Montessori Training Centre of BC

Founded by Dr. Maria Montessori – The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), founded in 1929 by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a global community which continues today to protect the integrity of her work.

A Guarantee of Quality – The Association Montessori Internationale affiliates training centres throughout the world.  These centres offer AMI diploma courses which are recognised worldwide for their excellence and authenticity. The training is essentially the same in each centre. Training centres affiliated to AMI remain under the constant supervision of AMI, are staffed by AMI Teacher Trainers and each course is examined by an external examiner appointed by AMI.

Knowledgeable Trainers Make the Difference – Every AMI course is conducted by an AMI Director of Training.  These dedicated trainers have extensive teaching experience, an academic background, have participated in a rigorous Training of Trainers Program and possess in-depth knowledge and understanding of Montessori principles and applications.

Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)

The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) was founded in 1929 by Maria Montessori to maintain the integrity of her life’s work, and to ensure that it would be perpetuated after her death. AMI is the recognized international authority on Montessori education. During its long history AMI has fostered the growth and development of Montessori programs and teacher training, and worked to support the development and education of children and young adults in a vast variety of settings throughout the world.   AMI is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (since 1985) and an NGO in operational relations with UNESCO (since 1962).

AMI’s Objectives (AMI)

The objectives of the Association are to uphold, propagate and further the pedagogical principles and practice formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori for the full development of the human being. The Association aims to establish these objectives by all lawful means and in particular by:

• Upholding the rights of the child in society, and making known the child’s importance for the progress of civilization;
• Making known the natural laws of growth in order to help the child to develop naturally in the family, school and society;
• Awakening public opinion with regard to the moral dignity of the child as ‘the Father of Man’, and to make clear the true nature of adult responsibility toward the child as the worker whose spontaneous activity produces the full-grown man;
• Spreading and upholding the pedagogical principles and practice formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori, which ensure the independence of the child’s personality through successive stages of growth until he reaches full normal development by means of his own activity;
• Providing opportunities wherever possible for children to develop normally, thereby helping all adults to enter into a new life of harmony and co-operation with children; and by thus unifying the two fundamental phases of human life, to lead the way to a higher and more peaceable civilization;
• Functioning as a social movement that will strive to obtain recognition for the rights of the child throughout the world, irrespective of race, religion, political and social beliefs; co-operating with other bodies and organizations which further the development of education, human rights and peace.

For more information on AMI, current and past research and Montessori videos, please visit the AMI website: www.ami-global.org

Why Take Face-to-Face Training

The Montessori approach offers a broad vision of education as an aid to life. It is designed to help children with their task of inner construction as they grow from childhood to maturity. It succeeds because it draws its principles from the natural development of the child. Its flexibility provides a matrix within which each individual child’s inner directives freely guide the child toward wholesome growth.

The preparation of the adult about to undertake work with young children demands a high degree of self-discipline and commitment, and a professional attitude. This preparation can be achieved only through immersion in the Montessori theory under the supervision of experienced lecturers. Furthermore, the special materials used with children in a Montessori class require individual training and supervised practice as each piece of apparatus has a function in the total scheme of the Montessori Prepared Environment. These fundamental aspects cannot be covered in sufficient depth by means of distance learning programs.

Courses are offered over one academic year or in modules according to the format approved by the AMI Scientific Pedagogy Group. The course program includes lectures, seminars and demonstrations covering Montessori philosophy, child development and information on the presentation of Montessori materials. Each course also includes significant components of observation, supervised practice using the didactic materials, material making and sessions of teaching practice. Students prepare individual albums which detail the purpose, use and presentation of each piece of material.   The intensity of being immersed daily in the course, with expert guidance, makes the course a unique personal experience that will become an engaging journey of personal discovery and professional growth.

The Value of an AMI Diploma

• AMI trained teachers have abundant career prospects and are in demand throughout the world
• The AMI diploma is a much sought-after credential by Montessori schools seeking classroom staff AMI is an educational organization with a strong global presence
• An experienced AMI trained teacher may go on to consider allied career opportunities such as becoming a head teacher, administrator, consultant, owner of a school, or to train as a teacher trainer through the AMI Training of Trainers program
• AMI also offers further programs for diploma holders including annual Refresher Courses. The Educateurs san Frontières program (Educators without Borders) aims to champion the cause of all children and to revisit Montessori principles and practices from the perspective of society at large.

“Education, therefore, of little ones is important, especially from three to six years of age, because this is the embryonic period for the formation of character and of society, just as the period from birth to three is that for forming the mind, and the prenatal period that for forming the body.”

(The Absorbent Mind, p. 221/2)