30.12.2017
Seminar Montessori Pedagogy as a Response to Contemporary Challenges in Education in Poland

Polska Rada Montessori, Polski Instytut Montessori and Dolnośląska Szkoła Wyższa cordially invite to conference. It is addressed to teachers of preschool and early school education as well as all who wish to become familiar with Maria Montessori's program, which allows children to experience the joy of learning while supporting the development of their self-esteem, preparing them for adulthood and developing the ability to make decisions.

This seminar aims to present the principles of Maria Montessori in contemporary educational practice in nursery, kindergarten, and elementary school. The conference will be delivered by Ray McClure - a teacher of Montessori education and instructor of Montessori training programs in the United States. Workshops and lectures will be interpreted consecutively.

We have invited people who have many years of experience working with this method with different age groups to join the discussion.

Date: January 8, 2018

Place: Conference Center of the Lower Silesian University of Technology, 55 Strzegomska Street, 53-611 Wrocław

Price: PLN 100 for individual members of the Polish Montessori Council, PLN 150 for others

The program of the conference:

8.00-9.00 - registration

9.00-9.15 - welcome by Prof. Paweł Rudnicki, Dean of the Faculty of Pedagogical Sciences, and Joanna Maghen, Director of the Polish Montessori Institute and President of the Polish Montessori Council

9.15-10.30 - lecture: Ray McClure, Recent scientific research talking about the Montessori method

10.30-11.00 - coffee break

11.00-12.30 - workshops I and II

12.30 - 13.30 - lunch break - lunch on your own, within the premises of the university it will be possible to buy a meal for 15-20 PLN

13.30-15.00 - workshops III and IV

15.00-15.30 - coffee break

15.30-17.00 - Ray McClure, Montessorian Storytelling

Workshop 1

Karolina Mysiura, Educating for Peace

Maria Montessori viewed a child's upbringing as education for peace to prevent conflict in the future. A young child who learns conflict resolution brings this skill into adult life. Respect, assertiveness, empathy, and peaceful conflict resolution are topics covered in this workshop.

Workshop 2

Ray McClure, Joanna Maghen, Child autonomy - can a child not want to learn?

This workshop will answer how to support a child's autonomy in the right way. What to avoid and what to promote in teacher behaviour.

Workshop 3

Joanna Maghen, Working with older children in kindergarten

Often older children in a preschool group cause behavioural problems. It is not the children who have changed, but the teachers who do not always understand the need to change these children. We will talk about the reasons for this situation and present the work on projects for these children.

Workshop 4

Marta Karpa, Best Practices in Grades 1-3

According to Maria Montessori's pedagogy, what mistakes should we make and what should we pay attention to when teaching new 1-3 grade classes.

Montessorian storytelling

Ray McClure

This workshop will focus on the Montessori tradition's stories passed down from generation to generation. We will present stories (not Great Lessons) appropriate for the older child and the younger child.