Date: August 2008

Montessori Assistants Training Course Thursday Island

By Cheryl Ferreira

In August 2008 the first ever AMI Montessori Assistants Certificate Course was offered in Australia.

What is the AMI Montessori Assistants Certificate Course ?

In an ideal Montessori Environment there would be one trained Montessori teacher and one assistant and 30 to 35 children. (This is a number Dr Montessori often mentions in her books.) This child to adult ratio leads to the children becoming very independent. The older children take on simple responsibilities and peer teaching spontaneously occurs – leading to the class developing into a thriving community where the older children and younger children learn from each other and are not totally dependant on the adults.

In many countries today, government regulations set the teacher child ratios at 1:8 / 1:10 / 1:15 and thus there are several adults in one classroom. When all the adults are active it can change the classroom dynamics and thus often hamper the independence of the children.

This Course is intended to help adults become able Assistants in a Montessori 3-6 classroom. Assistants do not demonstrate Montessori Materials but have a very important role in supporting and helping the teacher in the class. The Course includes a study of Montessori philosophy and child development together with a few basic practical skills needed to work effectively in this position. The Course is also of help and interest to childcare professionals from other fields who wish to find out more about the Montessori Approach to Education.

We often say that Montessori education is “Education for Life”. Life is not limited to the confines of a Montessori classroom. Thus education as help to life must be a continuous process, supported at home by the parents, caregivers and the family. This course is useful for parents /carers/ adults who would like to have an in depth understanding of the Montessori Approach to education. It offers an understanding of child development and basic Montessori principles which would enable them to understand support their child/ren at home.

The AMI Montessori Assistants Certificate Course consists of 60 hours of lectures/contact time including reading / discussion sessions; practical sessions on material making, early language activities and activities promoting independence. In addition to the 60 hours of course attendance the participants must write essays on 3 topics (as decided by the Trainer) and complete 8 hours of Child Observation. The course participants thus gain an understanding of the focus of the Assistant’s Work which is:
- To observe
- To learn when and how to intervene (not interfere)
- To acquire the ability to allow the children to become more and more independent; “any unnecessary help is a hindrance to development”.
- To gain knowledge of Montessori’s understanding of Freedom and Discipline
- To learn how to gain the children’s trust.

The successful participants are awarded an AMI Montessori Assistants Certificate.

The historic, first ever, AMI Montessori Assistants Certificate Course in Australia was offered on Thursday Island over a period of 3 weeks. It was one of several short introductory courses that were offered to enable the people of the Torres Strait Island Communities gain an understanding of the Montessori approach to education that would allow them to make an informed choice with regard to the introducing Montessori education to the Torres Strait Islands.

The participants on all the courses offered, enthusiastically shared their growing appreciation and understanding of the Montessori Method and their discovery of its compatibility with their culture and values during discussion sessions. Again and again we heard how beautifully the Montessori Approach - with its respect for the child’s cry of “help me to do it by myself” ; wherein the adult (directress/ teacher) observes the child to see where s/he is, offers a presentation, then moves away to facilitate independent activity on the child’s part while continuing to observe - fit in with their cultural traditions . They were fascinated by the discovery of the Sensitive Periods for Language and Social Behaviour and the Absorbent Mind which explained how a child can learn several languages at such an early age.

Those that attended the AMI Montessori Assistants Certificate Course often came back each morning with stories of how they had begun to apply what they had learned to their children at home and of the positive response they had from their children. When they began to complete the hours of observation as required for the course they were amazed at how much they discovered about the children they observed.

We were privileged to be welcomed by the Torres Strait Islanders who willingly shared their culture and its traditions with us. We look forward to helping TAGAI develop a Montessori section where they can watch their children grow and develop into a generation that brings their culture with them into the 21st century.