Roots and Wings Montessori Podcast

Effective Montessori Professional Development

In this episode of the Roots and Wings Montessori podcast, host Jess Davis discusses research she conducted as a 2024 American Montessori Society Emerging Leader Fellow, which focused on characteristics of Montessori professional development most in line with educational research and perceived as most effective by teachers. Get a break-down of the insights provided by 160 US Montessorians through survey on what works, what doesn't, and how teachers perceive different PD opportunities. Learn how Montessori androgogy can guide the development of professional learning that aligns with our school values and philosophy. RELATED REFERENCES: Bayar, A. (2014). The Components of Effective ProfessionalDevelopment Activities in Terms of Teachers' Perspective. InternationalOnline Journal of Educational Sciences v6 n2 P319-327 2014.   Bragg, L. A., Walsh, C.,& Heyeres, M. (2021). Successful design and delivery of online professionaldevelopment for teachers: A systematic review of the literature. Computers& Education, 166, 104158.   Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler,M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learningpolicy institute. Day, C., Sammons, P., & Gorgen, K. (2020). Successful schoolleadership. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED614324.pdf  DeMonte, J. (2013).High-Quality Professional Development for Teachers: Supporting Teacher Trainingto Improve Student Learning. Center for American Progress.   Elaine H.J. Yew, Karen Goh,Problem-Based Learning: An Overview of its Process and Impact on Learning,Health Professions Education,Volume 2, Issue 2,2016,Pages 75-79.   Epstein, J. L. (2019). School, family, and CommunityPartnerships: Your Handbook for Action. Corwin, A Sage Publishing Company. Janacsek K., Nemeth D. (2012) Predicting the future: From implicitlearning to consolidation, International Journal of Psychophysiology, Volume83, Issue 2, Pages 213-221, ISSN 0167-8760https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.11.012. Kennedy, M. M. (2016). Howdoes professional development improve teaching?. Review of educationalresearch, 86(4), 945-980.

Behavior Management Plans with Jess Davis (E021)

Challenging behaviors are part of being a teacher. We are there to help guide children and help them learn from their mistakes. Sometimes all the lovely ideas we have brought back to the classroom from workshops and trainings are not enough, though. Sometimes a child may be so dysregulated that they engage in damaging, violent, or extremely disruptive behaviors and nothing we have tried seems to be working. What then? In this "real talk" series on managing big behaviors in Montessori settings, Jess Davis, MEd and Lead Consultant at Montessori Minds, will be discussing tools to help teachers design solutions for extreme behaviors that support the child in crisis while also protecting the learning and safety of the others in the room. Today's episode will focus on writing Classroom Behavior Management Plans, breaking down the parts of a plan, tips for writing each section effectively, and advice for schools and teachers. Jess refers to some research and resources throughout the website (listed/linked below): https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources/iris-resource-locator/ https://positivediscipline.org/ Research shows that when teachers create consistent classroom rules that are stated positively and describe expected behavior, students engage in disruptive behavior less often. (Alter and Haydon, 2017); Reinke et al 2013)Research shows that classrooms with predictable procedures and routines have lower rates of challenging behaviors (Simonsen et al 2020)

Leadership through Listening with Dr. Eric Dustman

Join host Jess Davis of Montessori Minds consulting in conversation with Dr. Eric Dustman about school leadership. Eric is a school leader, consultant, author, and presenter. You can learn more about Eric at https://nuancegroupllc.com/ . Eric is also co-facillitator of the AMS Emerging Leader Fellowship Program (ELF). Jess and Eric discuss ways to help school communities heal after big changes, how to build trust within faculty and board, how to build relationships through storytelling, and more. Eric's latest book, Puff Leadership: How Flexing Your Soft Skills Can Strengthen Your Lead is out now and available through Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Puff-Leadership-Flexing-Skills-Strengthen/dp/B0DXW19W39

From Birth to Adolescence with Trisha Thompson-Willingham and Dr. Susan Zoll

This month host Jess Davis discusses the breadth of Montessori education across the ages with co-authors of the new book Implementing the Montessori Method: Learner Centered Education from Birth through Adolescence, Trisha Thompson-Willingham and Dr. Susan Zoll. This includes discussion of how differnt the environment, goals, and roles of the adults are in the different planes of development, highlighting how the Montessori method evolves with the child. The panel deep-dives into one thread throughout Montessori education: character development, including its importance, ways of framing character development in the classroom, and strategies for creating a classroom culture that nurtures strong character. key topics * Montessori developmental continuum from birth to adolescence * The role of character development in Montessori education * Supporting teachers through high-quality training and ongoing support * Policy challenges and opportunities for Montessori schools * Creating a Montessori culture that meets developmental needs * The Complete Montessori Continuum: From Birth to Adolescence * Building a Montessori Culture: Support for Teachers * "Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education." * "Montessori education is more than the sum of its parts." Resources * Character Lab [https://characterlab.org/] * https://www.implementingthemontessorimethod.org/ * https://www.dr-susan-zoll.com/ * https://www.trishathompson-willingham.com/

Montessori and Cognitive Science with Dr. Laura Saylor

Join host Jess Davis for an engaging conversation with Dr. Laura Saylor of Mt. St. Joseph University about the many intersections of Montessori and cognitive science research. Discussion covers routines, formats, and language to decrease cognitive load for students, the importance of nonlinguistic representations (visual learning materials to go with verbal information), and the effects of technology on learning. Resources mentioned: The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2025 https://www.edutopia.org/visual-essay/the-10-most-significant-education-studies-of-2025/ ISTE Technology Standards https://iste.org/standards Book Recommendations: The Digital Delusion Science of Learning: 99 Studies that Every Teacher Needs to Know Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning