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CatholicMommy
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I e-mailed Moira with some questions about her albums and below is her response, which I think stands alone:
Hi Jessica, thanks so much for your thoughtful questions, I will try to answer them to a satisfactory explanation.
For starters, I am not CGS trained, so I cannot tell you all the differences that my albums contain in contrast to their program's content. I have based my work on several sources, but primarily on the writings of Sofia Cavalletti, and my own experience and work with the Montessori method, that Cavalletti adopted in the work of her atria.
My primary desire in making this work available to others was to provide a usable and quality resource for parents who were looking for assistance in adopting a truly Catholic, Montessori-based method of catechesis for working with their own children at home. I was seriously surprised at the time, that there were really no resources of this description available, and that resources which were available for purchase (without training) such as Jerome Berryman's Godly Play, which adopts much of the CGS content and style, were not purely Catholic. I assumed there were others like myself, and I was to find out this number was even far greater than I suspected, that would be interested in a parent home-school version of catechesis, who either did not have the time or the resources to take CGS training, and convert the program for their own home use. Ironically, I have had many individuals who are either in training, or who have had training, that have purchased and used my work as well, and still found it extremely helpful and enriching.
That much said, I have aimed at what is truly essential for families, in the written presentations for the albums I composed. With parents limited resources for time, space, and money, I have tried to improvise ways of making materials that are both effective to teach with, and attractive for children to use--but are also the bare essentials. For this reason I do not use scripture booklets, because the added time to make them seems like one additional step, and actually reading from the Bible with a lit candle makes clear to the child where the words come from. It is certainly an option to make the text into a booklet if someone desires to do it, but I have met with so much concern from parents over "doing it right" that I have tried to eliminate anything that can become a 'stickler' from actually doing the presentation, out of fear for not being prepared with the right materials. I provide a very simple but detailed list of materials needed at the heading for each presentation, and in a glance, one can tell what is needed before reading the directions.
As for the number of presentations, at this point in time, I have tried to include a full year's worth of presentations in each album, but the scope is not meant to be a precise imitation of the CGS curriculum. I include one or two presentations that are unique from CGS altogether, such as the Creation story in the 3-6 album, or the Jesse Tree and the O antiphons in the 6-9, because these are things I have found extremely attractive to these age groups when I have used them in my own family, and with my friend's children, and they are also very helpful in building Catholic family culture.
You must also understand that CGS, although it has really lovely and beautiful things to offer, is in no way standardized for families to use. It is taught for the aim and purpose of running an atrium, with a once-a-week visit from children, for various children to participate there in the duration of an hour or two each time. This has worked successfully in many places and parishes around the world, but there is no reason why families have to adhere to their exact practices and traditions, because families are really different creatures altogether. To give you an idea of some of the differences, I am attaching the letter from the 3-6 album to this emial, which describes how the Home Atrium environment is different, not just from a traditional atrium, but even from family to family, or within the same family from season to season, and year to year. You will see that the organic outgrowth described will vary greatly, and that is as it should be, because God did not design all of our families to be identical, or even for one family to always remain the same.
You will also find in the attached letter a description of a prayer corner your family may use, and some ideas for modifications that can work with little toddlers on the loose etc. Many of the presentations suggest incorporating older or younger children either in the actual work, or in the follow-up work, since it is a rare moment when a mother can focus only on one child for any length of time.
I hope that answers many of your questions. Please feel free to write again if I have missed anything, or if you want any further explanation for things I have tried to answer. I am currently working on the release of the 9-12 album which is significanlty different than the fCGS versin, but again, I have tried to include the appropriate content, with the family in mind and the household environment as the work-space for using these albums. I have found much of the 9-12 material intimidating to try to teach, so to speak, and I have tried to break it down so that it is extremely clear, both for parents to present it, and for children to absorb it through meaningful and enriching work. I am aiming at August 15 as the release date, with special prayers for Our Lady's assistance because for the two years I have tried to complete this work, I haven't yet managed to meet any projected finish date.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you, I am only too glad if I can be helpful in any way.
In Him,
Moira
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CatholicMommy
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I think this letter is in her albums?
