Montessori Rooted in the Digital Age
with Heidi Philippart
Montessori Rooted in the Digital Age
Many experts have studied child development, looking at how a child learns, thinks and interacts with the environment. There are many milestones that children's abilities are judged against: Motor coordination (crawling, walking, hand skills), acquisition of language (babbling, talking), cognitive development (thinking, reasoning, problem solving) and social development (attachment, identity, friendships).
The question is, how is technology of the Digital Age changing childhood for the sensorial learner? Is it influencing child development and the acquisition of these important skills? Is the Digital Age an obstacle to physical, social and cognitive development or does it provide a valuable tool for the acquisition of new skills?
Heidi Phillippart
Heidi Philippart is an AMI Trainer at the Assistants to Infancy level (0-3) and has worked with Montessori 0–3 for more than three decades. Based in Amsterdam, Heidi trained in Denver with Judi Orion and has learned directly from pioneers of the AMI Assistants to Infancy programme, including Silvana Montanaro and Maria Vidales. She is also an AMI Trainer of Trainers, AMI Consultant and an AMI Examiner.
In 1996, Heidi opened her own Montessori school in the center of Amsterdam, where she works with 80–90 families each year. Her speciality is supporting parents in applying Montessori principles at home, including bilingualism. She has spoken internationally on key 0–3 topics such as toilet independence, the home environment, and the child’s development from birth to three.