Michael's Collection of Educational Books

This is a collection of books recommended on the montessori-l discussion list, but are not directly dealing with the Montessori pedagogy.

Anna P. Perry's book list

• The Power of Their Ideas, by Deborah Meier
• The Having of Wonderful Ideas, by Eleanor Duckworth
• The Connected Family, by Seymour Papert

• Teacher, by Sylvia Ashton-Warner is a book about a New Zeland woman who teaches kindergarten in a public school. Like Montessori, Ashton-Warner strays from the 'traditional' model through observing the Maori children's difficulties in her class and adapting to their needs.
• Horace's Compromise, by Theodore Sizer is a critique of the American Public High School system written from a teacher's perspective. Ted Sizer is a key figure in educational reform through his work with the Coalition of Essential Schools. He has also written one or two follow-up 'Horace' books that are on my own 'must read' list.
• Philosophies of Education: Pedagogy of the Oppressed, by Paulo Freire is about the education of the disenfrachised. Although his work focuses on education in the third world, his 'culture of silence' theory can be readily applied to our own technological society.
• Dialectic of Freedom, by Maxime Greene, gives a philosophy of education that is similar to Montessori, but from a non-Montessori perspective. I wrote a paper comparing the two philosophies a few years ago.
• Democratic Education, by Amy Gutmann is a long read about political theories of education. It's worth the time if you want to go beyond the educational philosophy to think about what motivates educational change in the political realm. It changed how I think about many things.
• Democracy and Education (I think that's the title), by John Dewey is a book that I have read more exerpts from, but have yet to buy the book :) His thought's on education are legendary, and still very applicable. There is a movement in many schools to adapt his model of the democratic school to todays societies needs. Civic education is his model's strength, and the weakness of today's schools.

• The Hurried Child, by David Elkind was written in the 1980's, but is still relevant (if not more) today. He has been a long time supporter of Montessori - he worked with Nancy Rambush, founder of AMS, for years.

• The Little Prince, by Saint-Exuperie
• The Velveteen Rabbit, by (I don't remember the author)

Other books, which could be useful

• Young Children: Active Learners in a Technological Age, Wright and Shade, Editors, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. ISBN is 0-935989-63-3.
• "The Socialization Trap" by Rick Boyer Reasons to avoid children's socialization being based mostly on contact with age-peers. (Rustburg, VA: The Learning Parent, Route 3, Box 543, Rustburg, VA 24588)
• Alexander, Christopher: A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press
• A great source for reviews of software for children is "The Computer Museum Guide to the Best Software for Kids" by Cathy Miranker and Alison Elliott (HarperPerennial, 1995). The book offers sound explanations for their picks of the best, as well as why some of the most popular titles are lacking. In considering the hardware to buy a good starting place is looking at the software you want to run.
• Winner, Ellen: Gifted Children - Myths and Realities
• Jane Nelson, Lynn Lott and H. Stephen Glenn: Positive Discipline in the Classroom ISBN 1-55958-311-8
• Macdonald, Fiona: A Chance to Learn, Published by Hampstead, New York, New York, 1989. 44 pp. ISBN 0-531-19512-0
• Gardner, Howard: The Unschooled Mind : How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach ISBN: 0465088961 / 0465088953
• Jean Liedloff: The Continuum Concept : In Search of Happiness Lost (Classics in Human Development)

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If you have comments or suggestions, email me at Michael.R.Storz@lrz-muenchen.de