Video Resources
Print Resources
Curriculum Downloads

Video Resources

The following videos are appropriate for parents, staff, or board members of schools with adolescent programs or considering starting or expanding a program:

Adolescent Great Work: A solid demonstration of Montessori theory into practice is portrayed when the Erdkinder Appendices are put to the reality test at the Hershey Montessori Farm School experiment. An ethnographic approach, this video protrays an overview of the Farm School's staff and students as they actualize Montessori's land school vision without voiceover, special effects, or titles. (Available from NAMTA, 31 minutes, 2003)

Montessori Education: Doorway to Lifelong Learning: Utilizing the research of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Kevin Rathunde, NAMTA presents a DVD in which adolescent students speak candidly about their school experiences. Montessori students of all ages at Post Oak School in Houston, Texas, interact with Montessori materials, with their teachers, and with one another. The reflections of the interviewed adolescents and teachers are juxtaposed and correlated with the research conclusions. The students are positive and straightforward about the supportive atmosphere of the school and their high levels of motivation. (Available from NAMTA, 14 minutes, 2004)

The Developmental Continuum: Hershey Montessori School: Specifically made for Hershey Montessori School (Concord Twp., OH), this video/DVD demonstrates the full range of possibilities when a Montessori school begins with the parent-infant class and extends to the adolescent farm school. As a long-range planning tool this program can invite parents and boards to see the advantages of adding a young children’s community, an elementary, or an adolescent program as it communicates the richness of social life throughout the planes of education. (Available from NAMTA, 15 minutes, 2004)

Speaking Residentially: This DVD depicts a candid view of residential life at Hershey Montessori Farm School (Huntsburg, OH) as well as formal interviews with the 12- to 15-year-old students. (Available from NAMTA, 15 minutes, 2005).

Print Resources

The following publications may be helpful to adults working with adolescents (ages 12-18) in a Montessori context:

From Childhood to Adolescence by Maria Montessori

The Fourth Adolescent Colloquium special issue of The NAMTA Journal (Summer, 2008).

The Third Adolescent Colloquium special issue of The NAMTA Journal: Download the Preface to read now! (pdf file; requires free Adobe Reader software)

The First Adolescent Colloquium (proceedings of the first Colloquium, 1996)

The Montessori Adolescent: Analysis in Retrospect special issue of The NAMTA Journal

A Comparison of Montessori and Traditional Middle Schools: Motivation, Quality of Experience, and Social Context by Kevin Rathunde (available for download as a pdf file)

Curriculum Downloads

"The School Where the Children Live" by David Ayer and Elise Huneke Stone, The NAMTA Journal, Winter, 2006. Used by permission.

"Hershey Montessori Farm School: The Adolescent Community," by Heide Aungst and David Kahn, M: The Magazine for Montessori Families, January, 2006 (adapted from an article in Cleveland Magazine).

"Occupation Projects, the Micro-Economy, and Student Managers: Meeting the Needs of Adolescents," by Laurie Ewert-Krocker, The NAMTA Journal, Winter, 2006.

Occupation Planning: Objectives for Evaluation. Hershey Montessori Farm School curriculum planning document.

Humanities—Sample Four-Week Study. Hershey Montessori Farm School curriculum planning document.

Humanities Outline. Hershey Montessori Farm School curriculum planning document.

"The Adolescent: Taking on the Task of Humanity—Conducting the Dialogue Between Nature and Supranature." Unpublished paper by Laurie Ewert-Krocker

"Optimal Developmental Outcomes: The Social, Moral, Cognitive, and Emotional Dimensions of a Montessori Education," by Annette Haines, Kay Baker, and David Kahn. Sources: The NAMTA Journal 25:2, Spring, 2000; The NAMTA Journal 26:1, Winter, 2001; The NAMTA Journal 28:1, Winter 2003.

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