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Programme |
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Friday • 8 June 2007 • Centenary Conference |
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| 08:00 – 09:30 | Registration |  |
Honour the Past |
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| 09:30 – 09:45 | Centenary Conference Opening | |
| 09:45 – 10:30 | The Universal Child – A Timeless Revelation Ginni Sackett For 100 years, the science of Montessori education has provided the ideal setting for the study of the universal child. Universal characteristics of childhood continually reveal themselves – over cultures and over decades, throughout the world – wherever and whenever the favourable conditions of the Montessori Prepared Environment are replicated. Here we can explore the child beyond culture and the profound implications of these revelations for the lives of children, the adults who care for them and the societies they create. |
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| 10:30 – 11:00 | The Montessori Revolution: The Discovery of the Child Through Time and Space Centenary DVD Utilising highlights of the Centenary Exhibit, including eleven galleries as indicated by the world tour of Montessori’s life, the video will reveal a new idea about childhood and adolescence as experienced through Montessori’s life history as she travelled around the world and was perceived by different cultures. The search for Montessori’s mission, one hundred years after the first Casa dei Bambini, both as schooling and beyond schooling, is documented as a day in the life of children around the world. Scenes will include explorations at Montessori schools and training centres as well as in Montessori families and homes. Countries emphasized are India, Tibet, Japan, the United States, Mexico, and Australia. The theme of peace emerges as the universal child is presented in a context of empathy and solidarity. |
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| 11:00 – 11:30 | Morning Tea | |
Celebrate the Present |
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| 11:30 – 12:15 | The Four Planes of Development: An Exposition of a Developmental Continuum Dr Kay Baker Dr Maria Montessori’s theory of development from infancy to maturity is a continuum wherein each plane of development is a foundation for the next plane. When a developing human being is given the freedom to create this foundation for oneself, the human being can achieve according to an inborn potential. What then are the conditions under which an adult can guide another human being in this process? |
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| 12:15 – 13:00 | Montessori: Now More Than Ever Dr Annette Haines In this thought provoking presentation Dr Haines will look at the realities of modern life and the many challenges facing the natural development of children. As a remedy for the many deviations of modern childhood, Montessori said we must “give them another chance, another form of life. We must not attempt to correct their deviations, but we must give them a more normal life in which their bodies and minds can be active.” When we create the right kind of environment, we discover the true nature of childhood, and this simple and profound truth can help redress many of the ills facing our world. |
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| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch | |
Create the Future |
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| 14:00 – 14:45 | Our Most Important Work: Supporting the Development of the Human Being in the First Years of Life Dr Silvana Quattrocchi Montanaro From conception to three years old is the time that the foundation of the human personality is established. Understanding the vital inner directives of the child during this time and providing environments that respond to these needs will enable the extraordinary potentialities of the human being to unfold. Special attention must be given to prenatal life, a time so little understood from the physical and psychological point of view. Dr Montessori reminds us that “...the human being develops with the greatest intensity during the first three years of life. To this period more than to any other, it is imperative to give active care.” As the Montessori movement begins its second century of work we must heed this call and do all we can to support the child in the first years of life. Love alone is not sufficient and we must make available the scientific knowledge required to support the child in this delicate and precious period of life. This is our most important work. |
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| 14:45 – 15:15 | A Call to Action Special Centenary Presentation The Centenary of the Montessori Movement is not only a time to celebrate our history but is a challenge to us to fulfil Dr Montessori’s vision of the renewal of humanity through the child. The core focus of the Centenary campaign is to make a real and positive difference in the lives of children. It is a call to action to remove obstacles to the child’s development at all ages and to provide pathways, environments, and opportunities to champion the cause of all children. |
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| 15:15 – 15:45 | Afternoon Tea | |
| 15:45 – 16:45 | Montessori in Action Panel Presentation This panel presentation will highlight some of the work being done by Montessorians throughout Australia to serve children in indigenous and remote communities as well as new initiatives to enable the Montessori approach to be more readily available to all children. As was the case in the beginning of the Montessori Centenary, the child continues to reveal himself as the transforming agent of society. As various Montessori projects unfold we are beginning to see the positive impact on families and communities. An annual update of the work of the Montessori Children’s Foundation will also be presented. |
