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ERIC Number: EJ804736
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1054-0040
EISSN: N/A
Reflections on the Internationality of Montessori Education
Brunold-Conesa, Cynthia
Montessori Life: A Publication of the American Montessori Society, v20 n3 p40-44 2008
One of the major components of Dr. Montessori's plan for peace education is a curriculum that de-emphasizes nationalism. The "big picture" of the cultural curriculum encourages the perspective that people are citizens of Earth first, and only secondarily American, Japanese, Polish, or other nationalities. Through the fundamental needs material, children learn that all people on all continents throughout history had and have the same basic needs. In preindustrial times, geographic context, together with local natural resources, determined how different groups of people met their needs. And because this is still true, the Montessori geography curriculum is not limited to land and water forms and political borders, but necessarily extends to the people who inhabit other places. It teaches that other people are much like everyone else in terms of basic needs, but that they may meet those needs in very different ways; and children learn to respect those differences. Such a perspective is developed in Montessori settings even where little ethnic, religious, or social diversity exists, as long as a quality program is in place. Additionally, planetwide problems that Montessori may not have specifically anticipated, such as global warming, necessitate new attitudes and curricula that form and emphasize an "ecopsychological" awareness. This article examines the relevance of Montessori education to international schools: When properly integrated, Montessori complements and enhances many aspects of an international school, but when misapplied or partially applied, the obstacles that result can be quite difficult to overcome.
American Montessori Society. 281 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010-6102. Tel: 212-358-1250; Fax: 212-358-1256; e-mail: info@amshq.org; Web site: http://www.amshq.org/publications.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Switzerland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A