Maria Montessori's Erdkinder

"Adolescents need a school that is not a school."

This claim by Maria Montessori, dating from the 1930s, is increasingly shared today. Consistently based on the developmental needs in adolescence, Maria Montessori designed the concept of a `Center for Study and Work in the Countryside' for students aged 12 - 18 years, which gives young people the opportunity to learn about the basic structures of production, trade and services in a manageable, transparent and at the same time protected setting through Practice-Theory linked experiences.

The book presents the basics of Maria Montessori's concept and gives, through reports with practitioners and interviews with Montessori experts insights into authentic implementations of the Farm school concept - and thus into a learning arrangement that allows young people a high degree of responsibility and participation and strengthens their commitment to a sustainable approach to natural resources and a peaceful way of living. The book also addresses schools without a Farm school practice and shows ways of approaching crucial components of this authentic and highly topical concept.