Maria Montessori brilliantly mapped out 4 planes of child development. At the age of 24, according to the Montessori method, an adult is complete in all respects. Does that mean we've been the same ever since?

The work of developmental psychologist Robert Kegan takes this view further and comes up with a theory of adult development. He describes the gradual development of independent self-consciousness and the acquisition of qualities associated with wisdom and social maturity. Have you ever wondered what it means to be an adult?

At the conference, Jenifer G. Berger will answer questions about what the different stages of adult development are and how to understand them. This can be very helpful for better orientation as well as a more congenial response in relationships at work and in your personal life.

This keynote conversation will be led by Sue Pritzker and there will also be space for your questions. You will leave with a whole new perspective on yourself and others. You will be able to apply the knowledge you gain to your work with teachers and parents.

Creating a culture of levity (joy and humor) within our schools fortifies the bond and resilience of our communities. Research shows people are more generous, empathetic, and committed when they share laughter. This session will not only bring us lots of joy but will also give tools which you can bring back to your school community.

Let’s connect! Yes, even online we can look each other in the eyes and share joy and playfulness together. In this quick and fun session we will play a get-to-know-you game, laying another brick in our foundation of friendships.

Formative Assessment is an important building block of all Montessori environments. Because Maria Montessori relied upon the principles of human development to inform her work, we describe it as formative. As an introduction to Dylan Wiliam's keynote, we will review ways in which we already embrace formative assessment as Montessori professionals. This short overview will discuss observation, the three-period lesson, friendliness with error and other Montessori tools as a warm-up to the exploration of formative assessment in the broader educational context. 

Over fifty years ago, David Ausubel suggested that the most important principle in effective education was to start from where the learner is, rather than where we would like them to be. While this sounds easy, every teacher knows that the sense that learners make of their educational experiences is often unpredictable.

What this means is that to create effective learning environments, educators need to find ways of eliciting evidence about what is going on in learners’ minds, and use this evidence to adjust or adapt the learning environment to better meet learners’ needs—in other words, formative assesment.

In this presentation, Dylan Wiliam will outline how teachers can elicit evidence of learners’ thinking, provide feedback to learners that is aimed at improving, rather than evaluating learning, and activate learners both as owners of their own learning, and as learning resources for their peers. The presentation will conclude by showing how school leaders can support teachers in developing their formative assessment practice by setting up, and supporting, school-based, teacher learning communities, focused on the simple idea that the best way to improve children’s development is to support the development of their teachers.

Finding our happy-place, our bliss, and infusing it into our everyday work is the secret to a happy life. This holds true for us as leaders and also for our hard-working dedicated faculty and staff. In this session we will share ideas, activities, and ways-of-being which ignite our inner flame.

Our final Community Activity is a farewell and ’thank you’ dance party!
Let’s hold up signs of ‘farewell’, ’thank you’, and special messages to our new and familiar friends, while moving and dancing to music. It’s a time to celebrate and recognize our growth as individuals and as a community!