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Time Is Running Out
To Register For Our Spring Conference
At Asilomar
For those of you who have not been there
yet, Asilomar is a beautiful ocean-side Conference Center
just outside Carmel, California. For golfers, the world-famous
Pebble Beach Golf Course is close by.
Our goal is nothing short of taking first
steps to connect Montessori's Cosmic Curriculum to important
new resources and ideas that we believe can help us
take the next step in revitalizing Montessori schools
around the world.
Montessori schools need revitalization?Yes!
Here's why.
Those of us who are part of the Montessori
movement are justly proud of our work and accomplishments.
However, when seen objectively against the larger picture,
it is clear that while we have established ourselves
firmly as the leading early childhood approach, we have
yet to convince the majority of parents and outside
educators that Montessori elementary and secondary programs
are worthy of confidence and respect.
Main Hall
Whether or not this perception is valid
is not the point, however it is clear that many Montessori
schools struggle to maintain stable and consistent elementary
programs. Middle school programs face even greater challenges.
Enrollment in most schools drops off rapidly the higher
the grade level.
In general, the opposite is the case among
non-Montessori schools; the greatest demand is found
at the secondary level.
This is also the case among many forms
of nontraditional schools that are in many way similar
to Montessori, including the Quaker schools, Progressive
schools, Waldorf schools, and other alternative approaches.
One reason for this I believe is the difficulty many
of our schools have with creating and maintaining a
comprehensive curriculum at these age levels. Despite
the impression that we give on first glance, our curriculum,
not usually depending on texts or standard book lists,
often varies from class to class, and from one year
to the next. It is also dependent on teachers' ability
to absorb an expansive integrated course of stud in
courses that for social and economic reasons limited
in duration and scope.
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Since this reality
challenges us all, We need to develop additional
systems and resources to inject new vitality and
energy into our classrooms, allowing us to create
and sustain effective curricula that parents and
outside educators can easily grasp and find exciting
and attractive.
This is the goal that we have set
for ourselves, not just through this one conference,
but through many ongoing efforts to develop, document
and share practical, replicable strategies and
ideas. Thus, our decision to accept Riane Eisler's
challenge to join with her and her colleagues
around the world to establish a Center for Partnership
Education, bringing Montessori together with new
partners to revitalize first our schools, and
then, hopefully, others around the world. |
The main conference will run from the
evening of Thursday, April 21 through midday on Sunday,
April 24. As it will be Passover, we will hold a family
Seder on Saturday.
Post Conference Symposium
Following the conference, those of you
who are able to stay (or come specifically for this
separate event), will have the extraordinary opportunity
to spend three days together with Riane Eisler, Jonathan
Wolff, and Tim Seldin for a special symposium for Montessori
and other interested educators to explore the implications
and practical implementation of Partnership Education
throughout our cultural and peace education programs
at every age level.
We do hope that you will join us.
Riane Eisler
Tim Seldin
Jonathan Wolff
Updated Workshop Information
We have the following changes to our Asilomar, Pacific
Grove conference to announce.
Workshop #19 Bancubi Math materials with Tere Maurer
has been cancelled because she will not be able to leave
Mexico at that time. There is nothing scheduled in this
slot. Enjoy a stroll on the dunes of Asilomar.
We also have a few substitutions:
#24 Heidi Banks
Listening for Greatness
Heide Banks is a nationally recognized relationship
coach who has been featured on Oprah, CNN, ABC News
among others. Her love of youth has led her into teaching
workshops to parents and teachers on behalf of Educating
for Excellence a nonprofit based in New York, In this
workshop she will present her work on listening as a
tool to influencing change and fostering better understanding
and greater effectiveness in the classroom and in our
own lives. In addition to hands on skill building in
this area, Heide will also debut a short new video on
this topic.
#32 Jamie Wheal
The Times They Have a-Changed: An Integral Update to
the Montessori Method"
"The Times They Have a-Changed: An Integral Update
to Montessori" applies Keb Wilber's Integral Theory
to four key sticking points in the Montessori movement
today: Learning Disabilities, High Pressure Parents,
enfants terribles, and lax assessment standards.
#39 Jamie Wheal
"Let's Get Physical: Embodied Cognition and the
Body/Brain Connection".
"Let's Get Physical: Embodied Cognition and the
Body-Brain Connection" explores Montessori's prescient
insight that learning and action go hand in hand, and
argues that we should adopt the combined techniques
of therapeutic rehabilitiation and elite athletic training
to enrich the experience of our Montessori students
and improve their mental and emotional balance.
If you have already signed up for workshops that may
have been cancelled please email Margot at montessoriimcpubs@comcast.net
to let her know what your alternative selections will
be.
Thank you and looking forward to seeing you soon,
The Montessori Foundation Staff
A Note to Overseas IMC Members:
If you are coming to Asilomar with more
than one person from your country, wish to room together,
and need to arrive a day before the conference begins,
email our Conference Coordinator, Margot Garfield-Anderson
at
She should be able to have you assigned
to the same room during your stay.
The brochure is available
online for the April, 2005 Regional Conference at Asilomar,
just Outside Carmel, California. Mark your calendar
for April 21-27, 2005 and download the conference brochure.
Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (Get it free from www.adobe.com)
Conference Registration Online
On-Line Registration
Is Now Open For The Conference on Revitalizing Montessori
Curriculum in California this April. Space is
Limited. Register On-Line Today!
Click below to register online for the
Asilomar through Acteva, our new safe and secure online
registration service.
[Click
Here]
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