Education, training, and experience: a study of an educator's transforming epistemology during the establishment of a Montessori school

The purpose of this study was to explore how the influence of experts in addition to education, training, and experience transformed a teacher's epistemology and influenced the development and establishment of a new Montessori school. The interviews of participants identified findings that have positive implications about the experiences of adult education, the influence of mentors, and the transforming change in the thinking processes of adults as they move from the educational setting into the classroom with children. Epistemological changes can construct personal accountability for teacher responsibility and ownership in creating learning environments that have a legacy of advocacy for children and dedication to the individual learning processes of children enabling them to reach their highest potential. The true power of curriculum and instruction, according to the findings of this research, is the human mentor. The modeling and relationships of the mentor enhances the formal training and experiences of the adult (and children) to make the holistic influences become a more permanent epistemological transformation! This study describes long-term mentorship and field experiences as an invaluable part of the educational experience. The lost golden nugget revealed may be the power of storytelling in learning, even in our modem classrooms!...