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One World Montessori School |
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Maria Montessori Teacher Training Center |
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MISSION STATEMENT
The goal of the Primary Course (2 ˝ - 6) is to create transformed adults who will be sensitive and effective practitioners and creators of a Montessori environment, empathetic advisors to parents and enthusiastic representatives of the Montessori method, informing the general public about Maria Montessori’s methodology and goal for human progress toward peaceful coexistence. In this manner we can best serve the needs of the child. To best transmit Dr. Montessori's principles, we are guided by this quotation from Education and Peace: "We must develop the spiritual life of man and organize humanity for peace." |
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COURSE HISTORY AND ACCREDITATION
Rebecca Keith and Susan Cohn, both trained by Ursula in 1973-75 and 1980-82 respectively, have been training teachers under her watchful eye since soon after completing their training. They are trained to work in both primary and elementary classrooms. They still teach in their classrooms today, along with running schools and delivering the teacher training and occasional workshops. This allows them to continually be renewed and inspired by the children whom they serve. It also affords their trainees the opportunity to watch their trainers "in action," interacting spontaneously with children. At Ursula's request, Rebecca and Susan are continuing the Maria Montessori Teacher Training Center after her death, merely transporting it to their own school locations, One World Montessori School and Brush Creek Montessori, to better maintain and monitor the environments and materials. Located in the South and North Bay, both of these schools are non-profit organizations. The classrooms are fully equipped with Montessori materials that are available for MMTTC students to use for practice every school day between 3:30 and 6:30 P.M. Rebecca and Susan will continue to maintain the quality and rigor that has always been associated with MMTTC, as well as introduce new techniques and perspectives that increase the richness and depth of knowledge that they can confer to their students. In 2003, Sister Christina Trudeau, a Montessori “living legacy,” agreed to assist the program in its transition from San Francisco to the two new locations. She brings over 30 years of teaching and teacher training experience and has traveled the world in the service of Montessori. The main office of MMTTC is at One World Montessori School. The Brush Creek site is an additional location. Courses are taught simultaneously at both locations. The MMTTC has received approval to operate from the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (“Bureau”). An approval to operate means the Bureau has determined and certified that the institution meets the minimum standards for integrity, financial stability, and educational quality, including offering of bona fide instruction by qualified faculty and the appropriate assessment of students’ achievement prior to, during and at the end of its programs. The MMTTC was originally a charter member of MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education), and has recently reapplied for accreditation. The MMTTC was evaluated by a MACTE On-Site Team in April 2005, and was found to be in compliance in every area. We expect formal approval of the Full Accreditation Status at the MACTE Commission Board meeting in November 2005. Academic upper division units (undergraduate) are available for our courses through the California State University, East Bay (formerly known as CSU Hayward or CSUH) Extension at an additional per unit fee. These are considered to be specialization units by the CARES Program. The entire course is 24 quarter units delivered in 3 unit segments. Applying for this credit is optional, and is done through MMTTC at the beginning of each quarter. |
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FACULTY
QUALIFICATIONS
As an active classroom teacher, Rebecca Keith brings over 30 years of experience to the Maria Montessori Teacher Training Center. Rebecca has been training teachers through the MMTTC since 1981. She also founded and has been administrating her own school, One World Montessori School, since 1979. One World Montessori is privileged to benefit from the many unique curricula created by Ms. Keith, including Peace Education, a United Nations Day Celebration and an Earth Day Celebration. She also co-founded the Montessori Phoenix Project, which brings free Montessori training and materials to some of the most impoverished regions of the world. Ms. Keith is a sought-after speaker and guest lecturer, and has spoken at such prestigious institutions as the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University and Cornell University. Rebecca holds Montessori Certification for Primary and Lower Elementary levels. Rebecca has a B.A. in Human and Community Services and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from St. Mary’s College of California. Sister Christina Trudeau, a renowned AMS Director of Training, has volunteered to help with the course transition from San Francisco to San Jose. As a close friend of Ursula Thrush and a coworker in Education for Peace, she brings many years of experience in training teachers, especially in missionary areas. Susan Cohn is a two-time recipient of the Johns Hopkins Excellence in Teaching Award. She brings over 22 years of experience to the MMTTC, where she has trained teachers since 1990. Ms. Cohn has a distinguished history as a school director, and has even been given the CTY Director’s Award from Johns Hopkins University. She founded her own school, the Montessori Visions School, in 1984 and now serves as Director and upper elementary teacher for Brush Creek Montessori School in Santa Rosa. Ms. Cohn has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and holds Montessori Certification for Primary, Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary levels. Lola Ross has been teaching at One World Montessori School
for over 9 years, most recently as the Junior High Head Teacher. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English
from Bryn Mawr college in 1995 and thereafter studied with Ursula Thrush at
the MMTTC. Ms. Ross holds Montessori
Certification for Primary, Lower Elementary and Junior High (Erdkinder)
levels. |
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ADMISSIONS
& ENROLLMENT DEADLINES
1. In order to apply to attend the MMTTC Primary Teacher Training Course, the prospective student needs to provide MMTTC with the following: a. A completed application b. A non-refundable application fee of $50 c. A letter of intent, outlining the reasons why training is desired d. Three letters of recommendation from individuals with which the prospective student has a professional relationship. e. Copies of official transcripts from his/her former college or university. 2. After these items have been received, MMTTC will contact the prospective student and schedule an interview with the Director of Training. 3. After the interview, the applicant will be evaluated, based on the information gleaned from his/her transcripts, letter of intent, recommendations, and personal interview, and the Co-Director will complete an “Ability to Benefit” report. 4. The prospective student will then be notified as to his/her acceptance into the program through a letter of acceptance and will receive a financial contract to complete. 5. If the prospective student wishes to proceed, he/she needs to complete the financial contract and return it to MMTTC along with payment of the first installment.
