Another AIMS conference has come and gone, and I have to say that 2020 may have been the best one yet! My first AIMS conference (2017) was a little harrowing; I cut my finger the morning of the presentation badly enough that I needed a bunch of stitches, and arrived minutes before my presentation with my finger sewed up and bandaged and my mental state running in overdrive on adrenaline. I learned a lot from my first presentation (like don’t use sharp objects before presentations), so for my second presentation I worked harder on managing pace and I worked to answer the “how” question more than the “why” question for Montessori and PE integration. The second presentation (2019) was focused on the process of how I create lessons that are integrated, and it went much more smoothly. The attendees left inspired by the work, but wanted something that they could use the next week because they didn’t have the time to create Montessori PE games from scratch.

This year, I made it a point to make sure that everyone who attended my presentation left with lessons that they could use the very next day. I love feeling re-energized from hearing inspiring speakers, but even more I love being able to use something from them immediately. Everyone who wanted free lessons left their contact information after the presentation, and all I asked in return was feedback. I will make this a feature of all my presentations moving forward, so if you have the chance to see me in person, besides (hopefully) an engrossing presentation, at the very least you’re going to get free stuff!

The conference started with a big presentation by our keynote speaker, Dr. Derrick Gay, called The Double Edged Sword: Reframing Diversity for the 21st Century.

To say Dr. Derrick Gay is an impressive individual is an understatement. His list of accomplishments is daunting:

• Featured in:

  • New York Times

  • Washington Post

  • Huffington Post

  • NPR

  • El Tiempo Latino

  • The Brian Lehrer Show

  • 60 Minutes

• Two different TEDx Talks

  • The Double Edged Sword

  • Why Elephants Hold the Key to Success in the 21st Century

• Advisor for:

  • Sesame Street

  • KIPP foundation

  • AMS (American Montessori Society)

Believe me, there was lot more information about his achievements that went so fast I couldn’t write them all down. He teaches at several universities, speaks five languages (and working on more), all while being impeccably stylish and handsome (as he would put it). If you have a chance to see him speak, do yourself a favor and attend the presentation. We had the opportunity of having Dr. Gay speak at our school, and even though it was the same presentation, the message is clear, eloquent, entertaining, and so important that I could hear it again and again. The focal point of his message centered on the concept of “diversity” and all of its meanings (especially the ones we tend to miss). it doesn’t matter who you are; everyone has a seat at the table of diversity, not just one group or section of people. Dr. Gay has the unique ability to speak to a room of hundreds (by my guess, there were at least 500 in the auditorium) and make it feel like he is speaking to you directly. Again, don’t miss him if you have the opportunity to see him in person.

After Dr. Gay’s presentation, it was time for me to set up my presentation, Big Classroom Projects Means Big Classroom Fun in Physical Education by Nicolas Lepine.

After a brief introduction and description of my unique qualifications in understanding how to integrate Montessori with physical education, we dove into the main topic: How to integrate Science, Culture (and Imaginary Island), and Engineering Fairs into physical education. Here is the five minute version of the presentation:

Science Fair

• Do experiments pertaining to the human body in PE

• Review Scientific Method, and apply terminology to the experiment in the lesson

• Collect and analyze data, discuss the results of the experiment (did it match the hypothesis?)

Culture Fair and Imaginary Island

• Play indigenous sports from around the world

  • How does this sport connect with the human fundamental needs (spiritual and physical)

  • Discuss how the sport relates to the following topics

    • Cultural Values (strength, teamwork, speed, strategy, etc.)

    • Outside Cultural Integration (was this sport invented somewhere else and brought to this country?)

    • Geography and Climate of the Civilization (skiing = mountains, surfing = oceans, etc.)

    • Resources (minerals, flora, and fauna that are used in creating materials for the sport ie. metal, wood, skins, bone, etc.)

    • Arts Integration (special clothing, body art, tatoos, songs and chants, pre-sport dance or ceremony, etc.)

    • Myths or Religion (is the sport a reenactment or portrayal of a founding myth or deity? Does it have religious significance?)

    • Military (was the sport meant to practice specific military skills like archery, wrestling, boxing, etc.)

    • Entertainment (how did the sport add to the entertainment of the population?)

Engineering or Inventors Fairs

• Invent a sport

  • Review the engineering process and apply terminology to the PE lessons

    • Identify constraints, build and test prototypes, play each others sport

  • Invented sports can also be used during Field Day

At the end of the session, I answered a couple questions and some people shared their physical education classroom experiences. The attendees were excited to get some of these lessons (for free!) to use in their classroom, and I left the presentation feeling successful.

In between the keynote and my presentation, I wandered through the vendors sections looking for any new materials that might inspire PE lessons. A sign advertising Montessori assistant teacher training by Classroomechanics caught my eye, so I stopped at the booth. Immediately I thought about all the assistant teachers who “get stuck” teaching PE when, not only do they not have their Montessori certification training, they don’t have any experience teaching PE either (a double whammy). This is a sure recipe for ineffective physical education instruction. With access to my lessons, if the assistant teacher had some type of formal training, they would be so much more equipped to handle the task of teaching PE. The person at the booth was Tammy Oesting, and she presented Tools to Amplify Learning: Research based Strategies for the Montessori Guide at the conference.

One of my favorite parts of her presentation was that the Montessori Method is based on scientific observation, because Maria Montessori was a scientist. So often this fundamental detail that the Montessori method is based on research and observation is forgotten, and Montessori is reduced to quotes like “follow the child” without proper context. Tammy would be the first to remind you that there is love in the method as well.

As Tammy pointed out throughout the presentation, it’s wonderful to learn that current brain research supports the observations that Maria Montessori was making 100 years. Tammy also highlighted new research while dispelling some “brain myths” that are casually thrown out there as science. Overall, it was an engaging presentation filled with thoughtful exercises and discussions with our neighboring attendees. If you have the chance of seeing Tammy in person, I would highly advise you do so.

After the presentation, I was able to catch up with some old friends from Rogers Park Montessori who now work at different schools around Illinois. It was great seeing them and one of the things I look forward to the most at the AIMS conference. Unfortunately I could not stay for the later presentations because we had to relieve the babysitter.

If you are a Montessori teacher in Illinois, I highly recommend going to the annual AIMS conference. It keeps getting bigger and better every year.

Hope to see you there in 2021!