Dear Families…
I gathered around my kitchen table with a few mothers one day after presenting to their children and mine, the story of Noah’s ark and the great flood. It was our fourth presentation together, and I wanted feedback from these mothers how they thought their children were responding to the material. I was investing many hours getting ready for each presentation, but taking only fifteen, sometimes twenty minutes, to share them with our children. After each gathering, when everyone went home, I experienced something like the after Christmas-blues. I was spending literally hours, preparing the materials, practicing the stories, and making everything ready, and it was all over so quickly. It seemed like something was missing.
I didn’t know it then, but I was experiencing something Sophia Cavalletti was aware of when she developed the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd method. She knew that after the introduction to the material, the lesson was not over. Children needed time after a presentation to absorb, meditate, and form a relationship with the material that was shared with them. Although they heard the words, understood the plot, and learned the facts of what was presented, they hadn’t yet had time to form their own personal responses.
The idea of forming these responses is essentially the second period of what Maria Montessori called the three period lesson. It is the time to experience, revisit, and become more personally intimate with the Word received from the themes and contents of a presentation given. It is essential that this opportunity be made for our children, and that they are not asked too quickly to move on to the next piece of work or another lesson. It is in this second period where our children begin to form their relationships with God, where their wonder and reflections on certain themes and scriptures move them as creatures, into relationship with their Creator.
Our job as parents is to provide the first period lesson—the introduction, and then to provide the environment for the second period lesson to take place. This means a space in our home for our children to visit with materials that have been shown them, a quiet place to move and meditate, and to reflect in silence. According to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd method, this environment is the atrium, a word that means “before room,” which is both a metaphor for the before room of the Church, and the before room of the greater world. In my opinion, this real place is ideally the domestic church, our homes.
So what does a home atrium look like? Being a mother with four small children of my own (newborn to 8 years), I have found this “quiet place” possible, but different during different phases of our family life. I don’t believe there is one prescription to meet each family’s situation. You may have to experiment on your own to solve this for your own family, but I suggest the following ideas as a starting place.
I have found that if the materials are invisible to my child, the impetus to go back to them is absent. The presentation materials once given, need to be left in a prominent place. In support of this, I share a short story about a girlfriend of mine and me who were visiting one afternoon. She offered a book to me to give to my son, about dinosaurs, because her own three sons were not particularly interested in dinosaurs at the time, and mine was. She placed this book on the table between us, intending that I should take it home.
During our chat, one of her sons walked into the room. He came to ask his mother a question, and while he talked, he began to flip through the book on the table. Shortly thereafter, his brother also came downstairs, to chat with his mom. While he chatted, he too opened the book of dinosaurs and began to flip through the pages. I finally commented to my girlfriend that perhaps she shouldn’t give the book away, and that her children might be interested in dinosaurs after all. The point of the story I think is clear. What is placed in our children’s environments, and where, can dramatically effect their interest.
It is the intention in using this album, that you make the materials used in each presentation equally available for your child to return to and use. Although your presenting might seem like the bigger effort, it is the second period that is actually more critical for your children to benefit in using this book. I suggest one week for each work, and that after each week you rotate the previous week’s materials into a less prominent place (but still available) and place the new materials in the prominent area. The table of contents does not have to be followed exactly, but the lessons should follow the same progression, as they are ordered to build upon one another. Finally, when doing the follow-up work, you will find reference made to a notebook to keep for your child. This is not supposed to be a journal of his studies, or the equivalent of homework. I discovered when my daughter kept returning from First Communion class with her notebook, that her younger brother of 4 years, wanted a notebook too. He tried to color on her pages, and trace her work, until I finally made him his own notebook. He took great pride in this, worked diligently at tracing symbol cards and letter forms, and enthusiastically shared his work with dad or others who cared to listen. I also recommend hanging finished work up on the wall for a week, and replacing it with new work when another is completed, transferring the older work to the notebook. The visual access this provides often sparks conversation about that week’s work, or like a map, can offer memorization of what is seen by frequent looking.
