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4-DAY ONLINE WORKSHOP FOR MONTESSORI 3-6 TEACHERS & ASSISTANTS

The Art of Observation:

Seeing is Believing

with Karen Pearce

From Data to Development -

Refine Your Observation Practice in the 3-6 Classroom

Have you been wondering how to manage your observations while actively guiding or assisting in a busy, dynamic classroom? What’s the most efficient way to collect and meaningfully analyze data? How can you keep up with supporting each child's unique development?

Join this hands-on online workshop with experienced mentor Karen Pearce to streamline your daily tasks and achieve your Montessori educational goals with ease!

Learn a practical framework for continuous child observation and receive a toolkit to apply in your 3-6 classroom

Discover a code system that enables efficient and effective observation gathering on the go

Master the art of producing developmental work curves to track child progress

Gain confidence in adapting your teaching approach based on observation data

Deepen your understanding of how observation impacts your daily Montessori practice

Improve your skills in analyzing observation data to create personalized programs of work tailored to each child

October 18 - 21, 2024

6:00 - 8:30 PM CEST (GMT+2)

ONLINE ON ZOOM

(Recordings included)

30 min of Q&A at the end of each LIVE session!

Session 1

Observation Principles

How do we do observation in practice? What data do we need to gather? How do we respond to that data and adapt our approach to create personalized development programs?

The workshop will open with a theoretical lecture that explores the principles of observation and what guides need to consider in order to develop their skills and practice the art of observation.

Session 2

Preparing the Environment as to Gather Valid Observations

In this session, we’ll explore key principles and conditions that help guides prepare an environment that reveals the true nature of a child’s development. This offers a valuable opportunity to understand how the prepared environment enables guides to follow each individual child while recognizing its impact on daily work.

"Observation is one of those many things we frequently speak and of which we form an inexact or false idea . . . . Perhaps the scarcity of observation made upon children is due to the lack of preparation for such observation."

-M.Montessori

Session 3

Four Stages on the Path to Normalization

In this part of the workshop, we will review, reflect on, and revisit the theory of the four stages of development that the child progresses through to reach normalization.

Using developmental work curves, we will study the characteristics of each stage and explore how this knowledge shapes the guide’s response to both individual needs and the classroom community as a whole.

Session 4

Plotting and Analyzing a Work Curve (case study)

In this session, we will refine the art of scientific observation by learning how to plot and analyze work curves.

We’ll explore how to gather essential information as an active guide and follow a step-by-step process for translating this data into work curves, forming the foundation of developmental education for each child.

The session concludes with a case study, where we’ll analyze data to create a tailored developmental program grounded in Montessori pedagogy and practice.

Karen Pearce

Karen Pearce is a Director of Pedagogy at The Montessori Place in Brighton, UK, where she mentors the first plane guides. She has 35 years of Children's House experience and she lectures and runs workshops across Europe. For 17 years she supported Montessori graduates in leading a post-diploma course on the science of observing children, organised by Maria Montessori Institute, London. Karen now offers an online Montessori mentorship program to support guides in putting theory into practice. Alongside all of this, last year Karen put her slippers back on and returned to lead a Children’s House for just over a year's maternity cover!

"Literally an eye opener! Such valuable information! I am SHOCKED that this is not a part of our Montessori Training."
Workshop participant, 2022
"The stories that Karen shared were relatable, at times funny & helpful. I also very much appreciated the practical aspects of the workshop; the grids and examples Karen shared so that we can go about implementing the scientific observations in our environments was very useful."
Workshop participant, 2022
"It was so insightful and life changing. I have struggled for a while now with how to effectively observe. I have been doing it wrong..."
Workshop participant, 2022
"Karen shared an amazing content and the personal reflections made it so real. Explanations of how to bring the Work Curves into our nursery were wonderful."
Workshop participant, 2022
"I liked the fact I could gain strategies to put in use immediately in the class."
Workshop participant, 2022
"I like the way Karen Pearce talked about observation, and the fact that she herself works in an environment. She has direct feedback on what works and what wouldn't with the children."
Workshop participant, 2022
"It was so practical - specific procedures on how to set up classroom observations as well as specific procedures on how to monitor a child's interest and plan lessons for them."
Workshop participant, 2022
"I observe children at work. But there aren't many courses where observation is a major part of it. That's why I found this course interesting because it was all about observation all the time."
Workshop participant, 2022

This workshop is designed for Montessori 3-6 guides and assistants working in Children’s House who wish to broaden their knowledge and advance their Montessori practice.

  • 4 ONLINE SESSIONS
    Live lectures + 30 minutes of Q&A at the end of each session
  • RECORDINGS INCLUDED
    Available after the workshop, accessible for 3 months
  • LANGUAGE OF THE WORKSHOP
    English, with Czech interpretation
  • CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE
    Issued by Montessori Institute Prague

Register now!

The workshop starts in:

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?

Feel free to contact us!