Montessori Europe Congress 2018

The scientist in the classroom: The Montessori teacher as scientist

The Montessori adult supports the development of creativity and scientific innovation in children through the integrated approach known as Montessori education. But in order to implement this integrated approach, we must ourselves be first and foremost scientific practitioners – implementing a method which Montessori described as characterized by “experiment, observation, evidence, recognition of new phenomena, and reproduction and utilization of the new phenomena”. Together we can explore our work as scientists – scientists who use our creativity and our practical skills to generate knowledge and discover the truth about the children in our care.

The 21st century belongs to the adolescent; what are you doing about it?

This keynote uses a case study of establishing a Montessori secondary programme in Auckland New Zealand, as an example of how we can prepare for the unknown and unknowable future. The emerging New Human that Montessori talks of will be found through a Montessori setting. We do not own the Earth, we did not inherit it from our grandparents, we borrow it from our children. We, the adults, decision makers, and stakeholders, do not know the way; the best thing is that we try to get out of the way. The adolescents are coming, ready or not. In a time of uncertainty and change, akin to the likes of the pace of changes witnessed in technology, society and evolution of industry of the early parts of the 21st century – we need: • individuals with strong resilience, and belief in self. • communities with cohesion, communication and capability of rapid response. • The Earth to be nurtured through have immediate and mindful action, to limit, and replace harmful practice. The adolescents of today will be the decision makers of tomorrow. The shape of the future of humanity falls to them, in a way unprecedented in human history. Until now the future has been shaped by traditions and heritage from the past, over generations and sometimes millennia. From now on the future will be decided in the present, in a matter of hours, months or weeks. This keynote invites you to a world where we can offer the adolescent through radical Montessori education the individual freedom limited only by the vision of the individual, their community and our environment. Welcome to Peace Experiment: www.peace.school.nz

The peculiarity of the age 12-18

The child is entering the adult world. It is the birth of the social young adult. This is a period of changes. It makes the adolescent very fragile and un-secure. During this plane the young adult is created, the adult for new generations.

Cosmic Tales, also known as the Great Stories

The great stories give grand vision. They are stories of truth that offer a vision of the whole. Told in a fantastic way to speak to the imagination of the child, all great stories have a common and specific aims.
With this educational approach, tailored to the developmental needs of children in elementary school, the children cannot only acquire a vision of the greatest possible “whole” but also have the possibility of relating to and connecting with any and all knowledge that they have acquired, are acquiring and will acquire. In this way, education truly becomes an aid to life, a preparation for life.

Creating a well-managed classroom through grace and courtesy

A well-managed Montessori classroom is based on children who manage themselves. In this session we will first review some key components of Montessori classroom management; then explore and experience how the Practical Life activities known as Grace and Courtesy provide opportunities for children to develop the self-regulation, self-direction and social harmony which are at the heart of an authentic, high-functioning Montessori environment and create the foundations for future moral development.

Learning, collaboration, accessibility – European Adolescents’ Network

Andreas Kopfmann

The pedagogy of Maria Montessori and education in the area of pop & rock music are getting really close in the teaching concept “GrooveLab“, presented in this workshop by Andreas Kopfmann. Work-shop participants will find out about kindergarten kids (aged 5–7) and about pupils, aged 8 – 18 who are learning and practicing popular music. Previous knowledge is not required. (All age groups) Andreas Kopfmann, 54, is a full-fledged musician as rock, pop & gipsy guitarist, guitar-instructor and Montessoriteacher at an urban music school in the South of Germany.

Cristina Preda

Cristina Preda is co-founder of the Montessori Institute of Bucharest, Romania and Founder of Echilib-ria Kindergarten. She is an AMI Educator, level 0-3 years.

