AMI Podcasts

AMI Communications Team

AMI Podcasts is a unique collection of presentations, talks and lectures on Montessori principles and practice, the unique nature of childhood and natural human development, human rights and much more. At the moment, the series includes AMI AGM presentations and Maria Montessori House Talks.

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Avg 1 hr 5 min
English

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March 27 · 1 hr 4 min
AMI Talks: From the Absorbent Mind to the Innovative Mind
In the AMI Talk From the Absorbent Mind to the Innovative Mind: A Montessori Story of Resilience, the contributions of Pavan Goyal, Munira Hussain Kagalwalla, and a group of adolescents constitute a great Cosmic story: When the adolescents aged 12–15 at Blue Blocks Montessori School in Hyderabad, India, designed and built a satellite payload that was certified by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and launched through its rocket on 12 January 2026, the world noticed. For those who understand Montessori, the real story begins much earlier—in the sensorial explorations of the first plane, the intellectual investigations of the second, and the creative engineering of the third. Pavan and Munira trace the complete arc of how Montessori education, faithfully implemented from birth to eighteen, cultivates the innovative mind—and they bring their adolescent students to share the living proof. But this is not only a story of innovation. It is a story of what happens when things don't go as planned—during the build and after the launch—and what Montessori had already prepared these children to do when that moment came. Listen to the story that they will share themselves.
January 21 · 53 min
AMI Talks: A Dignity-Centred Approach: Montessori Principles for Dementia and Ageing
On Tuesday, 6 January 2026, Anne Kelly and Julia Ballesteros presented our AMI Talk on A Dignity-Centred Approach: Montessori Principles for Dementia and Ageing. Montessori education cultivates autonomy, equality, and community and these values were reflected and elaborated in the first talk of 2026: our speakers explored how Montessori principles have gained significant traction in dementia, disability, and aged-care settings worldwide.
Nov 21, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
AMI Talks: Nurturing the Democratic Spirit in Education
As we are about to commemorate the adoption of the UN General Assembly's Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, this offers a great opportunity to spotlight these rights and share how adults, society, the community can promote and live these rights, so much part and parcel of the Montessori philosophy. We are delighted that you can hear from Pavithra Rajagopalan and Koen Schaap, two speakers who each will bring a different, yet complementary focus on how these rights need to be advocated for and protected in education, and how we can help prepare children and youth to become contributing members of society. Pavithra Rajagopalan is an AMI 3-6 trainer; she has worked in Montessori schools in India, the US and New Zealand. She is involved in strengthening pioneering projects related to Early Childhood Education in under-served communities. She is part of the faculty at the Sir Ratan Tata Institute, Mumbai. Pavithra will argue that a democratic spirit is not about casting our vote once every 3, 4 or 5 years. It is more about being an active participant within any framework and exercising the right and fulfilling the duty to choose to function a certain way and also shaping the way that the framework functions on a regular basis. How does education recognise this aspect of daily life and what allocations do we make for the development of the democratic spirit? Particularly in Montessori, in the various contexts—schools, parent networks, training centres, affiliates, AMI, etc. — we may recognise the need for democratic processes, but does it always translate to democratic experiences for the participants? When it does, what are the principles that we uphold? Eventually, when the experiences marry processes, we see the coming of outcomes such as adaptation and critical consciousness in the individuals. Koen Schaap is an experienced Social Science teacher at IVKO, an art-based Montessori secondary school in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Besides teaching adolescents, he is a curriculum developer, coach and trainer at the Amsterdam Montessori Study Center. The Study Center is part of the Montessori Group of Schools in Amsterdam with over 5700 12-18 students and approximately 500 teachers. Koen will share insights from the work conducted by the Montessori Study Center Amsterdam on “Living Democracy with Adolescents in Large Urban Schools.” These schools serve around 5,000 young people (ages 12–18) from richly diverse cultural and economic backgrounds—contexts in which democratic values sometimes clash with those of the broader Western society they live in, as well as with the rise of right-wing populist parties in the Netherlands and across Europe. Koen’s presentation will explore how educators and students navigate these complexities, fostering democratic principles within learning environments that generate new understandings of participation, equity, and voice.