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| 16:45 - 17:00 | Growing Up Montessori: Pathways to Maturity Centenary DVD As the Montessori Movement comes of age we will look at the culmination of the Montessori approach: the Montessori child emerging into adulthood. In this special Centenary DVD Montessori children discuss their own development and why they have become who they are in their lives as Montessori graduates moving into a world of challenge. The video will illustrate in a powerful way how the Montessori approach fosters human beings of broader knowledge, deeper skills, higher “flow,” and more compassionate human values. |
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Saturday • 9 June 2007 • Sunday • 10 June 2007
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0-3 AMI Refresher CourseDr Silvana Quattrocchi Montanaro How Assistants to Infancy can Recognise and be Prepared for the Developmental Crises of the First Three Years This evolving 0-3 child will experience developmental crises. For the Assistant to Infancy the word “crisis” does not carry a negative connotation but rather comes from the Greek meaning “judgement”. Some of the developmental crises for the child in the first three years of life include: Birth; Objectivation or the Crisis of Self-Awareness (separation/individuation, transitional objects); and Opposition Crisis or Self-Affirmation. When the Assistant to Infancy recognises and prepares for the developmental crises of the children in his or her care, the child will be more likely to emerge from each crisis victorious and with a stronger psyche. These special passages offer the possibility for great advancements in children’s personal evolutionary development. These crises are special moments providing the opportunity for precious acquisitions in the future unfolding of our human potential. |
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3-6 AMI Refresher CourseDr Annette Haines Practical Life: The Centrepiece of the Montessori Approach The area of Practical Life is perhaps the most maligned and least understood of all the areas of the Montessori pre-primary environment. It is also, perhaps, the most important. “Children,” Montessori said, “as they are ordinarily known—unstable, lazy, disorderly, violent, stubborn, disobedient, etc.—are functionally ill. But they can be cured by a hygienic form of psychic life.” The means by which the child is offered a hygienic psychic life is the area of Practical Life. The whole Montessori method revolves around this point. |
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6-12 AMI Refresher CourseDr Kay Baker The Universe of Mathematics: What Does It Mean for the Child in the Second Plane? This Refresher Course will explore mathematics for the child in the second plane according to Dr Maria Montessori’s theory of development. Topics in mathematics will be explored with particular attention given to manner of presentation and activities suitable for self-construction. Among the topics are the decimal system and operations, fractions, both vulgar and decimal, measurement, multiples, factors, powers of numbers, non-decimal bases, signed numbers, and algebraic processes. |
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Administrators’ WorkshopDr Jean Miller, David Kahn, Amy Kirkham, Pam Nunn as well as Special Guest Speakers and leading Australian Montessori School Administrators Montessori Leadership in the School and Beyond The workshop will explore some of the challenges facing Montessori schools in maintaining the integrity of the Montessori programme. Leadership is key to the evolving school community and to establishing a programme that is uniquely Montessori. The challenges we face are real and complex: lack of Montessori trained teachers, responding to parent expectations, children with special needs, inadequate funding, and increased government regulations. Consensus building, community problem solving and instilling a strong Montessori vision with both staff and parents are some of hallmarks of school leadership. We will also explore our collective intent to have Montessori receive the recognition it deserves and strategies for not only holding the Montessori line but advancing it. |
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Montessori WorkshopGinni Sackett with Dr Jean Miller Adult Energies – Child Development How adults channel their energy has a significant impact on the path of a child’s development. We will spend the two days of this workshop exploring ways to channel our adult energies to guide and support children’s own developmental achievements. Highlights will include – Preparation of the Adult, Preparation of the Environment, Strategies to Stimulate Individual and Group Independence, and Fostering Concentrated Work Cycles. There will be separate breakout discussion sessions each day for 3-6 age levels (facilitated by Ginni Sackett) and 6-12 age levels (facilitated by Dr Jean Miller). |
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| Daily Schedule | ||
| 09:00 - 10:30 10:30 - 11:00 11:00 - 12:30 12:30 - 14:00 14:00 - 15:15 15:15 - 15:45 15:45 - 17:00 |
Workshop Sessions Break Workshop Sessions Lunch Workshop Sessions Break Workshop Session |
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| Saturday, 9 June 2007, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Australian AMI Alumni Association Discussion Forum (Optional) Each year a discussion forum will be held to update you on the work of the Australian AMI Alumni Association and to discuss issues and opportunities facing the Montessori movement in Australia. Refreshments will be provided. All are welcome. Free of charge. |
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