Diana Manova

This workshop will help the participants understand the role of the guide in the prepared environment in relation to his/her work with children, (assistant–)teachers and parents. The workshop will deal with topics such as: • The guide’s discipline • Facing difficulties • Further learning/improving

Diana Manova has a Master’s degree from the University of Sofia, with a major in the Bulgarian lan-guage and literature and post-graduate training and qualification in teaching English to pupils and stu-dents. Diana completed a programme of teaching English to adults with the University of Cambridge and holds a DELTA (diploma of teaching English to adults). In 2008 she obtained her AMI training (3-6) from the Montessori Training Centre of Minnesota and an M.Ed. in Montessori Education from Loyola University Maryland. Since then she has been working with children and conducting lectures and workshops for parents not only from her school, but open to the whole community. She ahs also assisted in lecturing on forums on the Montessori philosophy in Bulgaria.

Hanna Herklotz

The workshop will begin with introductions of the participants and brief reports about the issues they are experiencing in their classrooms. This will be followed by a short theory session (about 10-15 minutes) with an accompanying slideshow in which the traditional role of Montessori teachers in a normalized classroom will be contrasted with Maria Montessori’s writing about the teacher’s role in a non-normalized classroom. We will highlight how different these two roles are. Participants will then be broken into groups based on their struggles and will brainstorm on concrete solutions based on the theory they have just reviewed. These solutions will be then presented to the group in order to ex-change ideas (30/35 minutes). Finally, participants will receive a prepared handout with specific sug-gestions for a successful yearlong transition from a student of theory to a practitioner. Hannah Herklotz completed her Bachelor’s degree in English and German educational studies in Min-nesota, USA in 2009. After teaching preschool children abroad and in the USA for three years, she completed her AMI Primary diploma with Molly O’Shaunessy at the Montessori Center of Minnesota in 2013. In 2014 she received her Master’s of Early Childhood Education from Loyola University. Since 2014 she has lived in Dortmund, Germany with her family and worked at Nido Kindergarten. Her pu-blications include “Die Drei Såulen in der Montessori-Pädagogik und der harmonische Beginn einer BerufsanfängerIn” in Das Kind 61, 2017. She speaks English and German.

Jessica Scrimes

The workshop will present how, from 2010 a combination of Home Visiting, Orientation processes, the ‘Berliner model’ for developing attachment in a childcare setting and the Montessori principles has be-en used. It will describe the concrete steps, theoretical background and practical experiences of the model that has been developed by the Montessori House of Kids team. Also parallels and differences between the age groups 0 – 18 months, and 18 months – 3 years will be clarified. Jessica Scrimes holds an AMI 0-3 Diploma, a BA (Social Welfare) and is currently halfway through her 3-6 AMI Diploma training in Zürich, Switzerland. Jessica is Australian and has previously worked in the Montessori community in Australia and Thailand. Since 2008, Jessica has been working in Zürich, Switzerland, raising three children with her husband who is a Montessori 6-12 teacher. (0-3)

Kristine Høj

Johnson Kristine will present a yoga workshop for teachers and parents. This workshop will focus on: • The benefits of yoga in a Montessori classroom • Yoga in circle time – Silence game • Mindful/peaceful arts and crafts activities • Peaceful poems and relaxation exercises • Yoga songs and storytelling – breathing exercises • Sun prayers and yoga stories • Relaxation and yoga song Kristine Høj Johnson is headteacher and yoga teacher at two Montessori preschools in Copenhagen, Denmark. She became an AMI Montessori Teacher in 2005, graduating from the Montessori Educati-on Centre of Arizona. She worked as the headteacher at the Montessori school in Mesa, Arizona until moving back to Copenhagen in January 2008. She has been with Montessori International Preschool since the very beginning when it opened its doors in August 2011. She is a qualified yoga teacher for children and teaches two yoga lessons a week at the Valby Preschool.

Mirka Vlckova 

Montessori Institute Prague

This session is not a workshop. This session it is a simple sharing of how we have been working toward building strong Montessori programs and vital Montessori community in the Czech Republic. You will not learn techniques or leave the session with a list of advise how to do the same in your country. You will leave having heard a story of a mother who established a Montessori mother and child program for her son, later a Montessori Primary School, after that Montessori Elementary school, later an AMI Affiliate Montessori Association, and AMI Montessori training centre; who is now building a Montessori adolescent program, and who, in the meantime, organised the International Montessori Congress in Prague where 2 000 Montessorians gathered. If you think a life story like this could be of inspiration to you, I will be most honoured to meet with you at my session and I look forward to learn about your own Montessori stories. 

