Many conventional teacher training programs occur separate from the school where teachers ultimately work, often leaving teachers feeling a disconnect. This is especially true for public Montessori teachers who are often left to integrate Montessori pedagogy with public school demands on their own. In contrast, Arete Memphis Residents will not only develop the skill-sets and dispositions for effective teaching as a public Montessori educator, but also receive the support of a residency model that intentionally aligns with the day to day experience at their school-site. This partnership is crucial for the Resident to have the kind of preparation and efficacy needed to practice child-centered pedagogy within their school community. The partnership must address the Resident’s:
CONTEXT
High-fidelity to Montessori’s comprehensive pedagogy of human development rooted in evidence-based best practices in education with relevance to their school and community context;
INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT
Unique learning progression across the continuum of their development from formative to increasing complexity and sophistication of teaching practice;
FOCUS ON APPLICATION
Access to essential curricular and pedagogical content and resources in multi-modal formats for differentiated professional learning and ongoing job-embedded opportunities for continuous growth;
Intentional and strategic collaborative use of standards-based Teacher Learning Progressions to focus on the practice of teaching, student outcomes, and how to improve practice;
CONTINUOUS LEARNING
Development of their efficacy through the impact of an intentional alignment in their coaching and mentoring relationships; and
Ongoing facilitated reflective practice with their Coaching Collaborative Partnership and Residency and school-based Communities of Practice.
While holding fidelity to Montessori’s comprehensive model of human development, Arete Memphis aligns the educator preparation curriculum to the Teacher Learning Progressions articulated by the Interstate Teacher Assessment Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards and additional alignment with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the Montessori Accreditation Council of Teacher Education (MACTE). These standards-based Teacher Learning Progressions inform:
SCAFFOLDED & PERSONALIZED EDUCATOR GROWTH PLAN
Arete Memphis’s teacher preparation curriculum and what is required for licensure, including the content focus and coursework sequence, how experiences during clinical practice should be scaffolded, and what should be included in a plan for continued growth as Residents move deeper into their practice;
COACHING
Coaches, mentors, and school leaders in providing collaborative evaluative feedback and focused professional development and action planning;
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Supported ongoing self-assessment to reflect on their individual practice against a framework of development for continuous improvement.
ARETE-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Because delivering Montessori in the public school setting presents unique challenges, Arete requires and is committed to collaborating with school leadership in maintaining fidelity and sustainability in Montessori practices:
ADULTS AND ENVIRONMENT
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The Resident and school hold high-fidelity to Montessori principles and pedagogy in educator practice, mindsets, routines, and expectations for all staff;
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The Resident has their own classroom as the teacher of record with a dedicated Assistant; and
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Classroom communities of children have mixed age grouping, uninterrupted work periods, freedom within limits (choice), a full complement of Montessori materials (the apparatus), and are inclusive.
LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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The Resident is partnered with a School-based Mentor/Coach who has at least 2 years of public Montessori teaching experience;
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Dedication to supporting and developing child-centered communities of practice;
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Providing Residents with ongoing professional development opportunities anchored by the Resident’s coaching collaborative (School-based Mentor/Coach and Field Supervisor) through ongoing cycles of reflective practice; and
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Program evaluation guided by a Montessori scope & sequence;
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
School leadership has a predominant focus on engagement in human development, where families, educators, and community members surround children with love and expectations of their potential greatness;
Home-school partnerships that support families in understanding the Montessori philosophy of education and roles in meeting the needs of their children; and
Ongoing events and engagement with the community —educational, social, service;
ASSESSMENT
Protocols integrate academic, executive function, and social emotional measures of progress; and
Observation drives all instructional decisions, is unobtrusive and includes students