10:00

Conference Registration

14:00

Welcome Show, By Children and Staff from Hangzhou Wulinmen School

14:30

Conference Welcome

Conference Hosts, Monte Kenison and Chinese Representative to be announced

Government Welcome

AMI Welcome, André Roberfroid

14:45

The Adult and Child Grow Together – Confucius

Keynote Address, Chinese Professor

16:00

The Adult and Child Grow Together – Montessori

Keynote Address, Lynne Lawrence

Children are the world's most precious treasure. They bring hope for the future, hope for the community and hope for their families.  All children of all nations are born with unknown potential that becomes actualised as they live, grow and develop in their environment.  The child has within them the power for their own self-construction and the adult can help this process through understanding and collaboration. Collaboration between the nurturing adult and the developing child brings benefits to both on every level and benefits to society

16:45

DVD Presentation

17:00

Conference Reception

09:00

Montessori 0-3, The Untapped Potential of the Absorbent Mind, Judi Orion

The first three years of a child’s life sets the foundation upon which all subsequent development scaffolds.  Montessori refers to this period as the period of the spiritual embryo.  “It follows that the newborn child has to do a piece of formative work which corresponds in the psychological sphere to the one just done by the embryo in the physical sphere.” By understanding the unlimited potential of the Unconscious Absorbent Mind during this period, we can help make it possible for a child to create a strong basis: a basis of peace, a foundation of trust and the foundation for the realization of one’s full human potential

09:45

Montessori 3-6, Shannon Helfrich

Dr. Maria Montessori’s approach to the child, between the ages of 3-6 years, is to fully support the self-construction of the individual.  It is during this period of time that the child is actively creating their own unique personality with all the values and knowledge necessary to function in the world.  The child brings innate powers to bear on this process of self-construction. The beautiful Montessori materials become catalysts during this process. This developmental work serves as the foundation for all the fundamental skills of the developing intelligence.

10:30

Montessori 6-12, Optimal Education at the Six to Twelve-Year-Old Level, Dr Jean Miller

As the child approaches age six we see the emergence of a new child.  We see very distinct changes not only in physical appearance but also in characteristics, behaviour and learning style. The Montessori approach is built on understanding the nature of the 6-12 year old and providing a unique and highly effective learning environment.  Dr Miller will cover some of the fundamentals of "Montessori 6-12" including cosmic education, the Great Lessons, interrelated subject areas, and the importance of the three-year age range and three-hour work cycle.  Children during this period are developing their social and moral conscience and there is a great emphasis on working cooperatively together.  The art of teaching the 6-12 year old involves fostering each child's independence within the social unit of the class.

11:15

Montessori 12-18, Adolescent Great Work: Our Way to the Future, David Kahn

Looking at first principles of Montessori’s famous Erdkinder (earth child) essays, David Kahn gives an overview of how the Montessori adolescent field has matured looking at principles of development and optimal prepared environments for both younger and older adolescents. The adolescent "great work" will be viewed for its developmental outcomes and how they impact on future social and educational reforms locally and globally through real problem solving and constructive envisioning of one's real contribution to society.

12:00

Lunch

14:00

Speech, Chinese Professor

14:45

Spiritual Preparation of the Adult, Eduardo Cuevas

The Montessori philosophy embraces the notion that man's life is a two-dimensional reality: a reality encompassing that which is material and a reality of that which is not material, but spiritual in nature.
- Material reality impels one to survive as an individual; spiritual reality directs one to thrive as a community.
- Material reality drives one to construct; spiritual reality leads one to create.
- Material reality allows one to exist; spiritual reality prepares one to live.
- Material reality requires one to think; spiritual reality demands that one dream.
The preparation of the Montessori educator is two-fold: both formative as well as informative; spiritual as well as intellectual. The Montessori philosophy is therefore uniquely akin to this ancient and great land of China, it being both a great constructor and creator of realities."