My name is Mirka Vlckova, I am a mother of four children. I am not a teacher. I am not Montessori trained. I love Montessori and I am called to create opportunities for children to grow into self-fulfilled, responsible adults who know what is their life task and are able to fulfil it. I look forward to meeting you. 

Monica Salassa 

Management assistant, Digital data and content manager at CISM-Fondazione Centro Internazionale Studi Montessoriani, Bergamo, Italy

The workshop main objective is to show participants three different “best practice” models of setting up Montessori practical life activities in the learning environment. The first model has been set up in the “Casa dei Bambini” while the other two have been realized for the elementary school children. These best practice experiences have been deeply investigated by the workhop leader and they will be discussed through images taken by her during her research work. 

Stefan Stoyanov, Reneta Veneva

The main objective of the workshop is to share how Montessori pedagogy is introduced into municipal kindergartens and schools with an initial stage of education. We are witnesses of significant changes that occur in the modern world. The Plovdiv Municipality considers the necessity of a change in educa-tion and directs its efforts to create conditions for education that best meet the contemporary require-ments. The introduction of Maria Montessori’s method provides an alternative to the traditional me-thods. The implemented reform is among the largest in the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Europe in terms of Montessori education. Stefan Stoyanov is the vice mayor of Plovdiv and has been responsible for education, business devel-opment, European policies and international cooperation since 2011 His activities include launching a number of educational programs and reforms in schools in Plovdiv, electronic reception in kindergartens and schools, an innovative school programme, a technical assis-tance programme for the educational process, and in 2016 – for the first time in Bulgaria – a pro-gramme to introduce the Montessori pedagogy in public kindergartens. From 2016 onwards he has been deputy chairman of the Management Board of the Plovdiv Foundation 2019. From 2011 until September 2014 he headed the team preparing the candidacy of Plovdiv as the European Capital of Culture in 2019. Reneta Veneva is a psychologist and holds an AMI Diploma. She has been a professor of pedagogy since 2000, part-time lecturer at NBU – Bulgaria, referent of IAER and THS, Munich. She was a spea-ker at the Third Interdisciplinary Scientific Conference “Multifaceted View on Child Development” on 7-8 April 2017 in Plovdiv with the topic “Montessori therapy in working with autistic children”.

Vanessa Callaghan

This workshop examines effective tools and best practices for bringing gratitude into the elementary classroom in order to go beyond good manners and the cultural routines of grace and courtesy to cre-ate a deeper understanding and self-awareness of emotions while strengthening relationships. Work-shop attendees are guided through several research-tested gratitude lessons, current positive psycho-logy research, and various gratitude and SEL resources. Attendees transform knowledge into action through reflection, planning, group discussion, and by experiencing several of the gratitude practices firsthand.

Paul Pillai

Paul is co-founder and Director at The Montessori Place, a school in England offering antenatal classes, a parent-infant programme, Infant Community, two Children’s Houses, two 6-12 Elementary communities and an Adolescent community. He has 12 years of Montessori experience, AMI diplomas at the 0-3 and 3-6 levels, and the AMI Orientation to Adolescence.

Anna Pugacheva

Art activities in a toddlers’ community: why and how should we start to offer them? What do we mean by art for small children? Are toddlers capable to understand and produce art works? How does art influence the development of children under 3 years? Participants will learn about the Montessori approach, appropriate materials and rules for presenta-tions of the art activities for toddlers. They will also try to make some art works which are the best for this age group. Anna Pugacheva is executive director of the Montessori Public Fund, AMI Affiliate in Russia. She is AMI trainer in TOT Program (0-3 Level) and holds a AMI Assistants to Infancy Diploma (2008, Den-ver, USA). She is head of the Russian AMI training center (The Higher School of the Montessori Method) and academic director of the Montessori school (St. Petersburg, Russia). She also has a degree in Psychology (St. Petersburg State University, Russia).

