The Montessori educational philosophy is that the educational method must support and address the nature of the child. This is done through detailed observation of the child. A child is a dynamic, curious person and comes to know the world through the senses. They acquire knowledge through physically manipulating their environment. This allows the child to construct mental images and lays the foundation for later abstractions. The teacher observes the children to determine their interests and needs, and then prepares the environment to meet the observed needs.

Shelton offers Montessori teacher education courses in Early Childhood and Elementary Level I, and Elementary Level II, Elementary I-II and Elementary II Standalone.  The American Montessori Society (AMS) offers a credential to those who meet the admission requirements and successfully complete the requirements of the course.  These courses are accredited by MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education)  SMT is also offering the AMS Administrator Credential and the Montessori Inclusion Endorsement.

These courses provide a dynamic introduction to Montessori through lectures, demonstration, classroom observations, small group projects, creation of personalized manuals and personal research. Experienced, dedicated mentors in select Montessori settings guide a 9-month practicum. Students take oral and written examinations and complete research projects.

Shelton also offers training to help Montessorians understand the specific needs of children at risk for learning differences and provide specific strategies for matching the Montessori educational method to those needs. This course is titled Montessori Applied to Children At-Risk or MACAR and is offered at beginning and advanced levels, and in several locations. The AMS Montessori Inclusion Endorsement is designed for the credentialed Montessori teacher who seeks knowledge and skills in order to fully integrate an inclusive classroom model that meets the needs of diverse learners. This is an AMS affiliated course. 

Applicants should be passionate about teaching, creative in their outlook and determined in their focus. Students must attend all lectures, demonstrations and practice sessions.

Director of Shelton Montessori Training: Gulzar Babool, MA, AMS EI-II, NAMTA WSMC  

Instructors in the program are: Joyce Pickering, Gulzar Babool, Julie Limkeman, Donna Gonzalez, Joni Harris, Cathy Luby, Christine Davis, Rachel Nordgren, Kathleen Goree, Connie Laufersky, Pam Dunbar, Susan Dendinger, Regina Swerts, Jessica Hicks, Connie Laufersky, Sharmeen Niazi, Hema Jagada and Amy Cushner.