Montessori Training – What to Look for?
The teaching style called Montessori is popular today all over the world, because its concepts are revolutionary compared to traditional educational methods. The concept was developed first by the Italian teacher and physician Dr. Maria Montessori. Though the teaching style is far from being traditional, selection process for a Montessori teacher is still traditional. To become certified as a Montessori teacher, one has to take Montessori training which includes a year of study and a supervised practicum thereafter. Here are some tips to get chances to become the best Montessori teacher.
Complete Your College Education
Though not all Montessori-related jobs need a college education, many places require it. Therefore, if you complete your college education, you get better opportunities. Moreover, if you don’t have a college degree, you may have to limit yourself only to assistant-level positions.
Choose a Reputable Training Center
Becoming a Montessori teacher is a serious thought and its training is a big investment. It can cost you thousands of dollars and take a year or even more to complete. Therefore, it is extremely important that you choose a reputable training center. It should be accredited by a renowned Montessori accreditation organization. Most training centers, if they are legitimate, have no objection in disclosing their accreditation status. If a training center you have approached has no such accreditation, you better turn to the next in your list.
AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) is a global Montessori association and features a directory of certified training centers on their website. American Montessori Society provides a free online locator of training centers.
Select an Area of Certification
Montessori isn’t only a teaching style but it’s a versatile technique used for teaching children, even in some rare cases, up to their teenage years. Though basic principles of this technique are same for all classrooms of Montessori, the skills and methods to teach different age groups of children can vary significantly. So, if you specialize in a particular age range, it will be more useful to you to get better positions. The commonest age groups for specialization are:
- 0 to 3 years (Infant and Toddler)
- 2.5 to 6 years (Early Childhood)
- 6 to 9 years (Elementary I)
- 9 to 12 years (Elementary II)
- 6 to 12 years (Elementary I and II)
- Montessori administration
- Some special programs even offer training to teach children up to 18 years of age.
United Montessori Association or UMA has been offering Montessori independent training since 1988 through distance learning. In 1999 they revolutionized Montessori training and introduced the first all online Montessori teacher certification program in the world. Go through their website and learn about their exclusive training programs.