Finally, a word about giving presentations. This book is designed to give you an easy and clear starting place, but is in no way meant to suggest that you should read the scripts when you make presentations to your child. Think of them as picture windows and chances to observe what a presentation might look like if you had the chance to observe one in practice. Make note cards or practice alone beforehand, but try to let the presentation develop organically.
In the end, your children will let you know if you have been successful. This proved to be the case with the great flood presentation I mentioned earlier, because as the mothers were discussing, we began to hear our children playing together in the living room with the materials I had used that day. They had re-enacted the story of the great flood while we were talking, and had carried the story out to a new conclusion. After the animals and Noah’s family had left the ark and entered the new world, they gathered them around the stone altar for Noah’s sacrifice of thanksgiving to God. A ram was placed on the altar, Noah was made a priest, the family members gathered around were made into the congregation, and the animals were elevated to the status of choir members who sang for the offering of the first Mass in the new world. None of this idea had been told to the children directly, but had occurred to them while they played. I was in awe at what they had done, because they were right to discover this underlying typology for the Mass, and the discovery was truly theirs.
Allowing your child to discover for himself is truly the aim in catechesis, because then the discovery is his to own. Many of the presentations have questions and reflection points to offer afterwards, but they are never questions you should answer for your child. Let him wonder, let him prayerfully ponder, and let him discover independently, that the Kingdom of Heaven is his to inherit, and it is the pearl of great price extended to each one of us by the hand of the Good Shepherd, as he calls us by name, to enter His fold.
Sincerely in Christ,
Moira Farrell
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Meredith
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Thank you Jessica for posting your response from Moira, and yes, this is the letter that's included in her 3-6 album. I think it speaks very cleary as to her mission and I just love her program.
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Erin
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I have just ordered mine from America!! Can't wait 
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happymama
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thank you for posting this, it answered some questions i've had for a long time!
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Eleanor
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Quote:
The idea of forming these responses is essentially the second period of what Maria Montessori called the three period lesson. It is the time to experience, revisit, and become more personally intimate with the Word received from the themes and contents of a presentation given. It is essential that this opportunity be made for our children, and that they are not asked too quickly to move on to the next piece of work or another lesson. It is in this second period where our children begin to form their relationships with God, where their wonder and reflections on certain themes and scriptures move them as creatures, into relationship with their Creator.
Our job as parents is to provide the first period lesson—the introduction, and then to provide the environment for the second period lesson to take place. This means a space in our home for our children to visit with materials that have been shown them, a quiet place to move and meditate, and to reflect in silence. According to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd method, this environment is the atrium, a word that means “before room,” which is both a metaphor for the before room of the Church, and the before room of the greater world. In my opinion, this real place is ideally the domestic church, our homes. |
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Not wanting to be too picky here, but I'm not really understanding Moira Farrell's use of the "Three Period Lesson" terminology in this context. According to my training -- and every Montessori book I've read -- the "Three Period Lesson" is a specific method that MM copied from Eduard Seguin, who used it to teach children with various disabilities. It's used for direct teaching of the names of things (e.g., continents, numerals, and shapes), as well as the names of concepts (e.g., bigger and smaller). Here's one description of how it works, from an AMI-trained directress, and another, from an AMS-trained directress.
As I understand it, there isn't a whole lot of "going deeper" involved in the process; it's basically just a sort of game to help the child memorize the words and concepts. All three periods are directed by the teacher, who invites the child to join her for the lesson when she discerns that he is ready. In fact, if the child is quick to grasp the material, she might decide to proceed through all three periods in one session.
By contrast, Mrs. Farrell seems to be using the term "second period" to refer to a period of reflection that the child does on his own, after any type of presentation has been given. Is this sort of language also used in Sofia Cavalletti's books? (I haven't read them in a while, but I don't remember anything like that.) Or is it something she came up with on her own?
Of course, this doesn't really affect how well her presentations work. And the period of reflection does exist, no matter what you call it. But, at first glance, she seems to be redefining a basic Montessori concept... and that's making me curious about the extent of her knowledge of the method. She mentions that the albums are based on her "own experience and work" with Montessori, but she doesn't seem to have shared the details of this experience anywhere that I can find.
