Montessori Australia Presents: Play as the Child’s Work: Self-Directed Play and Democracy Beyond the Prepared Environment

Play as Meaningful Work

Explore how spontaneous, self-directed play supports concentration, creativity, problem-solving and the construction of the child’s developing self.

Freedom with Responsibility

Consider what happens when students have genuine freedom to determine how they use their time while remaining responsible to a shared community.

Democracy and Peer Accountability

Examine how School Meeting, shared decision-making and peer accountability provide structure while allowing students to participate meaningfully in community life.

When Adults Step Back

Reflect on what children may discover when adults resist directing activity, interrupting concentration or turning children’s interests into teachable moments.

When children are trusted with meaningful freedom, play can become a powerful pathway towards independence, responsibility, learning and belonging.

About Derek

Derek Sheppard first encountered Montessori education in approximately 1994, when he and his family joined a working group of parents, teachers and community members researching options for an independent school in the Maleny area of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Although the group ultimately chose the democratic Sudbury Valley model as the best fit at the time, Montessori remained a point of fascination for Derek. Years later, extended conversations with the mother of a boarding student deepened his appreciation for Dr Maria Montessori’s philosophy and its enduring relevance.

With a professional background spanning two decades in banking, Derek has served as a founding director, chair, treasurer or secretary for a range of not-for-profit organisations and cooperatives. These include Queensland Crime Stoppers, an arts cooperative, a retail health food shop and the cooperative that established and operated his school.

Derek has also built and grown his own small gardening business. His experience attending conferences and visiting schools across Australia and overseas has reinforced his strong belief in educational choice—empowering parents and children to select an approach that aligns with their learning needs and values.

Derek and his wife have been happily married since 1977. Together, they have raised five independent and individual adult sons and now enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.

Derek is delighted to support Montessori Australia, helping to build awareness of Montessori education and contributing to the continued growth of the Montessori movement across Australia.