Camilla Miller, Anika Albrecht

The objective of this workshop is to share best practices and lessons learned from European Montes-sori secondary classrooms with examples from Berlin (Germany) and Drammen (Norway), focusing on foreign language acquisition practices in secondary education (ages 12-18). We will provide concrete examples of student work and assessments/documentation as well as practical tips for the organizati-on of work cycles and guide impulses in mixed-age learning communities and material. This will inclu-de examples directly from students through video, art, posters, reflection notes and other written work as concrete examples for self-expression fostering self-construction of the adolescent’s personality through the means of language. Camilla Miller has 16 years of experience as an educator and school administrator and has led educa-tional workshops, professional forums and plenary sessions in both Europe and the USA. Since 2014 she has been a mentor and a teacher of English and Social Studies at Heltberg Private Gymnas Drammen in Norway which practices Montessori methods for ages 15-18. Her educational background includes undergraduate studies in Liberal Arts from Pacific Lutheran University, Applied Sciences from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, teaching credentials for adolescents and adults from the University of Oslo as well as graduate studies in mentoring and coaching within the teaching professi-on, also from the University of Oslo. Camilla Miller is a member of Montessori Europe’s working group on secondary education. Anika Albrecht has 15 year of teaching experience in planes 1-3. She is a world languages material author for different publishing houses for young learners and adolescents. She holds one Montessori diploma for 3-12 year olds (IfgL, Kaul ), a German Montessori diploma for adolescents (Kegler and IfgL, Kaul) and partook in the AMI/NAMATA Adolescent Orientation at the farmschool in Ohio. Her further educational background includes basic studies in Sociology and Social Psychology, she holds a German diploma for interpretation and translation and is mediator. Anika Albrecht is a member of Montessori Europe’s working group on Secondary education and of the IATFL Learner Autonomy Special Interest group.

Els Mattijssen, Ward van de Vijver

Professionals (teachers and guides) know how to use strategies to make books interesting. Interactive book reading puts children more than a year ahead compared with children who do not have this op-portunity. In this workshop we will present results from practice and research that reading aloud to children pro-motes the emergent literacy. We have noticed that children listen more actively, ask more questions, use more words (vocabulary) and get more knowledge about reading and language. In our interactive workshop we will illustrate the theory of emergent literacy in a presentation we will demonstrate how to use reading aloud. Therefore we ask the participants to bring their favourite book (with pictures and text) for young children. Drs. Els Mattijssen is a Master in Pedagogy and registered in Health Care Netherlands as psycholo-gist. She has a private company for psychological assessment: “Praktijk voor Psychodiagnostiek“ and is a partner of VIVID Onderwijs. From 1963 to 1969 she worked as a Montessori teacher with children from 4 to 12 years. From 1969 to 2006 she worked as a professor and Montessori teacher trainer at the Hogeschool Leiden. Next to this she wrote many articles for the Dutch Montessori magazine about child development and she developed two child monitoring systems, one for regular schools and one specifically for Montessori schools. She has coached school development in the Netherlands, Belgi-um, Ukraine, Russia and Germany for more than twenty years. At this moment she also participates in the development of a project in the Netherlands called ‘A new approach to mathematics in Montessori education’. She is a board member of the NMV (Nederlandse Montessori Vereniging). Drs. Ward van de Vijver is Master in Pedagogy. After a career as teacher, headmaster, coach and consultant in the inner cities of The Hague and Rotterdam, he educated teachers at the Hogeschool Rotterdam. He trained school management staff. His company ’Vivid Onderwijs’ specializes in the in-novation of education for inner city schools and school development. The work for school development was rewarded with a national price (Mommers-prijs). He is interested in evidence-based principles of Montessori education and observation and brought them in into the training: Montessori education in the 21e century. He has published about school development, orthography, arithmetics, and motivati-on. He is a consultant for schools on management, reading, language and arithmetics to get better results.

