| Ten
months in Italy offers students an experience of historic,
artistic and educational interest, as well as experience
in the human dimension of Italian culture. Likewise, students
of different nationalities have the opportunity of cultural
and professional exchange which can provide a valuable stimulus
for their work. This kind of exposure to other cultures
fits perfectly with the Montessori principle of creating
“citizens of the world", a concept as valid for
elementary teachers as for elementary children.
In 1965, in his foreword to "The
Advanced Montessori Method" (Kalakshetra
edition), Mario M. Montessori wrote that the methodology
to be found in this book is only "the corner stone
of a majestic building", and that, whilst little has
been published to illustrate this evolution, it is "being
spread in the yearly courses given by the International
Centre of Montessori Studies in Bergamo (...)”.
The
International Centre for Montessori Studies Foundation has
had the experience of presenting forty-nine international
courses dealing with Montessori for the elementary child.
The long experience of the Centre is of indispensable value
in providing students with an in-depth preparation that
is as broad and complete as possible. From the beginning,
the Directors of the International Centre for Montessori
Studies Foundation, Camillo Grazzini and Eleonora Honegger,
worked extensively under the inspiring guidance of the late
Dr. Mario M. Montessori who was President of the International
Pedagogical Committee of A.M.I. and Director of Studies
of the Centre. Following the plan for cosmic education as
laid down by Maria Montessori, new research and materials
were developed. The research, study and experience are offered
directly to the students of this course.
The Bergamo Course provides the students with an excellent
and intensive preparation for undertaking a "new education"
for children aged six to twelve, with emphasis on the understanding
of the entire cycle of the elementary school.
Bergamo
and the Centre
Living
Facilities
Enrolment
on an A.M.I. Course
Course
fees
Bergamo
and the Centre
Bergamo is located at the foot of the Alps in Northern Italy, and has a population of about 120,000. It is situated in a picturesque setting, partly on a plain (lower town) and partly in the hills (upper town). The city dates back to the ancient Roman period of history. In the 6th century the Lombards ruled the town; in the 14th century it fell under the rule of the Duchy of Milan. The city flourished in the late 15th century under Venetian government.
The upper town is well appreciated for its ancient Venetian fortifications,
palaces, towers and churches, including the 12th-century
Palazzo della Ragione, the Torre del Comune, the Cathedral,
the Colleoni Chapel and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The lower town's main attraction is the Accademia
Carrara, one of Italy’s largest art collections, with
paintings by Canaletto, Botticelli, Mantegna, Carpaccio,
Bellini and Lotto, amongst others. This
modern metropolis and industrial center contains the bus
and rail stations, most of the hotels, and the town's commercial
and administrative center.
In
1989 the 'International Centre for Montessori Studies' Foundation
moved to a new address. The Centre is now located in via
Pignolo, the oldest street to link the upper and lower parts
of Bergamo. Much of via Pignolo consists of houses built
for the aristocracy during the 16th and 17th centuries.
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Living
Facilities
See
also: Practical
information for living in Bergamo
The
Centre has neither dormitory nor restaurant facilities to
offer
students. The following prices are approximations to help
students in
making their budget:
a) Room and board in religious institutions: monthly about
€ 475
b) Single furnished rooms in family homes: monthly about
€ 350
c) Furnished apartments: monthly about € 500 - 900
Furnished apartments can be shared. The heating may or may
not be included in the monthly rent.
The Centre does not accept
any responsibility for student accommodation.
- There are licensed rental agents in Bergamo, who work
quite independently of the Centre and who can be contacted
for accommodation. Relevant information will be sent to
the student together with the letter of acceptance.
- All students should arrive a few days before the beginning of the course in order to be sure of suitable accommodation.
- Non-EU studnets should arrive about a week earlier to begin the process of obtaining the student sojourn permit.
NOTE:
- In order to protect individual privacy, the Centre does
not furnish names and addresses of either present or past
students.
- In choosing appropriate clothing, it will help prospective
students to know that the winter climate of Northern Italy
is cold, rainy and foggy, and that the standard of European
heating may vary greatly. Furthermore, there are occasions
for which formal dress is required.
- Please ensure that all personal electrical appliances
are compatible with Italian voltage (220 volts).
- Students should note that the course involves expenses
connected with transport for observations and with school
supplies.
