Greenspring Center for Lifelong Learning

Voices in Montessori Podcast

Igniting vibrant and engaging conversations in the Montessori movement to inspire, elevate, and support educators, leaders, and schools.

Latest Episodes

Tools for Supporting Learning Environments with Human Development at the Center with Seth Webb

Tools for Supporting Learning Environments with Human Development at the Center with Seth Webb

How the Montessori for Aging and Dementia Movement is Changing Care for Elders with Mandy Cheskis & Margaret Jarrell

How the Montessori for Aging and Dementia Movement is Changing Care for Elders with Mandy Cheskis & Margaret Jarrell

The Role of Infant & Toddler Guides as Tone Setters for New Families with Uniit Carruyo

The Role of Infant & Toddler Guides as Tone Setters for New Families with Uniit Carruyo

The Five Design Elements Essential to a Well Prepared Environment with Sarah Moudry

The Five Design Elements Essential to a Well Prepared Environment with Sarah Moudry

The Language of Reverence: An Essential Element of Montessori Practice with Elizabeth Slade

The Language of Reverence: An Essential Element of Montessori Practice with Elizabeth Slade

Preparing Adolescents for High School and Beyond with Sylvia Glassco

Preparing Adolescents for High School and Beyond with Sylvia Glassco

Bringing Music into the Primary Classroom Through the Bells and Song with Marcia Perez

Bringing Music into the Primary Classroom Through the Bells and Song with Marcia Perez

Providing Early Art Experiences for Toddlers that Promote Creativity with Sue Saad

Providing Early Art Experiences for Toddlers that Promote Creativity with Sue Saad

Educating Families About the Planes of Development for Closer Partnership with Junnifa Uzodike & Simone Davies

Educating Families About the Planes of Development for Closer Partnership with Junnifa Uzodike & Simone Davies

How to Approach Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conversations with Our Students with Jen Cort

How to Approach Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conversations with Our Students with Jen Cort

Standing Strong Against the Push Toward Standardization & Montessori’s Alternative Paradigm with Andrew Faulstich

Standing Strong Against the Push Toward Standardization & Montessori’s Alternative Paradigm with Andrew Faulstich

Supporting Emergent Readers in the Lower Elementary Classroom with Shelley Cruse

Supporting Emergent Readers in the Lower Elementary Classroom with Shelley Cruse

Five Anti-Racist Learning Goals for Your Classroom with Dr. Nicole Evans & Carly Riley

Five Anti-Racist Learning Goals for Your Classroom with Dr. Nicole Evans & Carly Riley

Developing a Culture of Writing in the Primary Classroom with Jennifer Shields

Developing a Culture of Writing in the Primary Classroom with Jennifer Shields

Reconnecting Our Students with Humanity’s First Prepared Environment: The Natural World with Linda Englehart

Reconnecting Our Students with Humanity’s First Prepared Environment: The Natural World with Linda Englehart

Deconstructing Montessori to Increase Access with Tatenda Blessing Muchiriri

Deconstructing Montessori to Increase Access with Tatenda Blessing Muchiriri

The Power of Silence: A Key Strategy for Maintaining Limits in the Classroom with Chip DeLorenzo

The Power of Silence: A Key Strategy for Maintaining Limits in the Classroom with Chip DeLorenzo

Starting a Dual Language Montessori Program with Gabrielle Kotkov

Starting a Dual Language Montessori Program with Gabrielle Kotkov

Simple Ways to Optimize the Nervous System for Learning Success: Polyvagal Theory 101 with Debra Em Wilson

Simple Ways to Optimize the Nervous System for Learning Success: Polyvagal Theory 101 with Debra Em Wilson

Exploring the Essence of Montessori with Dr. Philip Snow Gang

Exploring the Essence of Montessori with Dr. Philip Snow Gang

Forced Independence vs. Independence as an Invitation with Letty Rising

Forced Independence vs. Independence as an Invitation with Letty Rising

Overcoming the Most Common Pitfalls of School Leadership with Shawn Edwards

Overcoming the Most Common Pitfalls of School Leadership with Shawn Edwards

The Real Deal: Understanding and Meeting the Need of “Real” Toddlers After Our Training with Simone Davies

The Real Deal: Understanding and Meeting the Need of “Real” Toddlers After Our Training with Simone Davies

Democracy, Naturally! Creating Structures for Classroom Governance with John Fowler

Democracy, Naturally! Creating Structures for Classroom Governance with John Fowler

Creating Space and Structures for Calm and Peace in an Age of Overwhelm with Rachel Shatananda

Creating Space and Structures for Calm and Peace in an Age of Overwhelm with Rachel Shatananda

Character Development of the Inspired Educator with Tammy Oesting

Character Development of the Inspired Educator with Tammy Oesting

Moving Between Concrete and Abstract Exploration in Mathematics with Upper EL & Adolescent Students with Mike Waski

Moving Between Concrete and Abstract Exploration in Mathematics with Upper EL & Adolescent Students with Mike Waski

Connecting Young Children to the Natural World with Kathryn Ross

Connecting Young Children to the Natural World with Kathryn Ross

Lessons for Creating a Healthy School Community Using the Bowen Theory with Kathy Minardi

Lessons for Creating a Healthy School Community Using the Bowen Theory with Kathy Minardi

Incorporating Social-Emotional Learning into the Lower Elementary Curriculum with Jennifer Naiman

Incorporating Social-Emotional Learning into the Lower Elementary Curriculum with Jennifer Naiman

Supporting the Development of Self-Discipline in the Primary Classroom with Veronica Burbano

Supporting the Development of Self-Discipline in the Primary Classroom with Veronica Burbano

