In this tutorial we’re going to cover how to use the Montessori framework on Tapestry. We’ll look at how to enable it, how the curriculum is organised into areas of learning, and how to use its activities, refinements and variants — as well as how to include Montessori observations when you export a child’s Learning Journal.

Enabling the Montessori framework

Before you can use it, the Montessori framework needs to be switched on for your account. To do this, click Configuration at the bottom of the menu on the left of your screen, then select Assessments from the panel that opens.

The Tapestry side menu with the Configuration panel open, showing the Assessments option
Configuration › Assessments in the side menu.

On the Assessment Framework Settings page, find Montessori in the International group and click Configure.

The Assessment Frameworks list with Montessori at the top of the International group, alongside its Configure button
Find Montessori in the International group and click Configure.

In the window that opens, tick Enable Montessori. You can also choose whether to Display Montessori to relatives — unticking this means relatives won’t see Montessori assessments when they view an observation.

The Montessori configure window with the Enable Montessori checkbox ticked, the Display Montessori to relatives checkbox, and the Customise Refinements section below
The Montessori configure window, with Enable Montessori ticked.

Do bear in mind that only managers on Tapestry can enable and configure assessment frameworks. For more on frameworks in general, see our tutorial on enabling assessment frameworks.

The areas of learning

Once Montessori is enabled, it appears as an option in the assessment picker when you write an observation. On the Add Observation page, click + Add Assessments to open the picker.

The Add Observation page with the Title, Children and Notes fields, and the Add Assessments button below
Click + Add Assessments on the Add Observation page to open the picker.

In the assessment picker, select Montessori from the Frameworks list. The curriculum is divided into five areas of learning:

  • Practical Life / Activities of Everyday Living (AEL)
  • Sensorial
  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • KUW (Knowledge and Understanding of the World)

Click an area to drill down into its sub-areas and activities.

The assessment picker with Montessori selected in the Frameworks column and the five Montessori areas of learning shown in the second column
Selecting Montessori reveals its five areas of learning.

Activities and refinements

As you drill into an area and then a sub-area, you’ll reach the individual activities. Each activity has its own Refinement selector, which you use to record how far the child progressed.

The picker drilled into Practical Life and the Activities to develop Fine and Gross Motor Skills sub-area, showing activities including Folding with a Refinement selector and Variant field
Drilling into an area and sub-area reveals individual activities, each with a Refinement selector.

There are three refinements by default:

  • Introduced or Spontaneous Use
  • Working with guidance or Repeated
  • Completed independently

There’s also a Not Assessed option if you want to record the activity without assigning a refinement level.

A Refinement dropdown open showing the four options: Not Assessed, Introduced or Spontaneous Use, Working with guidance or Repeated, and Completed independently
The refinement options.

Recording refinements is what powers the Montessori monitoring screens, so you can track a child’s progress and get an overview of how individuals and groups are progressing across the Montessori areas.

Variants

Some Montessori activities involve a Three-Period Lesson (3PL) or introduce new terminology. For these, the picker also shows a Variant field below the Refinement selector, so you can record which variant of the activity the child experienced.

The picker in Literacy showing Sandpaper Letters (SPL) with both a Refinement selector and a Variant field below it
Activities that include a Variant (such as Sandpaper Letters) show a Variant field beneath the Refinement selector.

Descriptors

Some areas and activities also provide a thorough Descriptor – by clicking on the i icon – to further elaborate on the activity. The descriptor enables more efficient use of practitioner time when writing an observation, as they can simply add notes of what they observe the child doing, rather than spending time explaining the Montessori activity.

Activities that include a descriptor.

Renaming your refinements

If the default refinement names don’t suit your setting, a manager can rename them. Head back to Configuration › Assessments › Montessori › Configure and scroll to the Customise Refinements section (visible in the configure window shown earlier). From there you can edit the Name and Short Name for each refinement.

Please note, renaming your refinements changes what practitioners see in the picker across your whole account — it doesn’t affect any assessments that have already been recorded.

Including Montessori in the Learning Journal

Finally, when you export a child’s observations as a PDF Learning Journal, you can filter which Montessori observations are included. To start an export, go to the child’s journal — click Children in the menu on the left, click the child’s name and choose View Journal — then click Create PDF of the child’s journal at the top.

A child's journal page with the Create PDF of the child's journal button above the list of observations
The Create PDF button at the top of a child’s journal.

On the Export Journal PDF page, open the Advanced section and find Assessment Options. Tick Montessori, then choose the Montessori Area you’d like — and, if you want, narrow it further with the Sub Area dropdown. The choice at the top controls how the filter behaves: you can include all of the child’s observations but only show the assessments you’ve picked, or only include observations that carry those assessments.

The Assessment Options panel on the Export Journal PDF page with Montessori ticked, the Area dropdown set to Practical Life/Activities of Everyday Living, and a Sub Area dropdown below
Filtering the export by Montessori area — here Practical Life/Activities of Everyday Living.

And that’s it! That’s how to use the Montessori framework on Tapestry — from switching it on, through recording activities, refinements and variants, all the way to including Montessori observations in a child’s Learning Journal.

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