Montessori Orientation and Training

In Montessori, teachers are traditionally referred to as Directors, to emphasise the child-centred nature of the pedagogy. At Rockingham Montessori School we often call our teachers ‘teachers’, for ease of communication, or ‘guides’, especially in the Adolescent Program.

In the Primary School, all our teachers are Montessori-trained, or are studying towards adding a Montessori qualification to their traditional education degree. Secondary school teachers with Montessori training are very rare in Australia, so for the Adolescent Program in Rockingham high schools, we choose staff members who believe in the philosophy and they develop their practice through experience and training.

Until recently, training in the AMI Montessori Teachers Association Orientation to Adolescent Studies Program meant travelling to Ohio, and Vanessa Aikins and two of our foundation Adolescent Program teaching staff members did this. The first Australian orientation was conducted in Queensland in 2017, and the School sent two staff members to this landmark event. Held every second year, our new staff members will attend this biannual event.

Aspects of Montessori philosophy and practice are a regular focus of formal professional development for our education assistants, and of course they deepen their understanding and improve their practice through practical experience guided by classroom teachers.