Conference Programme


PROGRAMME

Friday 2 September 2016

15:00    Registration

Coffee and Tea

16:00    Welcome and Opening – Dinny Rebild

Chairperson of Danish Montessori Society

16:30    Philip O’Brien

President, AMI

Philip O’Brien’s opening speech will be about “The Child’s Right to Peace.” A review of progress towards the millennium goals point to the fact that among those who miss out on educational opportunities are children whose lives are disrupted by conflict and violence: the absence of peace, and the presence of conflict deny children the opportunity to grow and develop.

17:15    Plenary Session

Sharing Information and Ideas about Peace

18:45    Anne Mette Friis

Head of Children’s Rights Education UNICEF Denmark

Anne Mette Friis will talk about Children’s Rights Education in Denmark.

19:30    Dinner at Restaurant Marienlyst

Stunning view of the sea, the Swedish coastline and Kronborg Castle

Saturday 3 September 2016

7:00       Kristine Høj Johnson

Montessori and Yoga Teacher, Denmark

Workshop: Mindfulness and Yoga for Children

Yoga for pre-school children can help them develop body awareness, strength, language, good listening skills, cooperation and powers of observation. Yoga teaches the children about nature, their environment and it gives inspiration to their imagination. They learn by playing, singing, moving and storytelling. Yoga poses help children build body awareness and a positive body image. It helps children to build fine motor skills, coordination, muscle control, balance and endurance. Yoga helps with self-awareness, children who practice yoga learn early on to tune into their bodies. Self-esteem is boosted as the children gain control over their bodies and minds. Kristine will guide you through a yoga session that she practices with the children at Montessori International Preschool.

9:15       Lynne Lawrence

Executive Director, AMI

Lynne Lawrence’s talk will center on Dr. Montessori’s thoughts on the elusive concept of peace.

10:15    Coffee and Tea

10:45   Bolette Daniels Beck

Assistant Professor, Music Therapy Education, Aalborg University

Presentation: Music and education for peace

Music as an aesthetic experience has an influence on the experience of balance, beauty, rhythm and space. Furthermore music is a way for the child to develop its identity and sense of connection to the world – for example through spontanouos singing and movement. Music influences us on basic neurological levels, and helps us to regulate arousal, emotion and interplay in the social space. Describing the concept “communicative musicality”, Bolette will present how music can help to develop positive and timed interaction and social engagement between humans, and thereby increase inner awareness and containment as well as social skills to connect, interact and solve conflicts in a constructive and respectful way with other persons – all components of peacemaking and creativity that we would like to support in and with the future generation.

11:30    Q&A for both Lynne Lawrence and Bolette Daniels Beck

12:00    Lunch

13:15    Workshop – participants choose one of the 2 workshops:

Workshop by Bolette Daniels Beck:

The workshop will focus on musical activities that support the curiosity and creativity in children and increase the awareness of social skills through music. The exercises will for example include music improvisation with body, voice and instruments as well as music listening.

Workshop by Madlena Ulrich: Peach Education through Virtues, Grace and Courtesy

If we really want to support children in building up a peaceful community in the Children’s House and Elementary, we need to give them not only graceful ways of behaviour, but also a language for peace. By combining the wisdom of the virtues with the technique of Grace and Courtesy lesson, we help the children build up their vocabulary and understanding of harmonious living. In the workshop, we will get to know the virtues and explore a variety of ways of how to include this language in our daily life.

 

14:15    Coffee and Tea

14:45    Workshop – participants attend the 2nd workshop

Bolette Daniels Beck / Madlena Ulrich

16:00    Final plenary session – Conclusion

17:00    Closing and Goodbye

The Conference will be held in English.