UDMTR partners with Montessori schools who wish to recruit and train new teachers by providing intensive coaching and instruction over the course of a two-year teacher residency program. The partner schools may identify and recruit teachers on their own, or can work with UDMTR to identify qualified teaching candidates. Existing Montessori school staff may train to be coaches providing internal support to residents. The resident teachers are employed by the partner school and are concurrently enrolled in the UDMTR program.
Upon successful completion, residents receive a MACTE-accredited (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education) Elementary I and II, or Primary diploma.
Program Schedule — Elementary Residents Cohort (age 6-12)
2023 (Elementary I/II) – Cohort 3 Schedule
The following 2-year program takes place June 2023 to July 2025. To learn more about how to enroll in the 2023 cohort, contact Linda Zankowsky at lzankow@udel.edu.
On-site participation guidelines — In-person participation guidelines for this classroom-based program follow UD’s health guidelines, which currently requires participants to provide one-time documentation of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations (primary series plus one booster, when eligible) or request an exemption. Guidelines are subject to change in accordance with UD health guidelines in effect at the time of this program’s start date. For more information, visit https://www.udel.edu/home/coronavirus/.
- Academic year 1 (2023-24)
- June 16, 2023 — Signed MOU (memorandum of understanding) with school (due with 10% deposit)
- July 1, 2023 — Payment deadline — balance of program tuition due
- June-July 3, 2023 — Foundations Seminar (online)— Online self-paced prerequisite course: required for Elementary residents without Montessori Primary Certification (available to residents after course deposit is processed).
- July 3-Aug. 11, 2023 — Summer Session I – Six-week intensive kick-off course takes place at First State Montessori Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday in person / Friday virtual.
- Four weekend seminars — October 13-14, 2023; January 12-13, 2024; February 16-17, 2024; April 19-20, 2024.
- Other program components — Each program year (academic year) also includes 25 coaching sessions (1 hour per week of observation and debrief), 25 lesson studies either on-site or remotely, 2 field supervision visits, 4 virtual surround sessions (asynchronous with a 1 hour synchronous session) plus assignments; classroom observations and completion of Montessori albums.
- Academic year 2 (2024-25)
- July – Aug. 2024 Summer Session II – Six-week intensive on Montessori materials and lessons. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday in person / Friday virtual. Specific dates to be determined.
- Four weekend seminars—
- October 4-5, 2024; January 17-18, 2025; February 14-15, 2025; April 18-19, 2025.
- Other program components — see above
- June 2025 — Summer Session III
- Preparation Sessions for final exams
- Final submission of albums, rationales, final written and oral examinations
For more information — join our mailing list
For more information about this program or to join the mailing list, please contact UDMTR director Linda Zankowsky via the following webform:
