Although the Montessori method is observation, we lack an observational literacy – how to engage in observation-based inquiry and talk about our discoveries. There is a wide gap between our philosophical framework and our daily classroom practices. The Montessori C.O.R.E. closes that gap by offering a guided approach to Montessori classroom observation. The C.O.R.E. acronym emphasizes the central role of observation in the Montessori method. The C.O.R.E. acronym further defines observation as a process of inquiry and discovery. Observation, in other words, involves more than watching and recording. Instead, there are four C.O.R.E. process elements: connect, observe, reflect, and enable.

Daily classroom observation requires preparation and planning. A first step involves wanting to know and understand children. Too many of us instead concentrate on giving presentations well and insist on children using the materials properly. While these are important components of classroom life, our primary task is to observe. “The teacher,” wrote Montessori (1918/1995), “must prepare herself, not by means of the content, but by means of the method” (p. 102). Montessori, however, did not provide detailed instructions. The Montessori C.O.R.E. fills that void and offers a systematic approach to daily classroom observation.

Paul will introduce and guide participants over the two days through the four components that will enable teachers to do as Montessori did: engage as scientists who are intent on making new discoveries. More than one hundred years after Montessori’s inaugural classroom in San Lorenzo, there is still much more to learn and understand about children.

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