SAMAcon 2026 Speakers
Allan Nguyen
Keynote – Flourishing Humanity: The Child’s creative task in an Evolving Cosmos.
Breakaway – Music and Movement with the Second Plane Child.
Bio: Allan Nguyen is an AMI 6–12 Trainer working with First Children in South Africa. He has spent the last two decades supporting Montessori communities across multiple continents, with a focus on cosmic education, the development of the human personality, and the unfolding powers of the second plane child. His work brings together Montessori theory, storytelling, music, and the arts.
Allan’s approach highlights the developing individual as an active contributor to the human community and the world. He is committed to expanding access to Montessori training and supporting educators in diverse settings as they prepare the conditions for meaningful growth.
Pru Ramsey
Keynote – Flourishing the Montessori Way: A Personal Journey.
Bio: Pru Ramsey is an English-speaking South African. She graduated with a B.A, UED from the University of KwaZulu-Natal after which she taught high school Geography and English for ten years. In 1980, she obtained an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Diploma in Preprimary Education in California, where she was trained by Dr Lena Wikramaratne. Dr Wikramaratne, in turn, had worked with and been trained by Dr Maria Montessori in Sri Lanka during World War II.
After her Montessori training, Pru returned to South Africa to work in the Montessori preschool class at the Sandton Hospital before starting the Grade 0 Montessori class at The Ridge School. After her two sons were born, she was appointed Principal of the Montessori Country School located to the north of Johannesburg.
Pru was a founding member of the Montessori Society of Southern Africa formed in 1981 and was the chairman of the Society from 1994 to 1997. In 2015 she was invited to become an Honorary Life Member of the South African Montessori Association.
In the mid-90s, Pru moved into adult education, working with preschool teachers on the West and East Rand of Johannesburg. From 1999 to 2016, she served as Head of the NQF Early Childhood Development Montessori training at the Sustainability Institute and Learning for Sustainability in Stellenbosch. Pru qualified as an ETDP SETA assessor in 2004, and as a moderator in 2005. From 2017 to 2024, she was the lead facilitator in the Early Childhood Development NQF Level 5 course at the Indaba Institute.
During 2021, Pru introduced the Community Rooted Education (CoRE) pilot programme in Kayamandi and co-facilitated the CoRE programme in Klapmutz in 2022. She then mentored the CoRE programme facilitators under the guidance of the AMI ESF CoRE developers until mid-2025. She now lives in Greyton where she enjoys assisting local ECD centres.
TEASER: To look at how my training turned my life around completely…..to focus on the fundamental principle of service that Dr Montessori and my trainer Dr Lena Wickramaratne taught and practiced.
No doubt your Montessori training changed your life. Let’s think about how it changed you and your life choices and most importantly how it is continuing to affect and guide the lens through which you see life – how is it influencing your spiritual life, the people you meet and the legacy you leave?
Kym Van Straaten
Breakaway – Art as a Foundation for Skill Development in the Montessori Classroom.
Keynote – Flourishing Through Our Parent Partnerships.
Bio:
Kym van Straaten is a respected Montessorian, having extensive experience as a 3 – 6 and 6 – 12 (AMI) teacher, Principal, curriculum coordinator, and Teacher Trainer. She has served the Montessori community by leading the South African Montessori Association (SAMA) as President in 2016 and 2017 and served on the Executive Committee for over 6 years. Kym opened her own Montessori preschool in 2002 in Randburg to cater for children age 3 – 6 years.
By 2014 the school had grown to accommodate toddlers and a primary group for children aged 6 -12 years. In 2020 she sold her school and merged with O’Summit International School in Bryanston. Kym has lectured both nationally and internationally and regularly delivers presentations at parent evenings, the annual SAMA conferences as well as other ECD conferences in South Africa. The thing that is most attractive about the Montessori curriculum to Kym, is the freedom of the child to construct themselves according to their own developmental needs and interests in a well prepared environment.
Sharon Caldwell
Breakaway – The Role of History in the Montessori Curriculum.
Breakaway – The Timelines and other Materials for Igniting an Interest in History in the Montessori Prepared Environment.
