AMI Talks: The Educational Value of Silence

For the second edition of our 2022-2023 season, we were joined by Professor Pieter Verstraete, professor of history of education, and AMI trainer Uma Ramani, who spoke on the theme of silence, highlighting how silence in education can be both an instrument and an outcome of the practice of education as an aid to life.

Silence in Montessori education is most special, and many will relate immediately to this passage from The Secret of Childhood where Maria Montessori describes the origins of the silence exercise: (in response to a baby being brought into the classroom) “At once the children sat still, controlling even their breathing, and so they remained, with the serene, intense look of those engaged in meditation. Little by little in that impressive silence little noises were heard, a drop of water falling in the distance, the far-off twitter of a bird. This incident was the origin of the silence exercise.”

What is silence? Is it the absence of sound? Is it reflection? Is it tranquillity? Is it a means to suppress voices? Many questions come to mind. Listen to the recordings of this talk to refresh your appreciation of silence in Montessori education.