Roots and Wings Montessori Podcast

Dr. Laura Saylor, dean and researcher blending Montessori practice with cognitive science. She talks about lowering cognitive load with routines and clear language. Visuals and manipulatives paired with words get memory working. Attention hooks, productive struggle, and retrieval practice are highlighted as practical classroom moves.

This discussion highlights the importance of building inclusive environments in Montessori schools. It explores visionary leadership for inclusion and the need for classrooms to reflect community diversity. The podcast delves into Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and how co-teaching can enhance learning for all students. Jess emphasizes the shift from reactive to proactive inclusion policies, and the need for resourceful strategies to support students with disabilities. Teacher support and differentiated instruction are also key themes in creating effective learning spaces.

In this "part 2" conversation, host Jess Davis talks with one of her favorite Montessori leadership coaches, Jonathan Wolff, about the science and art of applying Montessori principles to supporting adults in our school environments (Montessori andragogy).Jonathan is a consultant, trainer, speaker and author who infuses his work in leadership development with 30 years experience as an educator and administrator.Jonathan provides retreats, workshops, and consultations, along with coaching for parents, educators, leaders, Boards of Directors, community organizations, and learning communities around the globe.The best-practice leadership retreats and workshops he leads facilitate community building, strategic planning and improved organizational effectiveness.After earning his B.A. degree in Secondary Education from Temple University, Jonathan began teaching at-risk youth in Philadelphia. Early in his career, he read several books on the Montessori philosophy and quickly recognized the power her work in human development had to effect transformation not only within the young child, but within adults as well. He went on to study with Mother Isabelle Eugenie, one of Dr. Montessori’s first students, earned his Early Childhood Credential through the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), and began his career as a Montessori educator at one of the first Head Start Montessori Centers in the United States.Jonathan’s incisive ability to apply Dr. Montessori’s educational constructs to training adults led him to positions as a teacher trainer, as the director of education and training for various education and business organizations, and as the administrator for several nationally recognized schools. Thirty years in the field have provided him with solid first-hand experience in leading and managing rapidly growing for-profit and not-for-profit schools, education institutions and business organizations.Today, the primary focus of his consulting practice is on leadership development – designing best practices and writing books and articles that enhance individual and organizational performance. His creative, interactive programs, his humorous and inspiring teaching style, and his deep insight into the needs of people and organizations are in demand by organizations around the world.

In the second episode of our series on Montessori and the Science of Reading, we discuss decoding and word recognition with Dr. Laura Saylor, author and academic.

Join host Jess Davis of Montessori Minds for this episode of Roots and Wings with Montessori leadership coach and consultant Jonathan Wolff. We discuss how to apply Montessori principles to professional learning and personal development of the adults in our organization, known as Montessori andragogy. In this first part of a three part series, Jonathan walks us through the principles of Montessori education he finds most vital to supporting the development of all learners--including adults. In parts two and three, we will dive into how to pragmatically implement these principles for the adults in our environment. Enjoy the convwersation! And we'd love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and follow the show to be a part of the conversation!

Host: Jess Davis, MEd and Elementary Montessorian, Montessori Minds ConsultingGuest: Dr. Kateri Carver, director of the Montessori Studies program at the University of Wisconsin River FallsJoin us for a discussion about everything from the Montessori movement in Africa to the unification of Montessori in the United States with Dr. Kateri Carver. We will discuss one US Montessori research group, the Montessori Research Collective, of which Kateri is a member.Note: We bounce back and forth a little between calling it the Montessori Research "Collaborative" and "Collective"--collective is correct (apologies for the confusion)! Find out more about the MRC at https://montessoriresearchcollective.org/

