UW-River Falls workshop for Montessori educators explores strategies to teach boys

October 10, 2016 -- Educators in public or private Montessori schools can gain professional knowledge and skills through a series of one-day workshops offered by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The courses are approved by the American Montessori Society (AMS) and taught by nationally recognized Montessori educators. Each workshop covers a separate topic of interest to Montessori and other teachers and parents.

The next workshop, "Making It Stick - How We Make a Lasting Difference in Kids' Lives," is Friday, Oct. 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the River Falls Public Library (lower level). It is presented by Biff Maier, director of faculty and curriculum development at Lexington Montessori School in Massachusetts.

"Mr. Maier is a nationally recognized speaker and we are fortunate to have him here," said Linda Jacobson, program manager in UWRF Outreach and Continuing Education.  Maier has been involved with Montessori since 1974 and co-directs the Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative (METTC) in Lexington, Mass. He is a seminar presenter and consultant for the American Montessori Society (AMS), and, as former chair of the AMS Teachers' Section, he served on the AMS National Board of Directors.

An additional topic added to the October workshop will be "Boys Will Be Boys," which will introduce proven strategies and learning environment modifications to engage boys and close the growing achievement gap between boys and girls, Jacobson said. More information about the classes is available at https://www.uwrf.edu/ContinuingEducation/Educators/MontessoriProfessionalDevelopmentWorkshops.cfm

Additional workshops will be held in November, February and April. Advance registration is required and is available online at go.uwrf.edu/Montessori. Fees for each workshop range from $49 to $89 and discounts may be available for early registrations and group registrations of five or more participants. The fee includes instruction, lunch, parking, and materials and five or six continuing education credits from AMS. Participants who are interested in earning graduate credits with additional tuition and coursework outside of the workshop should contact Jacobson at 715-425-3190 or email linda.r.jacobson@uwrf.edu.

UW-River Falls provides lifelong learners with academic, professional development and enrichment programs that are practical, flexible, convenient and affordable. A complete list of courses, course descriptions and online registration information is available at www.uwrf.edu/ContinuingEducation or may be obtained by calling 715-425-3256, 1-800-228-5607 or sending an email to outreach@uwrf.edu.