• Michael Duffy posted an update 7 years, 6 months ago

    My wife D’Neil and I spent several weeks this summer in Poland, sharing with teachers and heads of school our ideas about Montessori elementary education. As co-authors of the book, “Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education for the Montessori Elementary Classroom,” we paid particular attention to the place of Cosmic Education in the curriculum. While many of the schools in Poland have a basic understanding of some of the elementary materials, the 90 hours of workshops we presented were designed to deepen participants’ understanding of Montessori philosophy and the importance of Cosmic Education. The sessions were well received by about 30 participants, and the Polish Montessori Institute hopes to use the lectures, which were videotaped, as part of the preparation of Montessori elementary trainers in the country. Montessori schools are flourishing throughout Poland. While many of them started with the primary, pre-school program, there is currently great demand for an expansion to the elementary level, where Cosmic Education is so central to education in Montessori.