15:30

The Prepared Environment, Mary Raudonis Loew

Dr. Montessori’s observations, thinking, and writing about the development of the human being take their place among the great Wisdom traditions of both East and West.  But there is something else, something that sets her work apart as a unique contribution to the unfolding lives of children from birth to maturity. With the insight of an anthropologist, the careful attention to detail of the scientist, her profound intuitive genius, and her special love of humanity, Maria Montessori described the ways in which we, as adults must design very different spaces for children in each plane of development.  It is only by doing this, that our goal to help children fulfill their potential, thereby assisting humanity in its own evolutionary path, can be met.  While she observed that human needs and tendencies appear across time and geography, Dr. Montessori  also saw that  each time humans move into a new stage,  these needs and tendencies manifest in new ways.  Children in each of the 4 planes of development show different characteristics at the intellectual, psychological, social and spiritual levels. Dr. Montessori called these specially designed places PREPARED ENVIRONMENTS. In this lecture, the concept of the Prepared Environment and the practical elements which comprise these environments at each stage of life, will be explored.  

16:15

Montessori in the Home Environment, Amy Kirkham and Montessori Parents (2)

The home environment has to cater for the needs of all household members. While the child should not become the `ruler of the house' small changes can be made to accommodate the child and help the child become increasingly independent. We need to support the child and prepare him or her for life. The ultimate gift to the child is the knowledge and ability to live as a contributing member of the community. This also includes the development of feelings of self worth and self esteem through active participation in the daily life of the family. Montessori's hope for the world, for peace, and for lasting positive changes lay in the children and the men or women they would become. It is the child who will impact social generations from now and into the future. Montessori in the home environment is where this all begins.

09:00

Speech, By Chinese Professor

09:45

The Child, Society and Montessori Principles, Molly O’Shaughnessy

Every child is a born explorer.  Every child seeks to understand, adapt and contribute to society.  Dr. Montessori observed the true nature of children and saw childhood as the most potent force for the revitalization of civilization – worldwide. As a global community, we have the opportunity to collaborate in creating optimal learning environments that respond to the true nature of children. Universally, the results we witness in Montessori environments include social cohesion, self-discipline, collaboration, initiative, creativity and intellectual flexibility.  Development of these critical attributes contribute to healthy adaptation, the power to problem solve, and the ability to be innovative in seeking solutions to global challenges and opportunities.

10:30

Speech, By Chinese Professor

11:15

Education without Borders – Champion the Cause of all Children, Silvia Dubovoy

When Montessori principles are applied in the wider context of society, and not only in schools, their possibilities are vast and all-encompassing. Education without Borders can be applied in a wide variety of ways which can benefit and champion the cause of all children in any country. Today, it is necessary that society as a whole become aware of the power of the child to transform humanity. Maria Montessori undertook her unceasing work of sowing seeds of knowledge, awareness and understanding of the natural laws of human development from birth to adulthood to make the world a better place.

“Man must labour not only to support himself and his family, but also to become an instrument of something great and awesome – not only to serve his individual interests, but also to serve humanity as a whole.” Maria Montessori, Education and Peace, p.79

12:00

Lunch

14:00

Speech, By Officers from Educational Department of Zhejiang

14:45

Help the Child Build a Better Tomorrow, Cheryl Ferreira

In her book Education and Peace p.31 Maria Montessori says:: "The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind" What is the "hope" that each child brings to the human race? - this hope lies in the untouched greatness of human potential in the depths of the human psyche - a potential that only the child can easily tap into.   And the promise - - ?  the promise that if we would only help the child to live his life as a child - true to his nature he would actualise these nebulous riches and reveal to us the grandeur of human nature. Thus in the words of Maria Montessori  "If we would only mind this embryo as our most precious treasure, we will be working for the greatness of humanity." Maria Montessori, Education and Peace p. 31

15:15

DVD Presentation - Montessori and Social Reform

15:30

The Foundation of the Human Personality – Our Hope for the Future, Annette Haines

“We then become witnesses to the development of the human soul; the emergence of the New Man, who will no longer be the victim of events but, thanks to his clarity of vision, will become able to direct and to mould the future of mankind.” Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, p. 8

16:15

Closing Remarks, By Governor and AMI President, André Roberfroid