Creating a peace education curriculum for the Montessori upper elementary classroom

Abstract

Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator, known for developing an innovative educational philosophy that is followed around the world. Montessori believed it was children who would bring about world peace and a bettering of humanity, and that through education this would happen. This paper explores what the research says about current peace education practices around the world and outlines the importance of an inclusive and inquisitive approach to teaching peace to children. The paper explores the topic of peace education, describes the development of the upper elementary child (aged 9-12), and outlines in detail an age-appropriate peace education curriculum project in the form of a Montessori teaching manual that was created by the author for their Master of Education thesis.