Caspari Montessori Institute
PO Box 657
Livingston, MT 59047
Tel: (406) 222-2209 or
Tel: (406) 223-0088
Fax: (406) 222-6477
email: casparimontessori@gmail.com

Academic Course

Words of Maria Montessori

The real preparation for education is the study of one's own self. The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more than the learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit.

Dr. Maria Montessori

Course Description

Through lectures, readings and discussions, students discover Dr. Maria Montessori's great contribution to the understanding of the developing child, his/her needs, and how we can help. Students learn how to prepare a nurturing and stimulating educational environment for young children that provides maximum independence, opportunity for movement, interesting activities and indirect preparation for further learning - an environment where each child can progress at his or her own pace and also interact collaboratively with other children. CMI students acquire the understanding of how the prepared teacher and the prepared environment work together to respectfully support each child's individual physical, psychological, social, cognitive and spiritual development. Written papers and a written exam help student learn and remember Montessori principles.

Students receive curriculum manuals and material-making masters, observe detailed demonstrations, and participate in hands-on practice with the Montessori materials for children age three to six in the four avenues of learning:

Unique features of our teacher certification program include the following...

  1. The program is given in two parts: The Academic Course and the Internship. Although some students enter this internship the same year as the course, a commitment to further training is not necessary in advance.
  2. Our language program is phonics-based, hands-on, and very concrete in the steps and materials that we use to help young children become successful writers and readers. You will receive master copies of many of the materials we show in order for you to make your own set of materials.
  3. We strongly emphasize music education with the famous Montessori bells. If you have a music background, you will appreciate the step by step approach to the training of the musical ear, the voice, and music theory. If you have no music background, you will benefit from this opportunity to learn to read music and to play melodies on the bells.
  4. We keep abreast of new developmental and brain research that applies to our work with young children and pass that information on to our students. We are finding that Montessori's principles and methods are being validated over and over again by the important news technologies of our age.

While preparing for a fulfilling career and learning how to support child development, students also experience the personally transforming Montessori message. They find their role as helper to young children extending beyond the classroom and into their own daily lives as they work toward further development of themselves.

Certificate of Attendance

A Certificate of Attendance is awarded upon successful completion of all the above requirements of the course. It does not give the recipient of the certificate permission to represent him/herself as a CMI Montessori trained teacher. Optional undergraduate credit is available through the University of Montana-Western. Caspari Montessori Institute is fully accredited for its early childhood program by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE).

Admission Criteria

Love of children and a desire to help them is the primary qualification of an aspiring Montessori teacher. Applicants must be eighteen years of age and have a high school diploma or equivalent at the time of entrance. Since this program is given at the post-secondary level, applicants need to demonstrate through their written statement of interest in the Montessori course their ability to communicate clearly in written English, with standard usage of grammar, spelling, and writing mechanics. Applicants need to demonstrate through their personal or phone interview with the Director their ability to communicate and express themselves clearly in the English language. Applicants need to be recommended by their three personal references and be cleared through a Child Protective Services background check. Although a college degree is not required at this level, it is recommended that students who do not have a bachelor's degree enroll in the college credit option and then continue working toward finishing their degree.

Non-discrimination Policy

Caspari Montessori Institute admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan program, and other school-administered programs.

Course Syllabus

Course Title Montessori Teacher Education Course
Course Hours 235 hours of instruction
Instructor Anita Wolberd, Master Teacher, CMI Co-founder and Director
Content
  1. Lectures and readings on the life of Maria Montessori and history of the method.
  2. Lectures, reading, discussions regarding the basic Montessori principles and philosophy.
  3. Lectures and readings regarding the influences on Montessori, current research and theories of early childhood education.
  4. Lectures, demonstrations and supervised practice with materials for the four curriculum avenues:
          -  Coordination of Movement through Exercises of Practical Life
          -  Sensorial Foundations of Intellectual Life
          -  Development of Language
          -  Early Preparation of the Mathematical Mind
  5. Lectures, reading, discussion on classroom management.
  6. Manual preparation and material-making lab.
Objectives Students will be able to:
  1. Accurately communicate the biography of Maria Montessori, the history of the Montessori method, and the history of the Montessori movement in America.
  2. Accurately communicate knowledge of the principles of Montessori education and the understanding of Maria Montessori's major philosophical ideas.
  3. Examine the main educational and philosophical ideas that influenced Maria Montessori.
  4. Obtain an understanding of Montessori philosophy in the context of current research and theories in the field of early childhood education.
  5. Understand the purpose of Montessori materials in the four curriculum avenues.
  6. Examine how the Montessori materials relate to Montessori's basic principles and philosophy.
  7. Examine how the Montessori materials for development foster self-expression, arouse curiosity and interest, promote initiative, concentration, independence, liberty, develop desirable attitudes and habits in young children, and provide indirect and, later, direct preparation for increasingly complex activity and academic success.
  8. Examine various techniques and strategies for effective classroom management.
  9. Begin making educational materials for the benefit of children and that will facilitate a deeper understanding of the Montessori principles and methods.
  10. Keenly observe young children and become more sensitive to their needs.
Evaluation 9 essay submissions on history and principles
4 essay submissions on curriculum
1 abstract submission on The Secret of Childhood
1 written examination
Required Reading
Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind
  Discovery of the Child
  Secret of Childhood
E. M. Standing Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work
Written Submissions 13
Written Exam 1