £19.95; Europe £29.95 / 45.00; € “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so Rest of World £33.00 / US$65.00 Students (incl. p&p): UK £15.95; Europe £23.00 / €36.00; Rest of many different things.” World £28.00 / US$56.00 “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master – that's E-magazine (4 issues): UK and overseas £14.95 all.” (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There) The views expressed in Montessori International are not necessarily those of the publisher and editorial team, nor are advertisements endorsed by them. nd so we come to the third prime area of the Address: Montessori International, EYFS, communication and language, with 18 Balderton Street, London W1K 6TG theme articles from Sandra Morris-Coole, Fax: +44 207 493 9936 A Jeremy Clarke and Elspeth Denchfield. Sandra Montessori International is designed by Stuart O’Neil, tackles the topic of getting the right balance between Design for Print (UK) Ltd, 01442 871144 silence and communication in the classroom, and the Printed by Stones the Printers, Banbury, Oxon role that communication plays in developing social ISSN 1354-1498 skills. In his article Jeremy gives some thought to how the approach to communication in the Montessori nursery can be Congratulations introduced in the home environment as well. Elspeth on the other hand looks at the dialogue from a different angle as she addresses the matter of To all the Montessori nursery schools who were accredited and re-accredited in the effective communication with parents. first six months of 2012 – see pages Apart from the theme articles, other features in this issue include 62 to 63 for full listings. M•E•A•B Shareen Ratnani’s report on the One World, One Montessori Newly accredited schools: conference in Jakarta, sewing activity ideas from Penny Johns, and Beckenham Montessori Preschool Beckenham Maggie Saunders’ reflections on choice in the Montessori environment. Bright Learners Montessori School Barnet Caterpillars Montessori Nursery School Hartley Wintney When I was small I lived with both my parents and my mother’s Chapel Grange Montessori Nursery School Wilmslow parents. Though I don’t actually remember it myself I was often told as I Denning Montessori School Fawley got older how my grandfather and I would go up the garden together, Flitch Green Primary School Gt Dunmow Green Lawns Montessori School Kenton stopping off here and there along the way to see what strange creatures we Jakarta Montessori School Indonesia could find under stones. Once at the greenhouse at the top of the garden Little Tots Nursery Reading we would sit opposite each other just inside and talk. Inevitably, but no Montessori Children's House Sutton less sadly, I also have no memory of what we talked about, but over the The Meadows Montessori Primary School Ipswich The Montessori Nursery School Kingston Blount years I have remained grateful for Granddad Gibbons’ patience and Willow Park Montessori Day Nursery Ipswich understanding. I’d like to dedicate this issue of Montessori International to Re-accreditations him and to all the other adults who talked to us when we were children, Beehive on Queens Park Montessori School Brent and thereby helped us become the communicators that we are now. Iverna Gardens Montessori School Kensington Maynard Montessori Pre-school Stebbing Peacock Montessori Nursery Diss St Nicholas Preparatory School South Kensington St Thomas More Montessori Pre-School Saffron Walden Sunflower Montessori Nursery School Saxmundham Philip Davies, Editor Victoria Road Montessori Kensington Westwood Montessori School Saffron Walden Website: www.montessori.org.uk JULY – SEPTEMBER 2012 Montessori International 1 Issue 104:Montessori International 25/6/12 15:19 Page 4 contents 16 27 44 40 Feature articles Regular departments 16 To speak or not to speak, 30 Classroom activity ideas 3 Charity news that is the question… Penny Johns takes us through the basics of 5 MCI news sewing Sandra Morris-Coole on getting the right 7 MSA news balance in the nursery to allow 32 Montessori Can Parent development of communication skills 37 Bright ideas programme 42 Reviews 18 ‘…wouldn’t it be nice to live Barbara Isaacs introduces the Montessori together, in the kind of parenting classes in Camden, London 46 Education, special world where we belong’ 34 Life at Gorton: what needs & disabilities update Jeremy Clarke gives some pointers on how Montessori means to us the Montessori approach to Kat Price gathers a collage of quotes from 47 Research watch communication can be used at home the staff of Gorton Mount Primary School 51 Company profile 20 Effective communication 39 Discovering treasures 53 Star products with parents Leandra Hine reports on the very 64 Global links Good links between a nursery and its enterprising school group of which she is a parents is also very important – Elspeth member Classified Advertising Denchfield provides some tips 40 Montessori, Maslow, and 56 Teaching opportunities Self-Actualization 24 Alice, language and 60 Teacher Training communication Concluding David Weinberg’s article Philip Davies investigates some of the 44 Choice in the Montessori playful and ingenious use of language in environment the two Alice books by Lewis Carroll Margaret Saunders offers some observations as a practitioner 27 A first in Indonesia Cover Photo: 55 Montessori and me On the roof Shareen Ratnani reports on the recent terrace at The ‘One World … One Montessori …’ Montessori student Samuel Webster Gower School in central conference provides an insight on studying at MCI. London. 2 Montessori International JULY – SEPTEMBER 2012 Issue 104:Montessori International 27/6/12 14:45 Page 5 news Book News from the Montessori St Nicholas Charity As this academic year draws to a close and launch at we prepare for the next we can reflect on a year of great progress both for the Montessori movement across the UK and the Abbey also the Charity and College. The present cloisters at The repositioning and acceptance of Montessori as a mainstream educational Westminster Abbey were begun in philosophy in the early years in this country the thirteenth century, and the remains our long term goal, and to achieve east cloister was completed in the this we depend on all aspects of what we fourteenth century. At that time it and you, our schools and supporters, do. would have been enclosed with Thus there is no one thing that will break glass and shutters, and in the down the barriers of prejudice and ignorance. Rather like the children summertime the stone floor and in our schools, we have to inspire the British public and their benches would have been covered representatives in government to want to learn – specifically to want in rushes. When all the guests had arrived to learn about Montessori. Our successful national conference, the work of all our schools, the MEAB scheme, the MSA and our ten Paradoxically, those monks of so we moved from the cloister to the regional Chairs and Vice Chairs, the magazine and all the projects long ago were probably somewhat octagonal Chapter House, which supported by the Charity add to the flow of information which we dates from the 1250s and is better off than us as we gathered hope will inspire people to want to know more. in the east cloister on May 15 for where the monks would meet We have advanced our social media programme as part of our PR the launch of the Charity’s daily for prayer and discussion of strategy. Twitter, Facebook and blogs are all now part of our publication Learning Together: the day’s work. We on the other communication about what you do and what we represent. But there what Montessori can offer your hand listened to short speeches is one danger on the horizon and that is the existence of too many family. On this particular May day by Canon Vernon White and Dr schools calling themselves Montessori when they are not. Those it had been raining quite hard on Andrew Parmley, Chair of the schools I hope will set out to achieve MEAB accreditation and and off, but by the evening it had Charity’s Board of Trustees. Canon become part of a Montessori family that recognises how important it turned beautifully sunny while White welcomed everyone and is that we can speak with certainty about what goes on in a remaining unseasonably cold, reminded us of the rich history Montessori environment. In many respects this is more important than anything else we are doing. from which the ancient open that was represented by the arches of the cloister offered no building we were in. Dr Parmley * * * protection whatsoever. gave a characteristic speech that I am pleased to announce an opened with humorous remarks exciting new charity partnership Although we were all drawing our between Montessori and before moving on to the more coats and shawls tight around our Barnardo’s, who are both serious business of outlining the shoulders against the chill no-one renowned for putting children at was downhearted – the setting value of Learning Together and the heart of their work and I feel was breathtaking despite the thanking all the people who had this partnership will reflect our organisations’ shared values.