(BTW, I do have her albums, although we've only done one presentation so far. I'm still hoping to take the CGS training, but I'm holding out for the chance to take it from a solid Catholic instructor, which doesn't seem to be an option in our area right now. In any case, I'm not in a hurry to get back into the atrium business. It does sound lovely... but, right now, our family seems to be getting an ample supply of spiritual inspiration from our traditional non-Montessori catechetical materials. )
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happymama
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Eleanor, I agree with what you wrote, the 3-part-lesson refers to the way MM introduces new vocabulary & concepts. I have no idea who Moira is, but I appreciate her initiative in giving us the 3-6 album, which I've used extensively. Either it was a simple oversight on her part or whatever, it will probably be corrected in subsequent versions i would certainly hope! There are many small editing corrections that could be made, i think entire pages are missing from my copy! It's a work i treasure owning, but i won't deny it could use some professional editing both from a publishing and Montessori perspective. I absolutely love this form of catechesis, and i also realize that for whatever reason the Holy Spirit has waited to "unleash" it until now. The past 50 years it's been around, slowly putting itself together; now (thanks to the internet, i presume), it's really taking off.
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JennGM
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I don't think Moira ever claims to be true CGS, nor true Montessori.
I did find an explanation that more closely fits her description of a 3 period lesson in Listening to God With Children: The Montessori Method Applied to the Catechesis of Children by Gianna Gobbi.
Chapter 4 is "The Three Period Lesson". The Montessori explanation
First Period: Associating the sensorial perception of the object with its name
Second Period: Recognizing the object corresponding to the name.
Third Period: Remembering the name corresponding to the object.
The three periods are an essential element in almost all presentations, even with children over six, and need not be limited to lessons of nomenclature. Another way of looking at the three periods is as correlaries to the three moments of learning:
- In the first period or moment one is put in contact with the subject.
- In the second period one engages in an activity or, in some way, interacts with the subject, which helps one's absortpion of the subject and aids mental retention.
- In the third period one achieves a degree of ownership of the subject; the subject has become clear enough or enough a part of oneself so that one has somethign of his or her own to say about it and can also communicate the subject to others.
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Meredith
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Thank you Jenn for looking this up, it's very helpful 
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Eleanor
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| Posted: Aug 14 2007 at 6:25pm | IP Logged
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Thanks, Jenn, that was very helpful. It seems as if Mrs. Farrell meant to refer to the "three moments of learning," AKA the "three stages of learning." This is a more general concept that's used to describe the learning process. (While the three-period lesson is one example of these stages in action, it doesn't follow that the reverse is true... i.e., that all sorts of different learning experiences are types of "three-period lessons.")
JennGM wrote:
| I don't think Moira ever claims to be true CGS, nor true Montessori. |
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This is an interesting point. Perhaps Moira Farrell doesn't say that her albums are "true Montessori," but Julia Fogassy -- the distributor and co-author -- does seem to be saying this. Just look at the way the books are listed on her site. How would a newcomer know the difference?
Again, this isn't meant to question the quality of the presentations themselves. It's more a matter of clarity and accuracy in advertising. Just offhand, I can think of several teaching methods that are heavily Montessori-influenced, but that don't use the Montessori name in any obvious way: RightStart Math, Reading Rescue, etc. Others, like Shiller Math and Shining Light Reading, just describe themselves as "Montessori based."
(BTW, when reading online discussion boards, I often see posts where people speculate that Maria Montessori would have loved to have people tinkering with her method, and coming up with their own variations -- but, by all accounts, she actually took quite the opposite view. She had her classroom materials patented, and, for a long time, the only ones who were allowed to use the method were teachers whom she'd personally trained herself. Toward the end of her life, she put the AMI -- led by her son Mario -- in charge of everything, in order to safeguard the details of the method. Mario focused his efforts on establishing teacher training centers, and especially on training the trainers. It wasn't until the US court decision, 12 years after her death, that this arrangement all fell apart, and now anyone can use the name. So, while it's legal to call a self-designed variation "Montessori," there's no reason to believe that MM herself would have welcomed such a thing.... for whatever that's worth to each of us.)
