SERIES 1 - Culturally Responsive Montessori Environments
Introducing Diversity to our Classrooms through Literature (ALL)
Cindy Weiher
As educators it is our responsibility to provide awareness and understanding of different races, cultures and lifestyles to the children in our classrooms. This workshop will explore opportunities to promote diversity in our classrooms from children as young as toddlers to students in our middle school classrooms. We will discover authors and books which will open our minds to others experiences and perspectives. Resources will be included.
Cindy Weiher is a Montessori Consultant, IT Instructor and Parent/Child Class Facilitator. She supports Montessori teacher education in the United States and China. She has over 40 years of experience working with young children and their families. Her experience has provided a strong understanding of different cultures and belief systems, and how to apply anti-bias education in the classroom.
Empathy and Understanding in your Classroom (ALL)
Dr. David Shin
Empathy has become a "hot word" in education. Why do teachers need to understand empathy? Why do we need to see different perspectives? What do we gain from seeing our classroom from a different point of view? Dr. Shin has developed a tool to help us see ourselves in a different way, take a deeper look at our teaching methods and understand our classroom community a little better. His presentation will provide participants with strategies for asking these questions and provides opportunities to understand ourselves.
Dr. David Shin has been in the classroom for 14 years. David is the current chair of the middle school science department at St. Christopher's School. He teaches robotics, coding and science for grades 6-8. He loves exploring new technologies and how they can be leveraged in the classroom to better meet the needs of today's teachers. His current initiative allows teachers to self-evaluate using virtual reality. This three-dimensional observation tool allows teachers to be positioned at the child's perspective to reveal surprising elements of the classroom like never before.
Combating Bias in our Observation of Children (ALL)
Michele Mohar, MEd
In the daily observations of the children in our Montessori environments we frequently apply bias unintentionally and unconsciously. We instinctually seek behaviors that verify our own thoughts and perspective, inadvertently apply stereotypes, and utilize confirmation bias. This session will discuss the challenges of observing without bias, strategies for understanding perspective and employing unbiased observation in our classrooms.
Michele Mohar, MEd, is the Director of Virginia Center for Montessori Studies in Richmond, VA. She has over 25 years of experience in both traditional and Montessori education. Michele is a former assistant head of school and lead teacher at West End Montessori School in Richmond, VA. She is also a current member of the AMS Teacher Education Action Commission. Michele is AMS credentialed in Infant & Toddler and Early Childhood.