Sep 10, 2025 · 59 min
AMI Talks: An Invitation to Celebrate and Reflect
In celebration of the birthday of Maria Montessori on 31 August, we convened a special AMI online talk that explored the evolution of Maria Montessori’s thoughts on human development. Our historical archive is a wonderful instrument to mine and extend knowledge and feed the future. This is more than a collection of documents—it is a living repository of thought, experience, and evolution. Our 31 August talk reflected on the significance of preserving these materials—as a foundation for future exploration. On Maria Montessori’s birthday we celebrated the journey, and opened the doors for those who wished to engage, research, and contribute to the legacy. We heard the stories of two young PhD students, Irene Pozzi and Emma Perrone, who, facilitated by AMI’s legacy team, came to do extensive research into the archives.
Mar 27, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
AMI Talks: International Women's Day - Finding my Voice
AMI Talks - International Women's Day: Finding my Voice Montessori’s contribution to helping women develop their sense of agency Years before she became an advocate for the rights of children, Montessori was a voice for the women of her time. Growing up in the late 19th century, Montessori overcame societal strictures that defined what she could achieve as a woman and worked actively to help other women take control of their bodies and advocate for themselves. As we celebrate Women’s Day today, author, researcher and historian, Erica Moretti traced Montessori’s early work in this field. Reflecting on their observations of the impact of Montessori training on women in different settings, Trainers Uma Ramani and Helen Mohan Elias discussed how the Montessori approach to Education as an Aid to Life helps women gain a fresh perspective on themselves and their role in society, helping them become agents for social change in their communities. As we celebrated Women’s Day, they explored the enduring power of Montessori’s work in helping women find their voice and realise the strength of their contributions to society.
Jan 15, 2025 · 52 min
Voices of EsF: The Importance of Mother Tongue Education
In this Voices of EsF edition, Dr Susan Nyaga discusses what mother tongue education and multilingualism entail and how they relate to identity and culture. She shares research findings underscoring the importance of mother tongue learning and how this can be supported in the classroom and beyond.
Jan 10, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min
AMI Talks: How Montessori History Fuels Today’s Innovations in Education
We are delighted to present our 6 January AMI Talk - the date is one well known as it marks the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini, in Rome. We are grateful to be able to present two strong speakers from our network: Dr John Exalto, assistant professor in theory and history of education, and Sarah Kiteleja, Executive Director of the Montessori Community of Tanzania. Inspired by the vision of Maria Montessori that education is the best instrument for change in society, they will explore the need for innovation and reform in educational systems, sharing insights from practice and academia.
Oct 17, 2024 · 1 hr 26 min
AMI Talks: Montessori and Music as Healing Instruments for Children with Trauma
In this episode we will first hear from AMI trainer Liza Davis, who in her 6 August contribution to Voices of AMI Training, discussed the science of how trauma's impact on brain development can be mitigated by supportive environments. Her presentation is followed by Susan Shea who will speak on the healing power of music when working with children with trauma. You can learn more about the speakers of this AMI Talk by visiting the link here.
Aug 1, 2024 · 31 min
EsF Stories with Carolina Cerezuela
This EsF stories episode is about taking initiative, integrating into a community, and creating sustainable change in the community. Born in Spain, today’s guest has made a long, interesting, and circuitous journey to Mexico, where she currently lives. Her local community has benefited from her experience, her insight, and her boundless energy to develop a meaningful educational program, from early childhood through adolescence. After traveling around the world, from India to Guatemala to refugee camps in Nigeria, Carolina had a vision. With the help of the community and local sources, she was able to build a Montessori center in 2015 in Oaxaca, Mexico, and create most of the 3-6 materials. She was able to be connected to EsF and to an AMI-trained guide. Two years ago, she started an adolescent program. Listen to this episode to learn more about Carolina’s work and how she got there! 🌐 EsF Website: https://montessori-esf.org/
Jan 23, 2024 · 1 hr 17 min
AMI Talks: Cross Pollinating Peace
In this episode, our president Alain Tschudin, professor of Peace Studies and Takako Fukatsu, Montessori advocate in Japa tap into their varied and wide experience in a Montessori concept embedded in all our work and values: the preparation and transfer of peace. You can learn more about the speakers of this AMI Talk by visiting the link here.
