Date: May 5, 2004
Speaker: Ginni Sackett & Cathy Newman —
Can a simple block of wood promote a learning experience? Montessori lecturer, trainer, and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) examiner Sackett joins Montessori lecturer and administrator Newman to show how this block can serve wildly variant ages and “learning styles.” The speakers raise the question: what how can digital technologies improve the experience?
About the speakers
Ginni Sackett holds a BA in History, an MA in Asian Studies, and the AMI Primary Diploma in Early Childhood Education. She is currently the Executive Director and Director of Primary Training at the Montessori Institute Northwest in Portland, Oregon.
Cathy Newman has been involved in the Montessori community since 1985 when she began her career as an assistant in a Children’s House program in Chicago, Illinois.
After her elementary level training in Bergamo, Italy, Cathy returned to Near North Montessori and worked as a guide in a 6-9 class for 3 years. Heeding the call of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated in 1990 to guide a small elementary program at SunGarden Montessori in West Linn, Oregon.
When SunGarden expanded its operations into Portland, Cathy became the 9-12 year old classroom guide at the new school – Two Rivers Montessori. Cathy served as 9-12 year old classroom guide for 6 years at Two Rivers until she focused her energies on her own family.
In 2002, Newman joined Odyssey Montessori’s Board of Directors, and then served as one of the school’s co-administrators. In 2003, she becomes Odyssey’s Administrator, working closely with staff and parents to support Odyssey’s mission of excellence.