Montessori Teacher TrainingEarly Childhood Level Two Certificate

FOREWORD by the Principal

This course offers an exciting structured programme for students interested in teaching young children, with an emphasis on understanding the fundamental principles of the Montessori approach and philosophy. During the training students are introduced to, and become familiar with, the Montessori learning materials.

In this prospectus you will find details on the content of the course and also a brief overview of the Montessori philosophy, together with some biographical notes on Dr Maria Montessori, founder of this approach, and on the qualifications and experience of the course tutors. You will also find information on the course entry requirements and regulations, although full details are also kept up to date on the Wharfedale Montessori School website www.wharfedalemontessori.co.uk.

The aims of the course are to equip students with a high level of professional competence by means of providing:1. A thorough understanding of Montessori educational philosophy, knowledge of current and pioneer educationalists;2. A basic understanding of child psychology;3. A thorough knowledge of Montessori didactic materials;4. A thorough grounding in all subjects needed to teach children in Montessori nursery schools; and5. A thorough understanding of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and how Montessori relates to and meets all aspects of delivery of EYFS.

If you are passionate, as I am, about helping to develop our next generation of young people, and would like to find out more about how this can be done following the Montessori approach, this training course may be for you.

If you would like to apply to join the course, please complete the separate application form, which can also be downloaded from our website. Please contact me with any queries or if you need any further information.

Thank you

Jane LordPrincipal

Wharfedale Montessori School and Training College is accredited as a teaching practice school by MCI London.

MONTESSORI PHILOSOPHY AND BACKGROUND

You may already have researched the Montessori approach for yourself and may be familiar with the key elements of this philosophy. Here, however, is a brief summary of what makes Montessori education so special.

Perhaps the main reason why Montessori education is special is because of its particular emphasis on the learning styles and different needs and learning speeds of every child. Montessori practitioners really do “follow the child”.

In true Montessori schools, children are given the tools and guidance to follow their innate drive to learn with direction from properly qualified staff. Rather than being taught in age banded year groups, there will always be vertical banding with a three year age span - 3 to 6 years, 6 to 9 years and 9 to 12 years. Children work at their own pace, gaining confidence and developing strong independent function and high self-esteem. They also develop a strong sense of community where they are taught that every action of theirs can impact on others and that respect and manners are of key importance.

Whatever the children’s particular aptitudes and levels of intelligence, the Montessori approach fosters the development of positive character traits – persistence, determination and curiosity – which will benefit them all their lives, regardless of their later choice of schooling and occupation.

It is possible to present work from any subject area if you link the learning to a child's interests, and this is what you will learn to do, basing your teaching on the individual child, recording each and every new achievement and competency using a day-to-day progressive system.

When children join a Montessori setting, the teachers observe them very carefully to get to know them and their abilities. After that, every new lesson or task the children are given, or shown

how to achieve, will be chosen for each child through careful prior assessment of that particular child. This ensures that the children are given work which they are able to master, and this gives them satisfaction, self-esteem and a desire to do more. This, in turn, leads to the development of habits of self-discipline and application. The children start to be able to concentrate for longer and longer periods of time, and will, increasingly, be able to take on more challenging work. As children move into the primary years they are encouraged and, if necessary, directed, to undertake and complete certain tasks on their individual work schedules, so that they will take on work and challenges across the whole of the curriculum.Much of the children’s interest in learning comes from the appeal and efficacy of the special educational apparatus, designed by Dr Montessori, which covers sensory learning, literacy, numeracy, cultural studies, science, history, geography, music and creativity. There will also, typically, be an emphasis on outdoor studies, including forest school.

DR MARIA MONTESSORI

Maria Montessori (1870-1952), the first woman doctor to graduate from the Rome School of Medicine, was the originator of the Montessori educational system. Through her work with children both as a doctor and an educator in Europe, Asia, and the United States, she developed a highly structured innovative and imaginative approach to education.

Dr Montessori realised that adults should motivate children by providing them with the right materials, showing them how they are used, and then leaving them to learn for themselves in a specially prepared environment. Because the children work in mixed age groups they develop in a co-operative atmosphere at their own pace. This promotes a balanced social and emotional development.

Maria Montessori's lifetime's work remains a widely acclaimed educational method.

Today, there are Montessori Schools in all seven continents all over the world.

Her broad vision of education as the means of developing well balanced, noble human beings, and the child as the builder of this new society, led to her vision of an education for peace. In her later years this became the guiding principle of her work and her lectures as she travelled throughout the world.

COURSE TUTORS

Jane Lord, Principal of Wharfedale Montessori School and College

Graham Lord, Head of Primary, Wharfedale Montessori School

Julie Butterfield, Head of Pre-School, Wharfedale Montessori School

Jane Lord

is an approved MCI Lecturer/examiner with over 30 years teaching experience in the early years field. She has been responsible for founding and successfully running two schools in the time she has been teaching. Jane has four children, one of whom, Imogen, is also Montessori qualified and is now a senior/Head teacher at the Chagford Montessori School in Devon.

