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| A speaker at the two-day Montessori training conference at Science City. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha |
Stacey Fernandes is a more patient mother now.
“I used to get impatient with my son. Whenever he made mistakes while doing his lessons or was disobedient, I would punish him. Now I know how to deal with him without losing my temper,” said the mother, who is undergoing a teachers’ training course.
It was Carla Foster, a Montessori teacher trainer from Norway, who advised Stacey to be a bit more diplomatic while handling her son. She was asked to tell the errant child: “I do not want to insult your intelligence, but you should act like this,” to get a better response from him.
Foster was delivering her lecture on the role of language in social integration on November 4 at the Second National Montessori Conference, organised by Indian Montessori Foundation (IMF).
“A child can be refused something but don’t tell him ‘no’ directly. Try to rephrase your sentence without using negatives,” she said.
The conference on November 4 and 5 at Science City was the first step for Montessori training to return to Calcutta, where the last batch of students were trained in 1986.
The IMF is affiliated to Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the global apex body for Montessori education, established by Maria Montessori in 1929 and headquartered in Amsterdam.
“This is the start of creating a strong Montessori community. We hope to provide some training in Calcutta in a year’s time,” said Govind Venkatesan, the executive director of the Indian Montessori Foundation.
Montessori teachers’ training is currently held in Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai. With Montessori houses mushrooming in Calcutta, such training would be handy, feel experts.
“This is an event to spread the Montessori word where the focus is the child. We do not teach him, but only assist him in the learning of new skills,” said Rita Bose, a member of the organising committee.
“Montessori education is getting diluted. It should not be confused with either kindergarten or nursery teaching,” she added.
Experts felt parents in the city were inclined to putting their children in high schools a bit too early.
“Both sectors have to co-exist. What is important is to have a dialogue with high school teachers and provide training through a time-tested methodology,” said Venkatesan, who moved away from IT services four years ago to step into education.
The president of the American Academy of Paediatric Neuropsychology and chair, AMI Global Research Committee, Steve Hughes, spoke on activity-based learning.
“At the Montessori level, the child learns the Pythagorean theorem but through puzzles. When the child grows up and learns the theorem, he can relate with his early learning,” explained Hughes.
Other speakers included Venita Kaul, director of the Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development, Ambedkar University, Zarin Malva, a Montessori teacher trainer from Mumbai, Uma Ramani, a trainer from Connecticut, and Teenaz Reporter, a Montessori teacher from Chennai.
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| Participants at the creative writing workshop |
Creativity flows
Young minds gave vent to their creativity at a ‘Write & Read’ workshop, organised by Hewlett-Packard, in association with the NGO Katha. The Calcutta leg of the workshop was the third in a series of six planned across India. Children between nine and 14 years old took part in it. Fifty best entries will be published in a book of short stories.
Schools in limelight
Four city schools won the International School Award, 2011, at the British Council School Awards ceremony, held in New Delhi last month. Seven private schools from east India and eight government schools from Odisha and Chhattisgarh won recognition for integrating an international dimension in the curriculum and ensuring globally relevant learning for students in the academic year 2010-2011.
The state schools included Apeejay House-Park Street, Modern High for Girls, St James’ and Lakshmipat Singhania Academy from Calcutta, Techno India Group Public School, Hooghly, MC Kejriwal Vidyapeeth, Liluah, and Delhi Public School, Bokaro Steel City.
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| A child participates in a Children’s Day programme organised at the Cancer Centre Welfare Home and Research Institute in Thakurpukur on November 14. A drawing contest, quiz and magic show was organised on the occasion. |
Junior skills
More than 30 underprivileged children staged a cultural programme organised by Acropetal Society of India at Children’s Little Theatre (CLT) on October 31.
The programme started with a classical dance to Ganesh Vandana, performed by siblings Tanaya, Tanusree and Tiyasa Biswas. Next, a group of children grooved to Bam bam boley. Tiyasa and Tanaya also presented a fusion dance, while another set of kids danced to Nagaada nagaada from the film Jab We Met. A dance drama, Adventures of Neelkamal and Lalkamal, brought the curtains down on an entertaining evening.