Nov 20, 2023 · 1 hr 14 min
AMI Talks: The Importance of Movement
Welcome to the latest episode of the AMI Talks! On November 15th, we hosted an insightful talk exploring the topic of The Importance of Movement. Our lineup of speakers was dynamic, and we began with the globally renowned Professor Adele Diamond, who is a pioneer in the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience. In her presentation, she discussed the profound significance of music, dance, and movement. After Professor Diamond's talk, we had the privilege of hearing from Ruben Jongkind and Patrick Oudejans, the two visionaries behind Montessori Sports. They shared their perspective on how "Sport is a key to educating human potential." You can learn more about the speakers of this AMI Talk by visiting the link here.
Sep 14, 2023 · 1 hr 25 min
AMI Talks Episode 10: Parent Engagement
On 31 August 2023, AMI held an enlightening AMI Talk featuring three exceptional speakers who discussed the importance of parent engagement. Hear from Eduardo Cuevas, Francescah Kipsoi and Lilian Wairimu Mwaura who generously shared their stories and expertise in this field. Parents play a crucial role in shaping their child's educational journey, and when equipped with deeper Montessori knowledge, children can reap the benefit of closer and more joyful collaboration between home and school. You will love hearing about experiences from various backgrounds and cultures.
Apr 4, 2023 · 54 min
EsF Stories: Monique and Felista
In this episode of EsF stories Monique Bekker and Felista Urassa tell the story of the Kilakala Montessori classroom for deaf children in Morogoro, Tanzania. Monique and Felista have been working together to support deaf children for over 20 years and they share their experiences and their thoughts on why Montessori education is a natural fit for deaf children. They also reflect on the evolution of the initiative and the impact it has had on the children, their families, and the broader community. Felista joined the conversation from Tanzania. Her internet connection was a little unstable at times, but we were so grateful she was able to join the conversation and share her inspiring story. If you have any questions or if you would like to get in touch with Monique and Felista, please send us an email at info@montessori-esf.org.
Mar 20, 2023 · 1 hr 2 min
AMI Talks Episode 9: Desired childhoods, adverse childhoods and the future of early childhood education
To celebrate International Women’s Day we hosted an AMI Talk with Professor Noah Sobe and Beverley Maragh, lecturer at the Maria Montessori Institute, London. Noah Sobe’s presentation explored whether the concept of childhood has its historical lifespan and traced ways that childhood changed across the 20th and 21st centuries. Beverley featured on an amazing initiative that was created in collaboration with the Born Inside project, aimed at benefiting mothers, babies, and pregnant women in one of the biggest prisons for women in Britain. Noah Sobe’s presentation explored whether the concept of childhood has its own historical lifespan. It began with an examination of how a proper, protected, healthy childhood was understood at the time of Montessori's first work in education, and then traced ways that childhood changed across the 20th and 21st centuries. The talk concluded with an evaluation of historical arguments that we have reached an "end" to childhood and what this might mean for early childhood education. Beverley Maragh presented an amazing initiative that was created in collaboration with the Born Inside project, aimed at benefiting mothers, babies, and pregnant women in one of the biggest prisons for women in Britain. Her story is testimony to the great commitment and dedication to give infants and babies a “head-start” in circumstances where love and care can be scarce commodities. Beverley sketched how the initiative developed, also having to battle against institutional prejudices, and the disruption caused by Covid. The Born Inside initiative has been replicated in Mexico, where recently a mother and baby unit opened in a penal institution. We were happy to host such an interesting presentation which highlighted the importance of childhood, education and children’s and women’s interaction with society, its structures, challenges, and opportunities.
