The Historical Development and Contexts of Montessori Education in Ireland

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Montessori Education SIG Roundtable

Abstract

This historical account follows the development of Montessori education in Ireland from the first establishment of a Montessori program in the Republic in 1920. It explores Maria Montessori’s visits and establishment of the AMI College in Dublin, the background of faith-based education in Ireland, and the contemporary challenges Irish Montessori advocates are facing. These topics are contextualized with journal and newspaper articles detailing the history of education in Ireland and the Montessori method, as well as current updates from leading Montessori associations and government agencies in the Republic. The work highlights challenges that Montessori education faced in Ireland which could be instructive to other geographic areas working to use Montessori pedagogy in public and private educational spaces.

Author

• Tia René Williams, University of Notre Dame