But this is all beside the point. If an author -- any author -- makes an explicit point of using Montessori terminology (or CM terminology, or Waldorf terminology, or dog obedience training terminology  ), to describe a particular situation, I don't think it's unreasonable to hope that she's using these terms accurately. It's not a huge deal, but it's not a matter of indifference, either.
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ALmom
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Ok I'm not sure why there is a problem. I am not as familiar with Montessori as most of you but here is what the CGS has me doing as one of the first presentations:
hand child the object and name it.
later the child names it
later the child identifies the object or even matches the written name of the object with it's picture,
later they can even match names with definitions.
So for Mass presentations - the early ones have you handing the child a paten and saying, "this is a paten" etc. The child then responds by naming the object. I really have a hard time seeing the difference between this and what you describe above.
Even with say the Parables, the first step is handing the items to the child and naming them. This is the good shepherd, this is the sheepfold, ...and the child then identifying the objects to you.
I know my Mass kit from Our Father's house came with a whole bunch of masters to be copied and made into name cards.
Maybe I'm missing something due to my inexperience. I have certainly not been trained formally in either CGS or Montessori. I do have a hard time understanding the complaint.
Janet
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JennGM
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I think Julia's listing "in the Montessori tradition" doesn't really mean "true Montessori". Maybe I'm naive, but the term Montessori is used loosely now, almost like an adjective for certain aspects that are used, not necessarily purist. Perhaps it's not what she intended or wanted, but it does seem to be the case.
I admit my siblings and I joke among ourselves when we do something with our children that's hands-on, manipulative friendly, practical life-life  , etc. We joke and say something like "That's very Montessori of you."
Think of all the splintered groups from Maria Montessori. AMI is not the claimant to be Montessori.
I guess I look at it in the light of St. Francis. Franciscan orders number the largest in all the religious orders. There are SOOO many that claim to be Franciscan. Some can trace their order from the beginning foundations, with their rules directly reflecting St. Francis'. But others are merely in the spirit of St. Francis. Truly there are no two that are alike, but they all claim to be Franciscan, and I know St. Francis wouldn't turn them away.
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Eleanor
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ALmom wrote:
| Ok I'm not sure why there is a problem. I am not as familiar with Montessori as most of you but here is what the CGS has me doing as one of the first presentations: |
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As I've said above, I'm not aware of any "problems" about how the presentations are done. (I haven't even read most of them yet! We've only lit the candles. ) I was just wondering about Moira Farrell's Montessori background. Based on what she's written in her letters and posts, it's hard to figure out whether she has a strong understanding of the method, or she's just picked up a little bit here and there. Her method could be just fine either way, but, personally, I'd be interested in knowing, since these albums are very much her own creation.
If you don't care about this aspect, please feel free to ignore my questions.
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Eleanor
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JennGM wrote:
| I think Julia's listing "in the Montessori tradition" doesn't really mean "true Montessori". |
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I was thinking more of the subject header: "Montessori Education." It seems to mean just what it says. Everything from MM's books, to the CGS books, to the Home Atrium albums, is together in one category.
JennGM wrote:
| Maybe I'm naive, but the term Montessori is used loosely now, almost like an adjective for certain aspects that are used, not necessarily purist. Perhaps it's not what she intended or wanted, but it does seem to be the case. |
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It's been used that way by some people, in recent years. Others would say that "Montessori-influenced" or "Montessori-inspired" are more appropriate descriptions for such things. This makes a lot more sense to me, even just from the standpoint of clarity. Otherwise, we'll end up using phrases like "true Montessori," which seems like a redundancy. Shouldn't things, by default, be "true?" And what does it make the other stuff... "false Montessori?" Sounds kind of insulting, IMO. (It also makes me think of "false fronts." No, this isn't a real pink tower... it's just painted on the wall. )
JennGM wrote:
| Think of all the splintered groups from Maria Montessori. AMI is not the claimant to be Montessori. |
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Well, they are the claimant, and I think they have a pretty strong moral and logical case (e.g., see Maria Montessori's will.) A United States court, in the mid-1960's, evidently decided otherwise, on the grounds of intellectual property law... but I don't think that necessarily settles the issue for us, as parents and teachers. It just makes things much more complicated. Each of us has to decide which standards we want to aim for in the Montessori-influenced aspects of our children's education.