Bio: Sharon Caldwell is a teacher, teacher trainer, writer, speaker and Montessori advocate, who has worked in education for just under four decades. She has extensive experience teaching in Montessori from age 3 – 15, as well as teaching four subjects to grades 6 – 12 in a conventional high school. She holds Montessori qualifications for 3 – 6, 6 – 12 and 12 to 15. She has presented at conferences, conducted professional development workshops internationally, developed materials and edited for Montessori leadership programmes. She is currently focussed on Supporting Montessori Schools in South Africa through consulting and professional development workshops, as well as being a part-time trainer for SchoolScape, a Montessori programme based in Bangalore, India.
TEASER: History is at the core of the Montessori curriculum for 6 – 12. So much so that ii is safe to say that History IS the Montessori curriculum for peace. Find out how and why history has more relevance in our classrooms today than ever. What can children learn from the past that will prepare them for an unknown future?
Autumn Engelke
Breakaway – Phonological Awareness in the Preschool and Early Primary Child.
Bio: Autumn Engelke is a Montessori mom of 3, and a qualified speech and language therapist with over 20 years of experience. She specialises in literacy and language and currently works as an in-house therapist at Blue Moon Montessori in Cape Town.
TEASER: Phonological awareness is the foundation of strong literacy skills. Understanding the scaffolding of phonological awareness can help parents and educators support children in becoming confident readers. As we all know, a confident reader will flourish as an independent learner, which is the ethos of Montessori learning. For those who struggle with these early language skills, early intervention is the key to helping them bridge the gap to reading fluency.
Emma Medell
Claire Goffe-Wood
Breakaway – A Sensorial Exploration Through all Areas.
Breakaway – Trusting relationships: the foundation for flourishing in a toddler environment: Presented by Emma Medell & Claire Goffe-Wood.
Bio: Emma Medell has worked in Montessori Education her whole adult life, with 35 years of experience in the field. She obtained her AMI Casa Dei Bambini Diploma in Hampstead London at MMTO, returning to SA and working as a directress and principal. In 1998 Emma did her Assistants to Infancy (Birth to 3) training in London at the MMTO. The next project was a small infant Community under the umbrella of Rainbow Montessori School. Then the beginnings of Chameleons Montessori School, which she co-ran with her sister and partner, Claire for 20 years, the school offered a Nido, an Infant Community, a Pre-school and Primary School. It was a gracious, Montessori Community. Currently, facilitates for Community Rooted Education. In 2022, Emma underwent the yearlong ESF AMI CoRE Facilitators training. She has been involved in facilitating CoRE since 2023 in the Kraaifontein, Eerste Rivier & Mbekweni communities and currently (very happily) in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch. Emma continues to love her work of ultimately empowering children, through empowering the ECD teachers to see the child, themselves and their environments with new eyes. During 2024 Emma had the amazing opportunity to be a National Examiner for the AMI Casa Dei Bambini 3 to 6 Diploma Course at Indaba. She continues to grow and learn in her much-loved role as CoRE Facilitator.
TEASER: In this session, we will explore how every element of the prepared environment can become part of a child’s sensorial journey: textures that invite touch, shapes that delight the eye, sounds and words that spark imagination, and colours that quietly guide discovery. Together, we will reimagine the Montessori classroom as a sensorially rich landscape of exploration, thoughtfully designed to nurture the child’s natural desire to learn through movement and experience.
We will explore how to bring deeper beauty, intention, and inspiration into the prepared environment, an environment that gently sparks curiosity, guides discovery and inspires joy and wonder—always giving the very best to the youngest among us.
Together, in an interactive workshop, we will unpack how trust is built in the toddler community and why secure relationships are essential for a child’s flourishing. Participants will engage in collaborative brainstorming and leave with practical, meaningful strategies for nurturing secure attachments with the children in their care.
Breakaway – Trusting relationships: the foundation for flourishing in a toddler environment: Presented by Emma Medell & Claire Goffe-Wood.
Bio: Claire Goffe-Wood: I worked in a toddler environment for over 20 years at Chameleons Montessori School in Durbanville, Cape Town. During this time I gained much experience in working with young children and have become a passionate advocate for the young child under three and the importance of the unique developmental needs of this stage of human development. In 2014 I attended the AMI Birth to three Certificate course at the Indaba Montessori Institute in Stellenbosch and in 2018 I completed my AMI Birth to three Diploma. In 2022 I joined Indaba’s Community Rooted Education (CoRE) Programme as a Facilitator-in-Training in the Klapmuts community. I found the programme to be impactful and meaningful and have worked as a CoRE facilitator in the Kraaifontein, Eerste Rivier, Heidedal and Kayamandi communities since 2023.
