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Montessori Education and English Training 3
Start date: Jun 1, 2016, End date: May 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

24 students, accompanied by two teachers, Prof. Andreas Gruber BA and Prof. Mag. Wiesner Sabine, will be attending the MEET 3 project in September 2016. The St. Nicholas Montessori College Ireland will allocate different preschools and kindergartens in the Dublin area for our students’ work placement. The participants will be selected according to certain criteria and personal qualities such as: good grades, good English skills, mental strength, being open to new experiences, eagerness to experience Irish culture and their school system and last but not least willingness to contribute to the evaluation and dissemination of valuable project contents. The FLY project will meet the increasing demand for qualified staff in foreign-language preschool education. Furthermore it should also support the exchange of ideas and know-how on an international level as well as the mobility of kindergarten teachers within Europe. In the course of a three-week work placement in Irish preschools and kindergartens, our kindergarten trainees will acquire specials skills and knowledge of Montessori pedagogy which they would not be able to acquire with their education in Austria. By observing and actively participating in class they will obtain valuable insight into the daily work routine in Irish preschools and kindergartens for different age groups. In the long run they should acquire the special linguistic skills necessary for the early intervention of children with a different native language in their future job as kindergarten teachers (developing a professional metalanguage). In order to learn how children with English as a non-native language are being integrated into the daily routine of a Montessori preschool, our students will not only use observational tools but will also interview the local kindergarten teachers who will assist our students at all times. All these newly acquired methods and skills should be used in developing their very individual method of how to integrate children with German as a non-native language into their future daily routine. Special attention should be paid to the analysis of bilingual education in general. The goal of bilingual preschools and kindergartens is that children are able to speak and understand at least two languages equally well in order to act in an integrative way within society and the context of social networks. Within their work placement our students will be sensitised to become aware of the multilingualism in kindergarten, and above that also come to understand bilingual concepts applied in Montessori preschools and kindergartens in the Dublin area. Another crucial aspect of the project is to do some research and documentation on the variety of childcare facilities for different age groups and children with special needs. Another aim is to take stock of the situation regarding the Austrian educational system compared to the Irish system on an international level. Furthermore, the MEET 3 project, especially because the students will be staying with host families and working in local preschools and kindergartens, will boost their understanding of how to act and interact in different social contexts. The documentation and dissemination of their impressions and experiences to the general public has top priority (presentation at our annual open house, hosting a conference with Austrian kindergarten teachers).In the long run the participants will benefit from their language skills on a personal and professional level, giving them the opportunity to set foot in a regulated and unregulated profession within their vocational field preschool (English in Kindergarten or after-school club).

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