Trondson honored by American Montessori Society

July 28, 2017-- A lecturer in the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Teacher Education Department has received the 2017 first place Outstanding Thesis Award given annually by the American Montessori Society (AMS).

Erin Ruzicka Trondson of Madison is an early childhood educator, teaching since 1997 and serving as the Head of School at Woodland Montessori School, a non-profit, City of Madison accredited preschool.  In addition, Trondson teaches Infant and Toddler Programs (TED 330) online for UW-River Falls.

Trondson recently completed her master of science degree and research at UW-Madison in Curriculum and Instruction.  Her thesis, “Montessori Education and Social Justice:  Overlap, Potential, & Areas for Growth,” tied for the first place honor. The full thesis is available online in the AMS Research Library.

Trondson holds a bachelor of arts degree from UW-Madison as well as a Montessori credential from Seton Montessori Institute in Chicago, Ill.  She is also a poet and the winner of the third annual Apprentice House Chapbook Competition for her manuscript, “Nesting.”

Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori in 1907. There are an estimated 20,000 Montessori schools worldwide, 5,000 in the United States and a growing number in Wisconsin, mostly serving the educational needs of children age three years to 12 years. UW-River Falls is the only university in the UW-System offering a graduate pathway to earn Montessori credentials and one of only two public universities across the country to offer such a program.

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 https://www.uwrf.edu/ContinuingEducation.