As well as holding a Montessori teaching Diploma, Jane is qualified as an ‘Adult Education and Training Tutor’ and holds a City and Guilds 730/7 Certificate in Adult Education. She is a Lead Practitioner in Early Years for North Yorkshire County Council and works as an independent Montessori Consultant. She also regularly attends training conferences at MCI in London and is a dedicated believer in the benefits of the Montessori approach and its top quality practice and provision.

Wharfedale Montessori School opened in 1990 and its college (then delivering Montessori St Nicholas Teacher Training) in 1992. Wharfedale Montessori is currently involved in further expansion of both school and training provision and hopes to be offering courses for parents interested in bringing aspects of Montessori into their child rearing experience for the benefit of the whole family. The School also opened a baby and toddler full day care unit in the autumn of 2006.

Graham Lord

(Jane’s husband) is also Montessori qualified, holding the advanced as well as the early years diploma and is head of primary at Wharfedale Montessori. Graham will occasionally deliver lectures in some subject areas.

Julie Butterfield

graduated in English Language and Literature from Lancaster in 1996. She became interested in Montessori pedagogy after the birth of her first child and began working at Wharfedale Montessori School in 2006, being appointed as Head of the Pre-School in 2010. Julie has an International Diploma in Early Childhood and has gained Early Years Professional Status in 2010. She attended the Montessori Trainers’ Workshop in 2012.

Julie has three children, all of whom are Montessori educated, and they share many adven-tures together. Julie loves crafting, reading and spending time in the outdoors.

AREAS OF STUDY FOR THE COURSE

NB A full syllabus will be given out at the induction session prior to course commencement.

1. THEORYMontessori theory covers the preparation and role of the Montessori teacher - the preparation of the environment and the means of developing the child's potential. Montessori Education provides a structure within which the child has freedom to do and to be.

2. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, CARE AND HEALTHThese lectures cover the building of personality, the successive planes of development, their characteristics and needs, and the natural laws of psychological and physical growth. They also cover general care and health issues for the young child.

3. ACTIVITIES OF EVERYDAY LIVINGThese are the life skills which are presented to the children in the form of special exercises to aid their independence and social development.

4. SENSORIALThe sensorial materials provide the children with opportunities to actively explore their environment and build their conscious knowledge.

5. LANGUAGEA phonetic total language approach to the development of language skills including reading and writing.

6. MATHS AND GEOMETRYThe children are prepared for the understanding of the basic mathematical concepts with original and exciting didactic apparatus.

7. GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND BIOLOGYThese form the Cultural area of the curriculum. They are integrated and connected with the other areas of learning.

8. PHILOSOPHYThe fundamentals of the Montessori approach.

9. CONTEMPORARY ISSUESThis will include the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements, current government educational policy, the ‘Children’s Act’ and the relevance of Montessori’s place in both the history of educational philosophy and education today.

10. CREATIVITYThe creative curriculum includes arts and crafts, drama and expressive movement, music and literature.

11. PRACTICEDuring supervised practice sessions the students use the Montessori teaching materials, discovering, questioning and refining the presentations or special lessons.

ASSESSMENT OF COURSE

Coursework will be undertaken each term and will involve practical tests (including the making of teaching materials), essay assignments (including two essays of 750-1700 words each), and the completion of portfolios, files and projects. All coursework will be assessed by the course tutors over the period of training. One of the files required is an observations folio containing three different styles of child observation. The folio will be graded towards the final course mark. The three observations must be carried out with groups of young children present and ideally two of these should be carried out in Montessori schools.Five resource files must be completed. Four of these will be assessed, the other is maintained but will not be assessed during the course.

Dates for the completion of all assignments and tests are given to students at the beginning of each term. It is essential that all assignments are completed on or before the dates given, except by prior arrangement and with the written approval of the course tutor, otherwise a mark of zero may be given.At the end of the course, an external examiner will supervise two three-hour written examinations, and a 1½ hour oral/practical examination.An overall coursework average of 65% or above must be achieved for eligibility to sit the final examinations.

OUTLINE OF AWARDS

Early Childhood Certificate stage 1: Montessori Theory:

2 essays, 3 projects, an observations portfolio and five Montessori filesThis certificate is only issued to those part time students who complete their course work successfully but are not able to complete the final examinations.

Early Childhood Certificate stage 2:

Stage one grade, plus 2 written exams and a practical examination

Early Childhood International Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy:

Stage 1 & 2 grades and teaching practice of 420 hours with teaching practice file and child study

Teaching practice is optional but your qualification will not be recognised by the Children's Workforce Development Council as a full Montessori qualification without the completion of teaching practice. At this college we strongly recommend that in order to have full professional Montessori teaching status you undertake teaching practice. Part-time students are offered the opportunity to join the Teaching Practice Programme at any time after they have completed their second term of study. The student applies to the Montessori Centre International, after discussion with the course tutor, to enrol in the Teaching Practice/Internship Programme, having reached an appropriate stage in his/her course work. Supervised teaching practice is completed in an approved Montessori school with the student working to a teaching pack, containing teaching practice materials and

assignments, and returning completed work to the Centre for assessment. It is not essential to begin the teaching practice programme while you are taking the level two certificate course; you may prefer to undertake it following your level two training.

