Montessori: The Science behind the Genius

In this lively and engaging DVD lecture based on her widely acclaimed book, Dr. Angeline Lillard presents Montessori's theoretical principles, the science research that has followed them, and how they are implemented in a Montessori classroom.

DVD video production by Paladin Pictures. Photographs by An Vu. (2006; 104 minutes)

Nurturing the Spirit: Nature in the Prepared Environment

Teacher trainer Nimal Vaz guides us on even more experiences for the three- to six-year-old, continuing from The Child in Nature (below), also filmed at the Montessori Center School in Phoenix, Arizona. The principle is the same: There is no separation between the indoors and outdoors. The variety of work, the harvest, the ongoing integration of Montessori materials—sensorial, biology, practical life, and language—add a balance of freedom and discipline to the three-hour work day and the life of the child in the outdoors. (2006; 12 minutes)

The Child in Nature

Montessori Teacher Trainer Nimal Vaz, along with Robin Moore, Landscape Architect, and Thomas Berry, Theologian-Philosopher, shows how the naturalized schoolyard brings the child into contact with the natural world and the universe. The video introduces teachers and parents to the necessity of outdoor learning environments for preschool and elementary classrooms. (2006; 16 minutes)

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. (2004; 15 minutes)

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. (2004; 14 minutes)

Montessori Passages

Dr. Maria Montessori’s own written passages take the viewer through a lyrical presentation of the successive planes of education, intended to inspire a holistic understanding of Montessori education, which unfolds as separate stages of development. The uniqueness of each stage is portrayed, along with a sense of the flow and continuity of the child’s growth and the unity of the prepared environments. (2005; 15 minutes)