This month, Sarah, Fergus, and Sandra travelled to Bologna to join the other eight partners for the penultimate transnational partner meeting for the MonTech project. We welcomed our new Italian partner, Zaffiria, and reviewed the progression of the progress from the last year, which included implementation into many classrooms. 

Bologna meeting of partners 

What is the Montech project? 

The full title of this Erasmus + project is “Blended Montessori-Creative Technologies Approach for Successful Inclusion in Multicultural Schools” and we are trying to answer the question: “If Maria Montessori were alive today, how would she use technology in the classroom with children and teachers, without betraying the principles of her methodology?” 

To answer this question, the Montessori and Creative Technology experts spent a year creating a comprehensive guide for teachers that blended the principles of the Montessori approach (such as inspiration, self-construction, cosmic education, freedom of choice, collaboration) with technology tools for learning and creative expression across the curriculum. Using highly innovative and engaging hands-on activities based on the Montessori approach and Maker Education, students are encouraged to work together to explore and create, fostering social inclusion and equity in multicultural classrooms and promoting a positive cultural identity for all children. 

MonTech Guidebook 

Project to date: 

The project began in Feb 2021 with an online kick-off meeting, followed by a year of developing the new method, which also included listening to teachers in multicultural schools in the countries of the partnership to identify challenges they face in the classroom.  

In Feb 2022, the partners and teacher trainers from each country in the partnership met in Girona for hands-on training in the MonTech methodology. This was the first of two face-to-face training to prepare the trainers to return to their countries and train teachers to implement the MonTech methodology in their classrooms.  

Girona meeting of partners 

Girona meeting of partners 

The goal is to train at least 250 teachers from the partnership countries over the duration of the project, and an additional 250 teachers from other European countries through e-learning. 500 teachers, each reaching an average of 15 students equals 7,500 students reached! 

Throughout the spring of 2022, we received the first feedback from the classroom teachers on the success of implementing the activities and we were able to make important adjustments to the guide based on this feedback. We met for the second face-to-face training in June 2022 in Athens -… 

Athens meeting of partners 

Athens meeting of partners 

A new version of the guide was made available in autumn 2022, translated into X number of languages…. 

TO DATE: Trainers have trained X teachers who are currently implementing the Montech strategies in their classrooms! Preliminary feedback from classroom teachers indicated that the project is a success, and we look forward to hearing more stories from the classrooms! 

The official results will be presented in the final partner meeting hosted by our partner in Lesvos.  

A major focus of the partners is to create a sustainable methodology that continues to implement in more classrooms internationally, long after the end date of the project in Dec 2023. WMI is proud to be part of this initiative that fosters social inclusion and equity through Montessori principles. We are offering training in the project in Norway, and we extend an open invitation to guide teachers in your school in implementing creative technologies in your classroom! 

What tools will you get in your teacher toolbox? 

• Encouraging children to EXPLORE and EXPERIMENT 
• Respect children’s different ways of learning and interests (wide walls) 
• Solve problems and think critically (Scratch projects + feedback + journal) 
• Foster CREATIVITY and COLLABORATION 
• Integrate technologies into the curriculum, and use them for learning