All components of the course must be passed prior to issuing of the international diploma.

ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR STUDENTS

Entry Qualifications:

Applicants are expected to be educated to A level standard or above, or to hold equivalent academic qualifications. The minimum entry age is 18. There is no upper age limit.

Candidates will need a good comprehension of spoken and written English to at least the standard of a C grade at GCSE. Candidates will be expected, as part of the application process, to submit a written essay of approx.. 500-750 words, explaining their interest in Montessori education.

If you do not meet the above qualifications but have a genuine desire to work with children, please write or telephone to arrange an appointment with the Principal, as we try to maintain a flexible approach.

An applicant may be accepted without an interview subject to presentation of the documentation requested. However, the Principal reserves the right to request an applicant to attend an interview.

Attendance and Study Requirements:

There will be an induction day prior to commencement of the course, when further detailed course information will be provided. Students are required to attend on this day.

The course of study is then undertaken over a period of one year incorporating three academic terms. Training takes place on one full day each working week during the three school terms, with lectures being given from 9.45am. to 4.30pm on Monday of each week. The only exception to this regular day will be in the weeks where the Monday is a bank holiday. In this case the training will take place on a Wednesday at the same times.

In addition, there will be five Saturday workshops which will run from 9.45am to 4.30pm. These are compulsory and an important part of your training.

The weekly day-time sessions are held in Draughton Village Hall. This is a modern, well-equipped setting with all the conveniences and facilities required. The Saturday workshops will take place at Wharfedale Montessori School. Students will also have the chance to undertake observations and teaching practice within this long established training school.

The making of materials is a component of the course and contributes to the final mark awarded. It is a requirement that students attend materials making and specific subject workshops when these are arranged.

Where students attend sessions at the School, they will be asked to bring indoor footwear to put on in the School buildings. The importance of this simple request cannot be over stressed since our children work so much sitting on, and in contact with the floor. Preparation and maintenance of the environment are very important aspects of the Montessori method. Also, whilst the Centre provides tea and coffee, students should organise a rota for preparation and clean-up of drinks. Our Directresses spend time at the end of every day preparing the environment for the morning; it is important that it should not be necessary for them to have to do so again following a training session.

In addition to the time spent at College, students should allow approximately 15 to 18 hours per week for independent study.

It is a requirement of the Montessori Centre International examination regulations that students should have attended a minimum of 90% of the course contact hours. This in effect means that no more than six lectures can be missed. In

the event of severe weather conditions, students are asked to ring the Centre promptly so consideration can be given to cancellation and rescheduling of a lecture.

Termination of Studies

The Principal reserves the right to ask a student to leave at any time, if, in the opinion of the course tutors, the student's work or behaviour is not satisfactory.

COURSE FEES

For the academic year 2013/14 the fees are as follows:

Enrolment £195.00

Registration with Montessori Centre International - includes Training Modules £595.00

Tuition Fee (subject to change) £2700.00in 3 termly instalments of £900.00(4% discount if paid in full on registration - £2592.00)

Examination fee £270.00Teaching Practice Fees £250.00

The registration, examination, and Teaching Practice fees are set by Montessori Centre International and may be subject to change.

Students may be able to obtain some discretionary grant funding from Montessori St Nicholas London. Applications will be dealt with by Montessori St Nicholas on an individual basis. An application form is available from Mrs Lord.

All fees are subject to a small increase each year and will be set by Montessori Centre International in early September 2013.

COURSE REGULATIONS

1. Enrolment for the Course will be taken as acceptance of these regulations.

2. The Course lectures will be held on Mondays each week from 9.45am. to 4.30 p.m. during the School terms, and on five Saturday workshops, and/ or such other days and times as the Lecturer may decide. Attendance at least 90% is necessary to satisfy the Montessori Centre International Examination Regulations.

3. Three individual student counselling sessions will be timetabled to review progress.

4. All application, evaluation and other forms must be completed and returned by their due date.

5. All essay and practical work assignments must be completed and submitted before the Examinations can be taken.

6. The Enrolment Fee of £195 must be paid on enrolment.

7. The Tuition Fees of £2700 are payable on the date of commencement of the Course. An arrangement may be made with Wharfedale Montessori College to pay these fees in three instalments, at the beginning of each term, but a 4% discount is available if the fees are paid in full. The MCI registration fee of £595 is also due on commencement.

8. The Examination Fees must be paid before the examination.

9. There can be no refund of Fees.

10. The Internship hours requirement for the Teacher's certificate may be fulfilled at Strid Cottage or any Montessori Establishment approved by Montessori Centre International for the purpose.

PLEASE RETAIN YOUR PROSPECTUS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE.

IT IS AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT.