Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship for 6-12-year-olds in Montessori Education

The aim of this article is to understand how Montessori education, according to Maria Montessori, will enable 6–12-year-olds to meet future challenges and to care for and contribute to the wellbeing of society and the planet as a whole. This article reports on a qualitative content analysis of four books written by Maria Montessori. The analysis shows how the structure in Montessori´s curriculum for these ages lays the foundation to cultivate an understanding of the interdependence of living and non-living elements in the ecosystem and the collective responsibility for human coexistence. Further, the analysis shows how children are provided with an emotional tie to the universal approach she advocates and opportunities to develop a sense of empowerment. The topicality of Montessori education is discussed in relation to different teaching traditions. We argue that Montessori education constitutes a concrete example of a teaching tradition whose democratic mission is evident.