Because of this situation, when people describe their books, materials, or school as "Montessori," I think they need (at the very least) to explain how they're using the term. And it would be very helpful for them to share the details of their own background, with regard to training, experience, self-study, etc. Compared to all the effort that goes into creating the materials themselves, this would seem to be a very easy thing to include.
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JennGM
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Eleanor wrote:
| [quote=JennGM]Think of all the splintered groups from Maria Montessori. AMI is not the claimant to be Montessori. |
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That was a typo. It should have read "AMI is not the ONLY claimant to be Montessori."
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Eleanor
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JennGM wrote:
| That was a typo. It should have read "AMI is not the ONLY claimant to be Montessori." |
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This is true, of course. At the same time, though, they're the only claimant to be "the" guardians of authentic Montessori pedagogy, and they're the only ones who could have any historical grounds to make such a claim. Whether or not you think this gives them any authority, it does put them in a different category from other groups and individuals who have come later. These others all claim to have an "open and inclusive" vision (although, when it comes down to it, they all do have their own standards of what qualifies as "true Montessori").
In the same way, CGS are the only ones who can make a historical claim to be "the" guardians of their distinctive style of catechesis. And Mrs. Farrell has been careful to state that her home atrium program isn't the same as CGS -- it's based on her own reading of the books that are publicly available. I guess I'm just hoping for the same level of clarity with regard to her personal background with the Montessori method. Whether she's had training (from such-and-such school), read books (by such and-such authors), had experience teaching (in such-and-such environment), or whatever... it would only take a couple of sentences to describe this. I'm sure I'm not the only one of her readers who's wondered about it.
I realize that any confusion over the meaning of the "three period lesson" isn't that important in the great scheme of things. It's just that, for some reason, I was under the impression that, although Mrs. Farrell wasn't trained in CGS, she was somewhat of an expert in Montessori. Thus, my puzzlement. 
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ALmom
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 2:47am | IP Logged
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Eleanor:
Have you asked either Moira or Julie Fogassy? Both are extremely kind and generous people and I would think they would graciously answer your question.
I guess my repsonse was not because I didn't think you should care about a person's background or training but that you seemed upset because of her use of the 3 part lesson term and you thought her use of it implied a lack of knowledge about Montessori. When I saw the definitions posted, well, I couldn't quite understand your concern here as from what I have seen in the description of actual presentations - they really do seem to follow those definitions as far as I can see and I don't see where the terms were used in an incorrect manner.
I understand you might want to know her background and training - just as you might want to know where your doc studied or your music teacher or... I've never known anyone to be upset or offended if you simply ask them. Personally that is what I'd do if you were in any way concerned or even just for your information as this is something that is obviuosly very important to you. I think some of this information was included in one of Julia Fogassy's original paper catelogues - from a long, long time ago - long before Moira's albums even existed. I am not a great memory type person but I know I was satisfied way back when and haven't thought of it since.
Anyways, I'm bowing out of this thread now and didn't mean to butt in or anything.
Janet
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Eleanor
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 3:12am | IP Logged
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ALmom wrote:
Eleanor:
Have you asked either Moira or Julie Fogassy? Both are extremely kind and generous people and I would think they would graciously answer your question. |
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I'm sure they would; it's just that these questions happened to occur to me while reading this thread, and I thought someone would be likely to have some sort of answer, since there's been so much discussion of the albums on the forum. Jenn very kindly found the reference from Gianna Gobbi; although I don't think it says the same thing as Mrs. Farrell was saying, it does give an idea as to why she might be using the term "second period" as synonymous with the "second stage of learning."
BTW, I'm not upset... just curious. I guess I'm one of those people who likes to tie up all the loose ends.
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Meredith
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Janet, you didn't butt in at all, and personally I think this thread is all buttoned up anyway. Thank you ladies for your thoughts here, I'm sure it will be helpful for someone.
Blessings!
__________________
Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Moira’s albums - some Q&A