Claire Howie
Joelene Draper
Breakaway – Creating an Inclusive Environment for all Toddlers to flourish. Presented by Claire Howie & Joelene Draper
Breakaway – Supporting autonomous construction. Presented by Claire Howie & Joelene Draper
Breakaway – Origami crane mobile for young babies. Presented by Claire Howie & Joelene Draper
Bio: I am Claire Howie. I own and manage a small school in Wellington and I am currently training to become an AMI trainer for the 0-3 age group. I believe deeply in the creative powers that all young children possess and which work together to build the future adult. I am passionate about giving children environments specified to their needs, which will encourage wholistic and positive development of the child. I do believe that children become adults who are the legacy of their home, school and social environments. I am happy and honoured to be able to work to enact change, big or small, to the benefit of our children.
Breakaway – Creating an Inclusive Environment for all Toddlers to flourish. Presented by Claire Howie & Joelene Draper
Breakaway – Supporting autonomous construction. Presented by Claire Howie & Joelene Draper
Breakaway – Origami crane mobile for young babies. Presented by Claire Howie & Joelene Draper
Breakaway – Practical Life Across the Age Groups: 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12. Presented by Joelene Draper, Shamiemah Jassiem & Sinead Feely.
Bio: Joelene Draper has over 15 years of experience in Montessori education, working across the 0–3 and 3–6 age groups. She holds an AMI Assistance to Infancy Diploma and has completed Montessori 3–6 training. Joelene lectures at the Montessori Early Learning Foundation (MELF), is a CoRE Facilitator with the Indaba Institute, and works with the PEACE programme.
She is deeply committed to inclusive education, early intervention, and supporting children with additional needs. Joelene is also the owner of Moonrise Montessori in Paarl.
Practical Life is often described as the foundation of Montessori education – yet its depth, continuity, and evolving purpose across the age spans is sometimes overlooked. In this 60-minute collaborative session, three Montessori practitioners explore Practical Life from birth to twelve years, using baking as a living thread across the planes of development.
From the earliest experiences of participation and relationship in the 0–3 environment, through the refinement and mastery of skills in the 3–6 classroom, to purposeful, socially relevant work in the 6–12 years, this talk highlights how Practical Life matures alongside the child.
Through theory, practical examples, and shared reflection, participants will gain a renewed appreciation for Practical Life as preparation not only for academic work, but for independence, collaboration, and real life.
Shamiemah Jassiem
Sinéad Feely
Breakaway – Practical Life Across the Age Groups: 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12. Presented by Joelene Draper, Shamiemah Jassiem & Sinead Feely.
Bio: Shamiemah Jassiem is an experienced Montessori educator, trainer, and assessor who began her journey as a university student working in a Montessori school in 2000. She has over seven years’ experience in school leadership and has presented at conferences and facilitated workshops across South Africa and Ghana.
Shamiemah holds a Master’s degree in Social Science with distinction, with research focusing on Montessori and Religion, and has been involved in full-time Montessori teacher training since 2010. She is passionate about accessible quality education and empowering women in ECD.
Bio: Sinéad Feely is a Montessori and primary educator with over a decade of teaching experience in Ireland, Canada, and South Africa. She holds a B.A. and B.A. Honours in Montessori Education and a Bachelor of Education Honours. Currently Head Directress for the 6–12 age group at Shereens Primary and Pre-Primary, Sinéad specialises in literacy development and positive psychology, creating engaging learning environments that support confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning.
Marietjie Van Zijl
Breakaway – Helping Children (and Adults) with Dyslexia to Flourish.
Bio: Marietjie van Zijl is a qualified remedial teacher, 6-9 Montessori directress, and founder of Boss Your Brain Dyslexia Solutions. She has spent over 40 years investigating the nature of, and solution to, dyslexia. As a Gr.2 teacher at Eikestad Primary in the early 1980s, she noticed patterns in the mistakes of certain children. While giving them after-school support, she began discovering a solution to dyslexia – though unaware of it at the time. Since 2010 Marietjie has been teaching her dyslexia solution from her home-office in Stellenbosch – updating it as she learns – and branched out to adults in 2017.