Host Jess Davis of Montessori Minds and AMS Living Legacy Dr. Gay Ward discuss the optimistic research landscape in part two of the Montessori Research series on the Roots and Wings Montessori Podcast.Resources and Citations from the show:Bray, P. M. & Ward G.C. (2025) Equity-Based Assessment Practices in Montessori: Dialogues in Higher Education and Community Educator Preparation Pathways. AERA Conference Denver, Colorado. April.  Cuclasure,B., Fleming, D.J., Riga, G., & Sprogis, A. (2018). An Evaluation of Montessori Education in South Carolina’s Public Schools. The Riley Institute at Furman University. Unpublished manuscript. https://www.furman.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/195/rileypdfFiles/MontessoriOverallResultsFINAL.pdfDenervaud, S., Fornari, E., Yang, XF. et al. An MRI study of error monitoring in Montessori and traditionally-schooled children. npj Sci. Learn. 5, 11 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-020-0069-6Hansen, U. J. (2021). The future of smart : how our education system needs to change to help all young people thrive. Capucia, LLC.Lillard, A. S., Heise, M. J., Richey, E. M., Tong, X., Hart, A., & Bray, P. M. (2017). Montessori Preschool Elevates and Equalizes Child Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1783–1783. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01783 Lillard, A. S. (2012). Preschool children’s development in classic Montessori, supplemented Montessori, and conventional programs. Journal of School Psychology, 50(3), 379–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2012.01.001This is the S. Ward, G. (2024). Action Research: A Tool for Equity. In Montessori life (Vol. 36, Issue 1, pp. 16–18).Ward,G.C. & Miller, M. (2019) Action Research: A Tool for Transformation. Montessori Life. 31 (3).Ward, G.C. & Bray, P.M. (2023). Interdependent Impact: Contemporary Teacher Education and the Influence on Montessori Trajectories In A. Murray, M. McKenna & E. T. Ahlquist.  Bloomsbury Handbook of Montessori Education. London: Bloomsbury, Chapter 54.Dr. Ward email: gay.ward@uwrf.edu

Host Jess Davis of Montessori Minds Consulting discusses the importance and role of research in the Montessori educational landscape with UVA's Dr. Corey Borgman. Dr. Borgman is a Montessori educator, administrator, speaker, researcher, advocate, and consultant with 17 years of experience in the classroom and 12 in administration. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UVA's School of Education & Human Development, with a dissertation focused on the challenges experienced by principals of public Montessori schools. As education & outreach director for the Montessori Science Program, Borgman’s role focuses on leveraging the lab’s Montessori research into tangible, positive community impact. Recent examples of this work include a series of research reviews written for MPPI that explore the evidence around core Montessori practices that encounter frequent policy friction, and an Observation Support Tool for CLASS quality raters working in Montessori classrooms. Corey is also president of the Virginia Montessori Association, a particularly active and engaged state advocacy organization. She is the proud parent of three Montessori educated daughters.Resources mentioned by Dr. Borgman in the episode:Research "white papers" collaboration with MPPI and Dr. Borgman https://montessoriadvocacy.org/literature-reviews/Understanding Educational Research Resources https://guides.library.stanford.edu/education_researchHow to Read a Research Paper https://web.stanford.edu/class/ee384m/Handouts/HowtoReadPaper.pdfVirginia Montessori Association https://www.virginiamontessoriassociation.org/

Dr. Sara Suchman, executive director of National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, leads us through an overview of public Montessori and how NCMPS supports schools, districts and teachers. She talks about how public Montessori schools get established, relationships with communities and districts, challenges and strengths, and more. We mention a previous episode with public Montessori principal Kathy Lause, of Indianapolis Public Schools, which you can listen to here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DgRuBAzcEwMo1hpPrHNq7?si=0EbsrgU0R4CVNZU0RhcWeQ Have questions about public Montessori? Another related episode is coming soon, so send your questions to montessorimindsconsulting@gmail.com or add them to the comments of this episode!

Join Jess Davis of Montessori Minds Consulting in a discussion with Dr. Susan Zoll, co-author of Powerful Literacy in the Montessori Classroom, to discuss the importance of nurturing language development as a foundation of literacy. We discuss how adults can nurture language development and how to tell when a child may need extra support. Jess mentions Scarborogh's Reading Rope, and more information on this infographic can be found here: https://www.reallygreatreading.com/scarboroughs-reading-rope?srsltid=AfmBOorMoky_jprsTHEgFYmzMd2BLMHTuzEab3tSmotbDerxrv9n-FiP The University of Florida also offers free, open access curricula designed around the Science of Reading, commonly known as UFLI, and those materials and many great resources can be found here: https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/resources/ Jess is a self-proclaimed literacy nerd, so she's looking forward to part 2 and 3 of the Science of Reading episode series, which are coming soon. If you have questions about reading instruction in Montessori environments that you would like included, email montessorimindsconsulting@gmail.com or include them in the show notes for this episode to start a conversation!