Creating a Positive Social Environment for Adolescents with Kelly & Adam Ladd

Creating a Positive Social Environment for Adolescents with Kelly & Adam Ladd

Playfulness in the Elementary Classroom with Jody Trimm

Playfulness in the Elementary Classroom with Jody Trimm

Normalizing the Pause: How Our Biases Show Up in the Classroom with Cathy Durand-Horne

Normalizing the Pause: How Our Biases Show Up in the Classroom with Cathy Durand-Horne

Embedding Writing and Expressive Skills Throughout the Adolescent Curriculum with Corey Borgman

Embedding Writing and Expressive Skills Throughout the Adolescent Curriculum with Corey Borgman

Creating Harmony Through Courageous Conversations with Cassi Mackey

Creating Harmony Through Courageous Conversations with Cassi Mackey

Following the Child with Learning Differences in the Montessori Classroom with Barbara Luborsky

Following the Child with Learning Differences in the Montessori Classroom with Barbara Luborsky

Creating a Mentally Healthy Montessori Classroom with Biff Maier

Creating a Mentally Healthy Montessori Classroom with Biff Maier

How to Support Inspiration and Engagement at the Elementary Level with Jennifer Dorrell

How to Support Inspiration and Engagement at the Elementary Level with Jennifer Dorrell

The Four Pillars of Montessori Discipline with Wendy Fisher

The Four Pillars of Montessori Discipline with Wendy Fisher

Grace & Courtesy and the Power of Role Play in the Primary Classroom with Reena Vohra Morgan

Grace & Courtesy and the Power of Role Play in the Primary Classroom with Reena Vohra Morgan

The Spiritual Work Required to be an Effective Infant/Toddler Team with Uniit Carruyo

The Spiritual Work Required to be an Effective Infant/Toddler Team with Uniit Carruyo

Creating a Structure for Successful MicroEconomies in the Adolescent Community with Amy Fagan

Creating a Structure for Successful MicroEconomies in the Adolescent Community with Amy Fagan

The Four Ways We Deal with Emotions: A Critical Lesson Missing in K-12 Education with Mick Scott

The Four Ways We Deal with Emotions: A Critical Lesson Missing in K-12 Education with Mick Scott

Creating a Community of Change Makers in the Primary Classroom with Shelby Hiken

Creating a Community of Change Makers in the Primary Classroom with Shelby Hiken

Reaching for the Full Potential of Montessori: Staying Engaged and Inspired in Our Classrooms with Paula Lillard Preschlack

Reaching for the Full Potential of Montessori: Staying Engaged and Inspired in Our Classrooms with Paula Lillard Preschlack

Skills for Teachers to Step into Daring Leadership with Nicole McDermott

Skills for Teachers to Step into Daring Leadership with Nicole McDermott

How Current Brain Research Shapes Our Work in the Montessori Classroom with Julia Volkman

How Current Brain Research Shapes Our Work in the Montessori Classroom with Julia Volkman

Aligning Reading Research and Montessori Practice with Susan Zoll, Natasha Feinberg & Laura Saylor

Aligning Reading Research and Montessori Practice with Susan Zoll, Natasha Feinberg & Laura Saylor

Early Signs of Dyslexia in Young Children and When to Ask for Help with Kate McElderry

Early Signs of Dyslexia in Young Children and When to Ask for Help with Kate McElderry

Communication Strategies for Building a School Culture of Belonging with Tamara S. Balis

Communication Strategies for Building a School Culture of Belonging with Tamara S. Balis

Broaching the Topic of Race in Our School Communities with Valaida Wise

Broaching the Topic of Race in Our School Communities with Valaida Wise

Supporting Students with Sensory Processing Challenges with Pamela Shanks

Supporting Students with Sensory Processing Challenges with Pamela Shanks

Implementing Collaborative Problem Solving in the Montessori Classroom with Margaret Jarrell

Implementing Collaborative Problem Solving in the Montessori Classroom with Margaret Jarrell

Voices in Montessori

Listen and Subscribe

Listen and subscribe where you get your podcasts. Voices in Montessori Podcast can be found on Youtube, iTunes, Apple Podcast, Samsung Podcast, Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio.

Meet our Host

Tamara Sheesley Balis

Executive Director | Head of Greenspring Montessori School

As a Montessori educator, I am passionate about cultivating and supporting cultures of belonging in families, schools, and organizational communities.

Voices in Montessori

Great topics are coming.

Our goal? Igniting vibrant and engaging conversations in the Montessori movement. Our Voices in Montessori podcast shares interviews with seasoned Montessori educators and leaders, as well as learning specialists, and other experts to inspire and support our growing community.

Here are some of the things we are interested in. Is there a topic you would like to hear about on our podcast? Please reach out to us to share!

Cultures of Belonging

How do we create a culture of safety and belonging for our school staff that is modeled after the Montessori classroom? We will discuss specific tools and techniques to support this important work.

Learning Differences

Montessori classrooms are inclusive of children with a wide variety of learning styles. We will discuss different learning profiles and specific strategies Montessori teachers can use to support neurodiverse learners.

Positive Discipline

Grace and Courtesy is the backbone of our Montessori classrooms. But how do we support students who continue to exhibit challenging behaviors? We will explore additional discipline techniques are in alignment with our Montessori pedagogy.

 

Classroom Strategies

We will explore best practices and classroom strategies at every level: Infant/Toddler, Primary, Elementary, and Adolesecents. Each guest will impart practical, actionable strategies that you can implement in your classrooms right away.

 

Neuroscience of Learning

A growing body of research supports the efficacy of Montessori pedagogy. We will keep you informed of the latest research findings and discuss ways to use this information to enhance your classroom practices.

 

 

Montessori for Elders & Dementia

The Montessori approach can be beautifully applied to the longterm care or home setting to support elders and people living with dementia in maintaining independence and meaningful engagement.

 

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