Eszter Zimanyi

In the workshop we will discuss strategies, activities and games that help children improve all five elements of emotional intelligence (EQ). The workshop will focus on group activities in the lower-elementary Montessori classroom that develop children’s EQ. In the first part of the workshop (20 mi-nutes), there will be an introduction of the research on EQ. In the second part (50 minutes), we will list, discuss and try a variety of group games and activities that develop all elements of emotional intelli-gence. We will then have a Q&A session and a discussion about the participants’ experiences and ideas (20 minutes). Eszter Zimanyi has worked as the director on the Eszterlánc Hungarian-English Montessori Kindergar-ten in Budapest Hungary for 6 years. In September 2017 opened the Eszterlánc Hungarian-English Montessori Learning Group, for children aged 6-10 (www.lanclanc.hu). Apart from being a director, she is the head of the learning group and the coordinator of international relations. Eszter completed the Helen Doron English teacher training course and worked with this method for 2 years before ac-quiring the Montessori Diploma for the age group 3-6.

Jarosław Jendza

Teachers in all educational environments experience various incidents and situations everyday. Some of them quickly disappear in the minds of educators. CIO is an approach that help teachers to be more sensitive to the situations that seem usual or ordinary but in fact – if analyzed in a specific way – could serve the students and the teachers very well. Creating a simple tool, consisting of a series of „lenses” through which a given situation might be seen in a completely different and quite often unexpected perspective, turns a Montessori classroom into a laboratory of the teachers’ continuous professional development as well as an environment more effectively adjusted to the need of each and every child. The participants of the workshop will have the opportunity both to get to know more about this ap-proach as well as have a try in using the technique on the basis of the ready-made examples of the tool provided by the leader of the workshop. Jarosław Jendza (PhD) comnines the academic and practical worlds of education. From 2009 he has been employed at the University of Gdańsk (Poland) in the Education Department, where he first got his Master’s degree in Early Education and Teaching English and then the Doctorate in the theory of education.He has been a consultant for Montessori schools since 2011, head master of a primary Montessori school (2016- 2017), as well as teacher trainer. His areas of expertise include: alternative pedagogy, educational research methods, Montessori theory, personalized education and academic tutoring. He is the author of more than twenty scientific articles on education (including the Montessori method), member of the editorial board of the Journal of Montessori Research and Education, mem-ber of Montessori Europe and other scientific societies and organizations.

Karin de Jong, Bea Koekenbier

The interaction between parent and teacher plays an important role in the optimal development of the child. Research on different levels has shown that the quality of the interaction between parent and teacher has a positive effect on the entire development of the child. The assumptions of Montessori education show us that (naturally) this is part of Montessori education. What do parents already know about Montessori education? What do teachers expect of the parents and is it clear for the parents what those expectations are? How does the school communicate its expectations to its parents?

Tania Hurter

Understand the basic principles of action research and Dr. Montessori’s contribution to the field of ac-tion research. Understand how action research is particularly suited to Montessori classrooms and Montessori teachers. Understand how action research can be used to improve practice as well as uni-te, educate and inspire other teachers within an individual school and within the wider Montessori community. Demystify research and help teachers to see that they can both conduct research and contribute to the body of research. Have a basic knowledge about how to conduct action research, where to find further practical information and what to do with the research when it is completed. After studying Sociology at Roanoke College in the United States, Tania Hurter completed her AMI 6-12 diploma and Master’s in Education at Washington Montessori Institute and Loyola University. For 12 years, she taught in elementary classes afterwards completing her AMI Assistants to Infancy dip-loma at The Montessori Institute in Denver. She has been working at La Maison des Enfants near Montpellier, France for over 7 years as the English-speaking guide in the toddler class in the morni-ngs, as well as working in the 6-12 classroom in the afternoons and as a coordinator for bilingual edu-cation at the school. Simultaneously, she earned a Master’s degree from Paul Valery University in France, studying children growing up with two first languages. She is working on finishing her PhD, creating an online community for Montessori bilingual education using action research.