ENROLLMENT DEADLINES Deadline to enroll is one week prior to the registration date or first class meeting of any class. All paperwork and payments must be received by this date. 2007-08 Calendar 2008-09 Calendar
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This Primary course is an undergraduate course which trains adults to work with children from 2 ˝ to 6 years of age. It is designed to be an interactive study based on Montessori's vision for lifelong learning, utilizing all her materials and methodologies, integrated with current research in child development and early childhood education. Instructors facilitate the learning process and share their experiences and resources. Opportunities are provided for observation and discussion of ongoing classrooms as well as attendance at parent information meetings and parent conferences. Trainees are required to participate in practice sessions with materials, present materials to the group at intervals, complete personal, illustrated curriculum manuals which describe the Montessori materials and outline their presentations, as well as explain the Montessori viewpoint on child psychology and development and the philosophy of education. They must also create a variety of teacher made materials based on the models available in the training center classrooms, and eventually practice teach under supervision in ongoing Montessori environments. The course intends to prepare adults to teach children, between the ages of 2 ˝ and 6, in a Montessori environment. The academic phase can be completed in two school years or two summers, or a combination of both. A school year-long supervised internship, working at least half a day, five days a week, as an assistant in a functioning multi-age Montessori classroom is also required after the completion of the materials section of the course. This can be done in conjunction with the philosophy, psychology and classroom management segments of the course or separately. The MMTTC issues a Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the course. Graduates of the program are qualified to hold a teaching position in a Montessori 2 ˝ to 6 year old classroom. The course includes instruction in the following areas: The Exercises of Practical Life, The Sensorial Materials, The Cultural Subjects, Peace Education, Language Development, Mathematics, Child Psychology and Development – Montessori’s Approach (The Formation of Man), Montessori’s Philosophy of Education - Cosmic Education, Classroom Management, and Observation Techniques.
The exercises of Practical Life assist in the development of the child's motor coordination, focus and concentration. Some of these activities lead him from large muscle movements, like those necessary for scrubbing tables and chairs, to the more refined movements necessary for buttoning, buckling, etc. The mastery of the associated skills assists the child in learning to care for himself and his environment. As the child acquires these skills and others, which focus on appropriate social interaction, he gains independence and self-confidence. SENSORIAL EXERCISES The Sensorial Exercises were created by Dr. Montessori to help make the child aware of the functioning of his/her senses and to refine and develop them. Each exercise isolates the input from one particular sense, intensifying and focusing the child's experiences of it through repetition of each activity. After the absorption of this sensory input, or "key experience", the child is given the language to associate with the experience, thus allowing him to classify and categorize the input he receives from his senses concerning his environment and express his experience accurately. The Sensorial Materials include experiences for the visual, auditory, tactile, stereognostic, gustatory and olfactory senses as well as thermic and baric stimuli. CULTURAL SUBJECTSThe Cultural Subjects are comprised of materials and exercises with which the child discovers the interrelatedness and interdependence of different aspects of the larger world. The areas they explore include physics, geography, biology, anthropology, history, music and art. Their synthesis provide the foundation upon which, combined with peace making and peace keeping skills, the Montessori Peace Education curriculum is built. PEACE EDUCATION Peace making and peace keeping skills, including problem solving and arbitration techniques, are demonstrated through role-play and practice. These, combined with the children's familiarity with the common needs of all people, gleaned from their work with People of the World and the Fundamental Needs of Humans’ materials, build a solid foundation for a peaceful individual.
The most concrete aspect of language is sound. Therefore, to encourage language development, we first focus on increasing oral skills through vocabulary development and sound awareness activities, always associating words with concrete experiences. The specific materials and activities that assist the child with acquiring writing, reading and composition skills are presented, as are the materials that expose the child to the function of words and reading analysis. MATHEMATICS The concepts of quantity, symbol, sequence, arithmetic, geometry, algebra and fractions are introduced to the child through the use of beautiful, manipulative materials. The child proceeds from the concrete experience with the materials to understanding and utilizing the abstract concepts, which they embody and demonstrate. CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT – MONTESSORI'S APPROACH (THE FORMATION OF MAN) Along with an overview of its history and current ideas in the field of child psychology and development the study of Dr. Montessori’s concept of the developmental stages, the Planes of Development, the Absorbent Mind, the Sensitive Periods and the Tendencies of Man, are explained and discussed, (assisted, in part, by the student’s research and written reports on ten educators/ child psychologists) MONTESSORI'S PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION – COSMIC EDUCATION In this segment of the course, we enter into the study of Montessori's philosophy, which concentrates on the function of humankind within the framework of the evolution of life and the cosmos. The preparation of the child's imagination for the recognition of this great task is achieved by the use of creative, hands on materials relating to the evolution of consciousness. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Techniques for behavior management, record keeping, parent conferences and information meetings and staff communications, meetings, management and training, the schedule of the day, how to start a new classroom, how to set up a classroom, California State Licensing requirements and other relevant subjects are presented and discussed. Opportunities to attend meetings at ongoing Montessori schools are provided. OBSERVATION TECHNIQUES Observation of children within the Montessori environment is an essential aspect of teacher training. It is only through the acquisition of excellent observation skills that the guide is able to properly assess each child and truly be "the dynamic link" between the child and the environment, knowing when to "kindle the flame of interest" and when to step back and allow the child to interact with the environment on his own. Twenty hour-long guided personal observations in Montessori classrooms are required of each student. These are written up and discussed with the class. |
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MMTTC TUITION AND RELATED COSTS
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