Kary Fernandez is a rare gem in the Montessori community: a teacher who truly understands how Maria Montessori’s core principles apply to effective language instruction. Unfortunately, this level of alignment is far from common in Montessori schools.
In fact, it is safe to say that many Montessori language programs remain stuck in the past, relying heavily on traditional worksheets. This approach is highly counterintuitive to any modern language educator (Kary is a prime example) who is honestly familiar with current research on authentic second language acquisition.
In this post, I share a recent email exchange between Kary and myself regarding the intersection of Montessori philosophy and World Language (WL) teaching. There is also an exciting possibility on the horizon: Kary may soon be featured on the new CI Renaissance podcasts, hosted by Sean Lawler and Greg Schwab.
I will keep our community updated on this potential interview - even as the CI Renaissance team tackles an already packed schedule of interviews with various other Comprehensible Input (CI) educators this fall.
Kary brings exceptional talent and expertise to the CI community. I am deeply impressed by her mastery of the Triangle and the Star books. She gets the power of images in this work, which is huge.
Implementing these strategies requires a deep dive rather than a quick, pre-school workshop, however, so be aware. More info on that:
https://www.benslavic.com/saturday-trainings/.
Here is the inspiring message Kary shared with me:
Hi Ben,
Hope you’re doing well! I really enjoyed listening to the CI Renaissance podcast and look forward to future episodes.
I’m back at school, and we begin our in-service work tomorrow. I’m so glad I took notes during our Saturday trainings—they’ve already been incredibly helpful as I prepare for the new school year.
I’ve also been thinking about your comments on teaching with worksheets. I’ve observed other teachers using Montessori-style manipulatives, such as matching pictures to words. While those activities may have their place, I tend to agree with you that they aren’t as effective for language acquisition. Students aren’t listening to comprehensible, engaging spoken language presented in the meaningful context of a story, which is where so much of the real learning happens.
Seeing the difference has reinforced for me how important it is to keep the focus on rich, comprehensible input rather than isolated vocabulary practice.
On a more positive note, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. Thanks to you and everyone who has helped pave the way for this CI renaissance, I feel equipped to create a much more positive and meaningful language-learning experience for my students.
Blessings,
Kary
Anyone interested in exploring the CI Renaissance podcasts, or if you would like to listen to my own featured interview with them, visit:
The CI Renaissance on Apple Music
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.