- In order to obtain the required sojourn permit, each student
must provide the Office for Foreigners at the Bergamo Police
Headquarters with 4 passport size photographs and with documentation
to show adequate financial means of support.
MEDICAL INSURANCE
- Each student (and also each
relative wishing to live in Bergamo) must
have medical insurance
(including hospitalization) which is valid for Italy and
which is valid for the entire period of the student's stay
in Italy.
All students
(including those who are citizens of EU countries) who have
private foreign
insurance are required to have a declaration/
statement/certificate endorsing the validity
of their medical insurance and issued by the Italian consulate/embassy.
Only a student
may take out medical insurance in Bergamo, with:
(1) INA-ASSITALIA,
Agenzia Generale di Roma, "Conto 20". This particular
insurance provides minimum coverage, that is, for urgent
medical care only (Italian: "cure urgenti").
(2) SERVIZIO SANITARIO NAZIONALE
(S.S.N.). This is the
same medical insurance as that of an Italian citizen.
This possibility is offered to students (at discounted cost)
once they are in possession of a sojourn
permit and the student has insurance coverage
for the duration of the sojourn permit/course.
Payment has to be made in two instalments since there are
two calendar years involved in the academic year of the
course. All payments should be made to Regione Lombardia,
and the insurance cards are issued by the Azienda Sanitaria
Locale (A.S.L.) office in Bergamo.
Students
from EU countries should come with their European Health
Insurance card.
For further information, students should contact the Italian
Consulate for their area.
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Enrolment
on an A.M.I. Course
By
enrolling on an A.M.I. Course, the students acknowledge
and accept that:
- Admission to the course does not guarantee certification.
- The Course leads to a diploma which only entitles the
holder to teach children of the ages specified on the diploma.
The diploma does not entitle the holder to prepare teachers.
Individuals interested in teacher training should apply
to A.M.I. Head Office for the Training of Trainers Programme.
- The albums which the students prepare on the basis of
the lectures are meant for their own classroom use and are
not to be printed, published or reproduced in any form for
any other use.
- The didactic material must not be reproduced or sold,
either in Bergamo or elsewhere, since it is the property
of the International Centre for Montessori Studies Foundation
and of the Association Montessori Internationale. Both these
organizations reserve the right to prosecute any abuse.
APPLICATION
- Application form and documents/records must be sent by
priority mail.
- Students must inform the Centre of their full postal address
(not just their e-mail address) so that the Centre can send
the relevant papers by mail.
- All application documents should be submitted together,
in a single packet.
- The application form must be completed by the prospective
student personally and must state clearly:
1. The academic year for which the student is applying.
- If the academic year is not indicated in the application
form, the Centre will assume it is the soonest one possible.
2. The status chosen for the course, either "Candidate
for Diploma" or "Auditor".
- The application form must bear
the personal signature of the prospective student.
- There is no deadline as such for application, but there
is a limit to the number of student places. Furthermore,
all non-EU students need student visas and have to allow
plenty of time for dealing with this process.
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Course
Fees
a)
Application fee (to be paid on applying): € 400
(Late application or late payment of the application fee,
that is, postmarked from May 1st on, will require an additional
€ 50 fee).
The application fee (minus bank charges) is refundable if the student is not accepted for the course; it is not refundable if the student is accepted.
b) Tuition fee (to be paid
by Sept. 2nd 2010): € 7,800
- Tuition fee may not be paid in instalments.
- It is understood that enrolment is for the full academic
year, without any reduction or reimbursement for students
who, for whatever reason, withdraw from the course.
- All fees are valid only in the name of the applicant and
only for the relevant academic year, and for this reason
cannot be transferred to another student or year. This statement
also applies to schools sponsoring prospective teachers.
c) A.M.I. Membership fee (to
be paid by Sept. 30th 2010): € 30
- The students will pay collective membership fees all together,
directly to A.M.I. Head Office, during the first month of
the course. This fee is not to be included in the payments
made to the Centre. Students who are members already should
provide a photocopy of their membership card.
PAYMENT
Payments must be made in EURO only and in the form of bank transfers or international checks issued by a bank Payment for the two separate fees must be made out only to the International Centre for
Montessori Studies Foundation - 73, Via Pignolo, 24121 Bergamo,
Italy.
Transaction costs involved
with checks/drafts must be reimbursed by the students in
Bergamo.
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