TEASER: What exactly is dyslexia? How does dyslexia feel? And how can I help dyslexics to flourish? Marietjie shares her 40+ years of insight on these questions and gives tips you can start applying immediately – and they have nothing to do with C-Pens!
Hawa Tayob
Kate Rooseboom
Keynote – How Montessori principles are interpreted and implemented across diverse school contexts within the South African Montessori landscape. Presented by Hawa Tayob & Kate Rooseboom.
Bio: Hawa Tayob brings over a decade of teaching experience in Montessori toddler, pre-primary, and primary environments, both locally and internationally (U.S.A. and the Netherlands). Beyond the classroom, she worked as a literacy coordinator in the NGO sector, where she gained valuable experience in materials development and teacher training. Her expertise has led to a wide range of contributions: serving on the South African audit team on Inclusive Education for the National Department of Education, lecturing on Montessori education at the Protea Teacher Training College in Bellville and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and conducting workshops for women in rural and township communities across South Africa. She has also presented at numerous conferences, both nationally and internationally. Hawa holds two Master’s degrees—one in Educational Psychology (University of Stellenbosch) and another in Early Childhood Education (University of South Africa)—as well as an Honours in Psychometry (University of Cape Town) and a TEFL Diploma. She earned her Montessori 0–6 Diploma at the AERCO Montessori Centre in the USA and is a registered Assessor and Moderator.
In 1989, upon returning to Cape Town, Hawa recognised that Montessori schools were largely confi ned to affluent areas. Determined to make Montessori education accessible to all children, she established the Montessori Early Learning Foundation (MELF). As Founding Director of MELF Teacher Training, she has dedicated her career to expanding access to quality Montessori education, with a special focus on serving disadvantaged communities.
Bio: Kate Rooseboom is a lecturer at the Montessori Early Learning Foundation (MELF), where she combines her background in psychology, research, and teaching to support the next generation of Montessori educators. She completed her Montessori Pre-Primary (3–6) Diploma and National Diploma in ECD Level 5 through MELF in 2016/17, after spending two years at home with her two young children—an experience that inspired her to pursue a career in Montessori education. Kate holds an M.A. in Research Psychology (University of the Witwatersrand), a B.Soc.Sci. Honours in Psychology, and a B.A. in Psychology and English (University of Pretoria). She is also a registered Assessor and has over ten years of experience working as a market and social researcher.
Her interest in literacy development—particularly in supporting second-language English speakers within the Montessori environment—has become a strong focus of her teaching and research. She has over three years of classroom experience as a Montessori pre-primary teacher and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Curriculum Studies at the University of Cape Town. Kate brings both academic depth and practical classroom experience to her role as lecturer, with a particular passion for literacy and curriculum development.
Peter-John Urban
Breakaway – The Power of Storytelling.
Bio: Peter-John is a Montessori guide who holds the value of telling a story as one of fundamentals of learning. Based on his studies and experience in theatre and dance, he incorporates story telling into presentations across the age groups of his students. He has delivered parent workshops both demonstrating the power of storytelling and providing tools for parents to incorporate this tradition in their homes.
Shaun Dunn
Keynote – Flourishing: Learning from Nature and Ancestry.
Bio: Shaun Dunn is an educator originally from Durban and now based in the Western Cape. After nearly eight years in secondary education, his professional journey expanded through almost a year spent in Tanzania, where he learned from traditional medicine practices and indigenous ways of understanding health, nature, and community.
His work later included focused learning in African Earth Jurisprudence, which deepened his engagement with African knowledge systems and human–nature relationships. He has also worked alongside indigenous communities in southern Africa in education-related contexts.
These experiences have shaped how Shaun understands learning, care, and connection to the natural world. He is particularly interested in how African indigenous knowledge can inform everyday learning and leadership spaces.
Shaun currently teaches an undergraduate Diploma in Sustainable Development at Stellenbosch University and enjoys spending time in nature through hiking and exploring a dormant photography hobby.
Yumna Hoosain
Breakaway – Flourishing Begins with the Adult: How Each Fold of a Lesson, Shapes the Child’s Becoming.
