Montessori Mathematics from Pre-school through Pre-calculus
Lynne Lawrence, BA, Mont Int Dip - AMI, FRSA
Executive Director of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), recognized as the gold standard for Montessori teacher training and schools worldwide There is a capacity in every human being to reason and use logic, to think abstractly and symbolically. The Montessori educational approach to mathematics is based on the understanding that the human mind is ‘mathematical by nature.’ In Montessori schools, children come to understand abstract mathematical concepts through hands-on activities that allow them to work at their own pace, discover and explore concepts, and evaluate their progress. The result is a child who not only can do math but who thinks mathematically, enjoys it, and is able to apply this kind of thinking to everything he or she does. In this tour de force presentation, Lawrence will go from basic concepts like counting, through trigonometry and algebra, to introductory principles of calculus. This is a rare opportunity to see the totality of the Montessori approach to math instruction presented by one of the most influential figures in Montessori education.

Montessori Summer Seminar Montessori and Neuroscience:
A Natural Partnership

August 23 - August 27, 2010

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Why? The Montessori Summer Seminar wishes to offer teachers and trainers the opportunity of deepening their knowledge of current insights into brain development and how these can be connected to the Montessori approach - a brain-based education by definition. Additionally, the seminar has reserved a number of "slots" for historical components: there will be lectures on Montessori's own development of thought, and visits to Montessori sites of special interest and significance in the Netherlands and Germany.

How? This 5-day seminar includes lectures with particular emphasis on how the human brain develops and works, and how present-day research corroborates Montessori's findings. There will be participatory workshops and moments of "meditation". The historical components of the seminar are physically linked with visits to Montessori landmarks: the house in Amsterdam where Maria Montessori worked and lived from her return from India until her death, and where her study is being preserved in an authentic state. Visits to Nienhuis, manufacturers of Montessori teaching materials, and Montessori's grave in Noordwijk are also included. included. Participants will be part of an international group, and meet scholars, pedagogues and workshop presenters that will ask thought-provoking questions, and look afresh at received ideas.

For Whom? This seminar will be excellently suited for educators, teachers and trainers from all countries who wish to deepen their "Montessori insights", at both abstract and concrete levels.

Who are the organizers? This Seminar is offered by Hogeschool Edith Stein/OCT, Hengelo in close collaboration with the University of Muenster, and Association Montessori Internationale.

Who are the speakers? Speakers that have committed so far are Martine Delfos (Netherlands), Froukje Bakker (Netherlands), Esther Grindel (Germany), Liene Hendriksen (Netherlands), Steve Hughes (USA), Fred Kelpin (Netherlands), Lynne Lawrence (United Kingdom), Harald Ludwig (Germany), Sylvia Sarink (Netherlands), Paola Trabalzini (Italy)