Editorial

Montessorians have had an extremely busy year, not only promoting the philosophy, but also organizing centenary events to celebrate and find inspiration together. Commitment to the child has been restated and reaffirmed worldwide. Many of you have sent in reports and impressions, and AMI has endeavoured to give the readership a taste of these by including glimpses both in our bulletin and on the centenary website (www.montessoricentenary.org).

Communications continues to provide indepth articles on Montessori philosophy and related topics provided by ‘friendly’ sciences whose field of interest and research touches upon our own.

We are grateful to Rita Schaefer Zener and Harald Ludwig who have agreed to step up their commitment to Communications by cochairing the editorial board. They both bring much experience to this very specialized journal, and are motivated and challenged to keep on improving it. We would like to introduce a book review section, and Harald Ludwig is launching this item in 2008. Another item that we would like to feature is a “Letters to the Editor”. Most importantly, we will be trying to focus on special themes. Currently the following are being considered: early childhood education, secondary education & Erdkinder, Cosmic Education, the importance of movement, normalization, and Montessori and empirical research. If you know of an interesting contributor or article that would go with these themes, or wish to suggest another theme, please get in touch with the editorial board at publications@ montessori-ami.org.

The last issue of Communications this year is overflowing, and will give you some solid, enlightening, and original reading matter. As is appropriate, the first article is by Maria Montessori. It is the second lecture in a small series on Cosmic Education which we are running. In this one the apparent theme is the life cycle of chalk on earth, which serves to illuminate the far greater themes of ageing and renewal, and the forces of how life reconstructs itself continuously. One could even see the symbolism of AMI’s logo there: the three concentric circles.

“Psychogeometry and Psychoarithmetic” demonstrates the originality and brilliance of Montessori’s mathematical talents. It gives a glimpse into the ideas she worked out in more detail in her great publications Psicogeometria and Psico-aritmetica. Edited by Mario Montessori Senior and with explanatory notes and illustrations by Camillo Grazzini, it will fascinate you.

Mary Hayes gave a talk at the Elementary course in Baldegg, Switzerland to that course’s first graduates in 2006. It incorporates many aspects and testifies to Mary’s vast knowledge of Montessori theory across the age levels. “From Chaos towards Order” is an original and challenging article by Patricia Spinelli.

Tying in with the Montessori Centenary Conference in China, an extraordinary event to also mark AMI’s entrance into that big country, we are running two articles. “Montessori Education in Modern China”, which in spite of its title, focuses mainly on the development and influence of Montessori education in China in the early years of the twentieth century. Tian Zhengping gives a detailed account by charting coverage of Montessori in the media of that time. Harald Ludwig has provided an introduction to show the influence of European and American educationists in Asia, and China in particular.

“The Spiritual Preparation of the Adult” is the title of the lecture Eduardo Cuevas, AMI trainer in Vancouver, delivered to the participants of the Conference in China. It addresses the very basic tenet of Montessori education: without adults who know what Montessori is trying to do, the children do not stand to gain from Montessori education.

Mary Caroline Parker, school director of East Dallas Community School, has written an extremely thorough, helpful and accessible article on how a child’s “first set of adults”, namely his parents or caregivers, can learn to appreciate their child’s development. Enjoy “The Essential is Invisible to the Eye: The Evolution of the Parent Observer, part 1”. And yes, part 2 will be waiting for you in the first issue of 2008.

Ela Eckert (University of Oldenburg) is very interested in the Indian years of Montessori and has travelled to various destinations in Asia. Her contribution brings many aspects of Montessori together, particularly how it can serve children in disadvantageous situations of exile and distress.

Our fixed feature the “Question and Answer” section has been taken on by our editorial board co-chair Rita Schaefer Zener. Reward and Punishment is a topic that has many angles to it, and is one often raised by parents and teachers alike.

The closing article focuses on the introduction of a new network of Montessori scholars attached to European universities and institutions, who extend to you an invitation to join their network–on the condition that you can contribute to the exchange on current Montessori research.

We thank the new co-chairs and wish them every success!