The AMI Diploma
"Free the child’s potential and you will transform him into the world." – Maria Montessori
Montessori education supports the development of the whole child, and is an educational approach which is taught in more than 140 countries across the world. If you are interested in child development and teaching as a career, then Montessori can offer opportunities to work with children from infancy to adolescence. The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) offers teaching diploma courses which are respected worldwide. AMI is the association which Maria Montessori founded herself to continue her work, and therefore AMI teacher training courses are renowned for their quality, integrity, and authenticity. Trainees earn their diploma through successful completion of an intensive training program conducted by an AMI trainer. These dedicated master teachers have participated in a rigorous Training of Trainers Program and possess in-depth knowledge and understanding of Montessori principles and applications. Most are also consultants and lecturers for Montessori events worldwide. The comprehensive training includes educational theory and child developmental psychology, classroom observation, practice teaching, and material preparation. All AMI training courses must meet rigorous standards both in content and teaching staff.
An AMI diploma can lead to a career as a teacher at Montessori private and public schools around the world, a Montessori school administrator or owner, or an AMI consultant or trainer.
Options for undergraduate and graduate credit are available through colleges and universities affiliated with individual AMI training centers.
What makes AMI Montessori education, teachers, and classrooms different?
Believe in every child’s natural development and skill set, as well as his or her unique potential.
Montessori education…
- uses multi-sensory and sensory specific activities that stimulate healthy brain development
- encourages discovery
- provides hands-on activities and engagement with the world
- promotes learning through setting high challenges and making safe mistakes
- offers clear boundaries that are consistently reinforced
- is not an adaptation of traditional methods, but a completely different approach to teaching and learning
Montessori teachers…
- encourage concentration, reflection, and growth
- champion the triumphs of each day, removing or easing obstacles
- watch, listen, and communicate to assess and assist each child’s development
- are calm, confident, and caring
- connect children to the materials by sparking their curiosity
- are the facilitators, not the focus, of the classroom
- patiently, flexibly, and compassionately encourage a joyful perseverance in each child
Montessori classrooms…
- are safe, cooperative communities where children learn both how to help others and how to reach out for help
- provide an environment that has been carefully prepared, made up of all the essentials for optimal development
- extend into the world beyond the school, both physically and imaginatively
- are a place where students move from activity to activity—both independently and in groups—rather than sitting still to face a teacher
- provide activities for each age group and developmental level
- are a place where children are free to make choices, combining freedom with their developing sense of discipline and responsibility