I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the forward momentum of the Montessori movement–ever since last spring, when Dr. Steven Hughes came to Portland and gave a presentation to local administrators on the challenges that the Montessori movement has in communicating our work to the broader community of educators and parents. As he writes on his website:
Every club has its own codes and language, and the “Club of Montessori” is no exception. But is Montessori a “movement,” a “method,” or is it “education for the 21st century”? Montessorians know what they mean when they discuss “pedagogy” and “planes,” but does the language they use connect them, or distance them from parents and other interested (sometimes skeptical) parties?
We all came away from that presentation with a sense of inspired urgency to rethink the way we talk about Montessori, and even asking ourselves whether using the Montessori name is in the best interests of moving us forward.
That’s a whole post in and of itself…but I have been mulling over some of the current dynamics of communicating Montessori and thought one way to start the exploration would be to examine Montessori school websites. In this day and age, most schools have a website, even if it’s a simple one. I’m interested in how schools use this technology to convey the essence of Montessori to prospective parents. What is the language being used? What does the design itself convey about the school community? What really speaks to parents as they peruse school websites?
There are lots of great school websites out there, and I would like to try to explore a variety of different types–from the done-by-a-friend-or-spouse pages to the high-end-Flash-enabled sites…over the next few weeks I will post my thoughts on various websites I come across, speaking as a Montessori teacher and former Montessori student.
