Upcoming Events
Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom
The Practitioner’s Class is the foundational course for, Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom, by Jane Nelsen and Chip DeLorenzo. The class uses a case study approach to discovering the principles and tools of Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom. The class gives participants the opportunity to connect with other Montessori educators in an experiential setting to learn how to implement the respectful and time-tested classroom management approach that builds responsibility, independence, motivation and empathy within classroom communities.
Using real classroom situations, participants will learn to:
- Prepare a classroom social/emotional environment that will reduce misbehavior.
- Create effective support plans to help students with behavioral challenges.
- Develop clear and consistent practices among adults to meet behavioral challenges respectfully and effectively.
- Understand the roots of misbehavior in children.
- Help children develop self-regulation, cooperation, and independence.
- Help students find a sense of belonging and significance in their classroom community.
- Develop school-wide practices that will help teachers and parents.
While there is no magic bullet for managing behavioral challenges, there are concrete principles and skills that can be learned by adults that will help develop respect and cooperation in the classroom, and effectively respond to misbehavior in a manner that helps children for the long-term. We hope you will join us for this workshop.
Online Class
February 2025 - Online
Dates: Mondays ~ February 10 through March 31.
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST (GMT-5)
Where: Online via Zoom
Facilitator: Chip DeLorenzo
In Person Class
March 2025 - Atlanta, GA
Dates: Friday and Saturday, March 1-2
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST
Where: Montessori Teacher Education Institute of Atlanta
Facilitator: Chip DeLorenzo
Positive Discipline in the Montessori Community
The Parent Communication Class: From Conflict to Collaboration course is designed for Montessori Educators and Leaders to help build supportive and collaborative relationships with parents, using the principles of Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom. Children are best supported when parents, teachers and leaders, have strong working relationships. Supported children are secure children. When children feel secure they experience emotional, social and academic success. In this 8-session workshop, participants will learn to:
- Build supportive and trusting relationships with parents.
- Handle difficult and emotionally charged interactions successfully.
- Avoid common communication mistakes that are often overlooked.
- Communicate child concerns to parents and maintain parent support.
- Turn challenging situations into opportunities for building strong relationships.
- Hold successful and productive parent-teacher conferences.
- Develop school-wide practices that will help teachers and parents.
April 2025 - Online
Dates: Wednesdays, April 7 through May 21
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST
Where: Online via Zoom
Facilitator: Chip DeLorenzo
Growing with Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom
The Master Class is designed for Montessori educators and leaders who have taken the Practitioner’s Class. The goal of this course is to deepen participants’ understanding of the principles and practices of Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom and to advance its consistent and effective implementation in classrooms and schools. Particular focus is given to understanding mistaken belief systems, collaboratively addressing misbehavior, and developing consistent practices among adults that promote security and social success for children. In this class, participants will:
- Discover practices that enhance consistency among teaching and leadership teams.
- Deepen their understanding of the Mistaken Goal Chart and its effective application.
- Discover new tools to help address “the belief behind the behavior”.
- Learn to address misbehavior proactively before significant challenges arise.
- Take a deep dive into developing student support plans using the child-study process.
- Explore how to use the Class Meeting to support conflict resolution, and build strong student leadership skills.
March 2025 - Online
Dates: Wednesdays, March 5 through April 23
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST
Where: Online via Zoom
Facilitator: Chip DeLorenzo
Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom
The Class Meeting is central and critical of Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom. It is the key to creating a democratic environment that develops mutual respect, cooperation, and responsibility. Join us, as we take a deeper look at the Class Meeting process. During this 4-session workshop participants will work with other Montessori educators who are practicing Positive Discipline in the Montessori Classroom to:
- Run highly effective Class Meetings.
- Learn how to teach the Class Meeting process at the beginning of the year, and create “buy-in” from students.
Discover how to directly teach needed social skills to students within the Class Meeting process, and create your own lessons. - Create a pacing guide for teaching the Class Meeting process and social skills throughout the school year.
- Identify common problems that can occur during Class Meetings and how to overcome them, proactively.
- Learn how to use the Class Meeting process to resolve interpersonal conflict, and help students learn important leadership problem-solving skills by helping each other.
- Have time to ask and answer questions!
August 2025 - Deep Dive: Class Meetings Course
Dates: To Be Determined
Time: To Be Determined
Where: Online via Zoom
Facilitator: Chip DeLorenzo