Bio: I have been dedicated to Montessori education for 23 years, teaching children aged 0–12 and training Montessori educators across Europe and parts of Africa. I run a Montessori training centre in South Africa, directly affiliated with Waterpark Montessori (now European Montessori College). I am passionate about bringing Montessori to less affluent communities, empowering women to make a difference in the lives of children who need it most.
My vision is to expand access to quality Montessori education, nurturing both educators and children so that every lesson becomes a fold in a child’s growth, and every child carries hope for the future.
Prof Dorian Haarhoff
Keynote – Once Upon an Ever After.
Bio: Dorian Haarhoff is a writer, story-teller, mentor and speaker. Passionate about developing innate creativity and imagination, he believes in the power of stories to create new realities. To bring healing. To build our belonging. A former Professor of English (Namibia), Dorian’s wordhops are based on his workbook The Writer’s Voice and on Route 77, A Poememoir. He has presented storyshops at a few Montessori schools.
Helen Van Der Merwe
Breakaway – Maximising the Potential of the 5-6 Year Old Child’s Mathematical Mind.
Breakaway – The Bells – Key to the Work
Bio:
Helen van der Merwe has been working in a variety of Montessori environments for nearly 20 years, in 3-6, 6-9, 9-12 age groups.
After initially studying a Bachelor of Primary Education (for 9-12 age group) at UCT in the 80’s, after discovering Montessori education, she went on to complete an AMI 6-12 diploma (Maria Montessori Institute, London) in 2009 and an AMI 3-6 diploma (Montessori Institute of San Diego) in 2017, which was part of a Master of Montessori Education in 2018 (Loyola University, Baltimore).
She worked in the primary age groups (9-12 and 6-9) while principal of Newberry House (2006 – 2014) before opening her own school in Somerset West, Cornerstone Children’s Centre (2016-current), where she has been guiding children in 3-6 and 6-9 environments.
She has 3 adult children of her own.
Penny Tainton
Management Day
Bio:
Penny is passionate about working in areas of society where she can make a difference, bring about positive change and realise improved standards. A major driver in her work has always been to find innovative solutions to the inequalities and injustices that exist in society. This starts with leadership that is capable of navigating this complex and ever-evolving world, making leadership development a key focus area where she brings impact.
With over four decades of experience in a wide range of organisations, including corporate, political parties, government and SOEs, extensive expertise in systems design, facilitation, leadership development, tools and methods for political campaigning, as well as experience in leading the implementation of cutting-edge methodologies employed in public sector reform, Penny is committed to unlocking the full potential of leaders and organisations. Through her company, evolve, she provides transformative, personalised and innovative leadership development solutions to both political parties and business. Her passion is to stimulate a journey of continuous growth that will contribute to confident, curious, committed leaders and lead to a more just society.
Penny’s expertise includes an extensive understanding of the processes and practices of governance, organisational development, legislation, performance tracking and management initiatives. In her role as Executive Director of Policy and Governance for the Democratic Alliance in South Africa, Penny was instrumental in designing and implementing systems to monitor and evaluate the performance of governments, as well as conceptualising and rolling out development programmes for leaders in the organisation, and in particular in government.
Penny has worked on key strategic projects for two Premiers in the Western Cape Government in South Africa. The most recent of these saw her lead the progress and delivery of War Room teams using Harvard University’s Problem Driven Iterative Adaptive (PDIA) methodology to address complex transversal problems in government. This followed a role in the Delivery Support Unit of the Western Cape Government, managing two of the then Premier’s Game Changers (priority projects), both working to transform education using Michael Barber’s Deliverology methodology to deliver results.
A recent role as Project Lead, Governance in the Democratic Alliance included a diverse range of projects to build capacity and systems in the organization. During this project, Penny was also central in the design of systems and processes for post-election coalition negotiations, preparing Mayors to govern in their new term and rolling out an innovative online development programme for governments which incorporates both technical and leadership skills.
Now running her consultancy, evolve, Penny designs and facilitates workshops for a variety of organisations, including government, NPO and business entities. Her understanding of how government functions, and her ability to connect stakeholders across different sectors is instrumental in supporting change and progress in complex situations. Penny regularly delivers seminars for the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung’s International Academy for Leadership, with a focus on technical aspects of governing, as well as leadership development. The two most recent seminars delivered to global participants include Building Coalitions and Strategic Partnerships and Empowering Women in Politics.