2019 MACTE Symposium
The seventh MACTE Symposium was held in Charlottesville on December 5th and 6th for over 150 Montessorians from around the country and internationally. The Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), the accrediting body for Montessori teacher training programs throughout the US and internationally, oversees programs in 42 different states and 26 countries throughout the world. Virginia has three accredited training programs.
This year’s symposium topic was “Re-Centering our Focus”. The two-day event presented information from topical speakers, panel discussion and valuable table discussions. Dr. Rebecca Pelton welcomed the room of teacher educators on Thursday morning with Dr. Angeline Lillard opening the event with her latest research on the benefits of Montessori education. Thursday’s Keynote speaker was John Hunter, founder and developer of the The World Peace Game.
The afternoon sessions were insightful presentations by Martha Theien, President of the Montessori Educational Programs International (MEPI) and Sara Robinson, Director of Child and Family Outpatient and Crisis Services of Region Ten. Sara gave a presentation called Understanding Children’s Brains: Adversity and Resilience. Martha discussed parent partnerships and Meeting One Another Where We Are.
On Thursday evening, the Wisdom of the Elders Ceremony and presentation of the Denny Shapiro Innovation in Montessori Education Teacher Education Award were celebrated. The Wisdom of the Elders Award is given by MACTE to distinguished Montessori educators in recognition of their sustained, dedicated, and heartfelt service to Montessori education. This includes preparing teachers for their practice, teaching children, and strengthening the institutions that serve the Montessori community.
Congratulations go out to the 2019 Wisdom of the Elders award recipients:
Friday’s sessions focused specifically on the importance of quality in accreditation. A panel of speakers from relevant accreditation organizations spoke about their role as accreditors and the significance of their work in maintaining quality. The panelists were Dr. Tom Bordenkircher, Vice President of Accreditation Relations at the Higher Learning Commission; Joseph Vilbert, Director of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors and Dr. Mark LaCelle-Peterson, President of the Association for Advancing Quality in Education Preparation.
Additional presentation were given by Aimee Fagan, MACTE Director of Accreditation, who talked specifically about Montessori teacher education program accreditation. Dr. Jackie Cossentino, Director of Research at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS) and Rita Nolan, the Founder and Executive Director of the Montessori School of Englewood discussed the Residency Program model for teacher education.
The MACTE Symposium ended Friday afternoon with table discussions pertinent to Montessori teacher education and accreditation process. Topics included state policy for Montessori, university teacher education programs, Montessori online learning, social justice and public Montessori.
The MACTE Symposium is typically held the first week of December in Virginia. This year the event was held in Charlottesville, but previously the symposium has been held in Northern Virginia. It is always a great opportunity to connect with Montessorians throughout the region, the country and internationally. Look for information about next year’s symposium in the fall of 2020.
This year’s symposium topic was “Re-Centering our Focus”. The two-day event presented information from topical speakers, panel discussion and valuable table discussions. Dr. Rebecca Pelton welcomed the room of teacher educators on Thursday morning with Dr. Angeline Lillard opening the event with her latest research on the benefits of Montessori education. Thursday’s Keynote speaker was John Hunter, founder and developer of the The World Peace Game.
The afternoon sessions were insightful presentations by Martha Theien, President of the Montessori Educational Programs International (MEPI) and Sara Robinson, Director of Child and Family Outpatient and Crisis Services of Region Ten. Sara gave a presentation called Understanding Children’s Brains: Adversity and Resilience. Martha discussed parent partnerships and Meeting One Another Where We Are.
On Thursday evening, the Wisdom of the Elders Ceremony and presentation of the Denny Shapiro Innovation in Montessori Education Teacher Education Award were celebrated. The Wisdom of the Elders Award is given by MACTE to distinguished Montessori educators in recognition of their sustained, dedicated, and heartfelt service to Montessori education. This includes preparing teachers for their practice, teaching children, and strengthening the institutions that serve the Montessori community.
Congratulations go out to the 2019 Wisdom of the Elders award recipients:
- Mimi Basso, West Side Montessori School and WSMS-TEP, New York, NY
- Robyn Breiman, Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative, Lexington, MA
- Barbara Ervin, Lander University, Greenwood, SC
- Merrie King, Montessori Education Center of the Rockies, Boulder, Co
- K.T. Korngold, CMTE/NY, New Rochelle, NY
- Peter Larrow, Montessori Opportunities, Inc.
- Rosann Larrow, Montessori Opportunities, Inc.
- Kathy Leitch, International Montessori Council, Brandenton, FL
Friday’s sessions focused specifically on the importance of quality in accreditation. A panel of speakers from relevant accreditation organizations spoke about their role as accreditors and the significance of their work in maintaining quality. The panelists were Dr. Tom Bordenkircher, Vice President of Accreditation Relations at the Higher Learning Commission; Joseph Vilbert, Director of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors and Dr. Mark LaCelle-Peterson, President of the Association for Advancing Quality in Education Preparation.
Additional presentation were given by Aimee Fagan, MACTE Director of Accreditation, who talked specifically about Montessori teacher education program accreditation. Dr. Jackie Cossentino, Director of Research at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS) and Rita Nolan, the Founder and Executive Director of the Montessori School of Englewood discussed the Residency Program model for teacher education.
The MACTE Symposium ended Friday afternoon with table discussions pertinent to Montessori teacher education and accreditation process. Topics included state policy for Montessori, university teacher education programs, Montessori online learning, social justice and public Montessori.
The MACTE Symposium is typically held the first week of December in Virginia. This year the event was held in Charlottesville, but previously the symposium has been held in Northern Virginia. It is always a great opportunity to connect with Montessorians throughout the region, the country and internationally. Look for information about next year’s symposium in the fall of 2020.