Head to Head (H2H) Forum – Montessori Principals
Event description
11.00am – 12.30pm AEST
Session 1: Bringing Montessori’s Vision into the 21st Century
Montessori died nearly 70 years ago, and in that time the world has changed so much that she probably wouldn’t recognise it if she was able to visit! The changes continue and are increasing exponentially. She developed her theories at the beginning of the 20th century and spent years refining them to build her philosophy and methodology. What is it that makes it still seem relevant and just as useful today, perhaps even more so, than it was all those years ago? Are we even right, is it still relevant, or do we need to update her methods and vision to fit the world we now live in? Let’s spend some time getting back to the basics of why we are here doing this work, and how we can make sure her incredible vision is underpinning our work.
ABOUT JAN: Jan Gaffney is in her 30th year of working in Montessori Education. She has been an assistant, teacher and principal often at the same time, and has worked with children from birth to 18. Jan continues to advocate for the needs of children, adolescents, teachers, parents and Principals. She has consulted with Schools, ECE, helped establish programmes, run workshops, presented at conferences, and is now working as an advisor for the AMI 12-18 Diploma. Jan offers consulting services to teachers, principals, Boards or parents through her company https://www.montessoristrategies.com.
1.00pm – 2.30pm AEST
Session 2: Purposeful Pedagogy at MRMS – Answering the Call to Action
Maria Montessori set humanity a task – to harness the interconnectedness of all things and let that concept drive the development and learning journey of every young person in their preparation for life and a “radiant future”. At MRMS we have grasped onto this concept as our ultimate inspiration. Join me as I share with you our road map from inspiration to action – how we aim to walk Montessori’s talk and grow active/informed/engaged/critical/innovative/independent/solutions minded community leaders; focusing hard on children having direct opportunities to use purposeful soft skills in the real world while engaging with the Montessori curriculum as a contextual basis.
ABOUT LISA: Lisa came to the Margaret River Montessori School community as Principal in 2014 with a broad and rich experience. Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Italian and a Graduate Diploma in Education, both from UWA, and a Diploma of Montessori Teaching (Primary) 6-12 Years from the Montessori Institute. Before coming to Margaret River Lisa taught in a variety of settings from early childhood through to senior secondary, from the leafy suburbs of Perth to the remote Western Desert. Living and working in Punmu Aboriginal Community with the Martu people ensured Lisa’s view of education was turned on its head. She was simultaneously inspired and deeply challenged to look beyond the mainstream to ways of working with students developmentally and individually.Before her role at Margaret River Montessori Lisa also worked for the Association of Independent Schools (AISWA) as an Education Consultant, providing support to principals, teachers and education assistants working in the Aboriginal Independent Community Schools all over WA. Lisa’s move into the Montessori community has been a home coming of sorts as she has found in the method and the philosophy the ultimate combination of excellence in education and high quality practice that is wholly and ultimately focused on student wellbeing and the quest for a better world.
3.00pm – 4.30pm AEST
Session 3: Developing and implementing a Strategic Plan
Schools are every changing and evolving. Within this setting we develop and implement Strategic plans that need to not only guide, but flex to meet the changing needs of the community. How do we develop a Strategic Plan that also allows for the changes that are required in the changing educational landscape. Let’s explore this together.
ABOUT ADAM: Principal at Northside Montessori School since October 2017. Since this time I have undertaken the AMI 6-12 Diploma and Foundation Course and have worked with staff to develop our strategic plan which has included the development and future establishment of an Adolescent program in 2022. Prior to Northside, I held the role of Deputy Principal at a P-12 independent School in Western Sydney with approx. 900 students for 6 years, responsible for school administration, staffing, timetabling and Student Welfare.