Jan 16, 2023 · 1 hr 10 min
AMI Talks Episode 8: The Global Path of Montessori
On January 6, the day that marks the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo, Rome, we hosted an AMI Talk with Victoria Johnson, Agnese Fontanaand Rosario di Girolamo. The speakers shared their experiences around the theme of the Global Path of Montessori. Victoria Johnson, PhD in Global Family, Health and Wellbeing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, gave a fascinating overview of her research into the introduction of Montessori in communities, and how Montessori’s unique capability of taking on a diverse hue underscored its universality. Agnese Fontana, producer and author, and Rosario di Girolamo, cross-media creative director of MontessoriRoad delighted the audience by showing this spread across cultures, sharing highlights from their filming of Montessori children at work in different countries.
Nov 1, 2022 · 1 hr 13 min
AMI Talks Episode 7: The Educational Value of Silence
Our AMI Talk of 19 October with Uma Ramani and Pieter Verstraete focused on the theme of silence and highlighted how silence in education can be both an instrument and an outcome of the practice of education as an aid to life. Uma is an AMI Trainer, and currently Director of Training (3-6) at the Montessori Institute of North Texas (MINT), Dallas, Texas. Uma is deeply interested in the study of Maria Montessori’s writings and enjoys exploring the continued relevance of Montessori philosophy and practice in the modern-day context. Pieter is a professor of history of education at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Louvain in Belgium. In his most recent book Silence in the Classroom, he explores the history of western pedagogical approaches to silence in schools (Leuven University Press).
Oct 11, 2022 · 45 min
EsF Stories: Mayumi Saito
This podcast is about innovation, commitment, and resilience. It features people who found different ways to apply Montessori principles and started initiatives to serve communities in different parts of the world. They share their stories on what inspired and motivated them, and how their ideas came to realisation. In this new episode of EsF stories, we have a conversation with Mayumi Saito. We got to know Mayumi during the Voices of EsF programme in 2021. As part of the programme, she conducted focused conversations with children between the ages of 6 and 12 about their life; the things that are important to them, the challenges they face, and the changes they would like to make. In our conversation, Mayumi shares how she got involved in Montessori through parenthood, in a search for the best way to support the development of her children. Her commitment to Montessori and child development eventually led to the establishment of a Montessori children’s club, where children can meet, work, and learn through Montessori principles. If you have any questions or want to get in touch with Mayumi, please email us at info@montessori-esf.org.
Sep 13, 2022 · 49 min
AMI Talks Episode 6: Digging Deep: Connecting to Nature for a Healthy Society
The AMI Talk of 31 August 2022 with Nicolina Montesano Montessori and Yoliswa Mahobe focused on the laws of life and the role of nature in humankind’s true well-being. Nicolina Montesano Montessori, a researcher with a background in discourse analysis, reflects on the importance of connecting to nature. With her special interest in eco-literacy and social justice, she also uncovers some of the “policy speak” of leaders when referring to the protection of nature. Yoliswa Mahobe is attached to the Sustainability Institute, Stellenbosch, S.A. where she is the training coordinator for the Living Soils Community Learning Farm; here she supports community engagement work around food security. She also facilitates experiential garden lessons with the Lynedoch Small School, Lynedoch Children’s House and Youth programme.
Jun 24, 2022 · 1 hr 16 min
AMI Talks Episode 5: Life Skills and Learning in Communities
The AMI Talk of 19 May 2022 zoomed in on how children acquire life skills in Indigenous communities in the Americas, and particularly Mexico. Dr Barbara Rogoff shared some of her pioneering research work and Carolina Cerezuela spoke of a Montessori outreach initiative in Oaxaca.
Jun 22, 2022 · 1 hr 16 min
AMI Talks Episode 4: Life Skills and Learning in Communities
The AMI Talk of 19 May 2022 zoomed in on how children acquire life skills in Indigenous communities in the Americas, and particularly Mexico. Dr Barbara Rogoff shared some of her pioneering research work and Carolina Cerezuela spoke of a Montessori outreach initiative in Oaxaca.

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