We are happy to announce that we have further developed our initial Montessori Primary (6-9 years) Specialisation course to include the 9-12 years core materials and philosophy.
This is a specialisation course primarily aimed at traditionally qualified primary school teachers already working in a Montessori primary setting or wishing to gain knowledge of the Montessori approach and curriculum relevant to this phase.
It is important to note that this is not an accredited qualification. Primary school teachers in South Africa are required to hold a Bachelor of Education in the Foundation Phase, or equivalent. Our course is therefore a specialisation that adds to a previously achieved mainstream degree qualification.
We are also able to accommodate persons without a degree qualification who are interested in doing this course on the understanding that this course is not a full qualification, and will not allow the holder of the certificate of attendance to teach in a primary school.
The course is structured as a blended online and on-campus learning approach to cover Montessori primary classroom management and all the relevant curriculum areas. The on-campus contact sessions are primarily aimed at being hands-on material experience sessions where students will work with the materials in a guided way to develop understanding of the material demonstration and the scope and sequence of the material within the curriculum area. The content also covers the implications of the NCS and CAPS in a Montessori primary school.
The Primary Specialisation course is delivered in Cape Town and Pretoria as module workshops with both an online and onsite component.
The on-campus workshops are in the form of lectures, discussion groups and practical hands-on working with the 6-12 Montessori materials. These are supported monthly by online Zoom discussions and interactive forum discussions.
Students enrolled on the Primary Specialisation course have access to a fully functional online learning portal that includes all resources required for the course:
- Detailed course modules
- Narrated PowerPoint presentations
- Material presentation videos
- Reading and viewing resources
- Interactive forum
The Primary Specialisation Forum is monitored daily by a dedicated course tutor to answer any questions that may arise during practice, and this also connects all our primary students together to share ideas and experiences.
Zoom chat sessions are also planned during the year to address classroom management challenges.
Online Zoom Session Dates
Both the Cape Town and Pretoria cohorts will attend the same monthly Zoom sessions that take place from 7-8pm.
- 07 February 2024 – Montessori Philosophy
- 06 March 2024 – Montessori Philosophy
- 03 April 2024 – Montessori Philosophy
- 08 May 2024 – Montessori Philosophy
- 05 June 2024 – Classroom Management
- 10 July 2024 – Classroom Management
- 07 August 2024 – Parent Liaison
- 04 September 2024 – Assessment and Recordkeeping
Cape Town Face-to-Face Dates
The venue for our Cape Town lectures will be confirmed early 2024:
- 25, 26, and 27 March 2024 – 09:00 to 16:00 – Language
- 18, 19 and 20 June 2024 – 09:00 to 16:00 – Maths
- 21 June 2024 – 09:00 – 16:00 – Geometry
- 22 June 2024 – 09:00 – 12:00 – Geometry
- 25, 26 and 27 September 2024 – 09:00 to 16:00 – Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Pretoria Face-to-Face Dates
Lectures will be delivered at our Pretoria Campus on the following Fridays (14:00 – 17:00) and Saturdays (09:00 – 16:00).
- 16 and 17 February 2024 – Language
- 15 and 16 March 2024 – Language
- 12 and 13 April 2024 – Maths
- 10 and 11 May 2024 – Maths
- 07 and 08 June 2024 – Geometry
- 19 and 20 July 2024 – Knowledge and Understanding of the World
- 16 and 17 August 2024 – Knowledge and Understanding of the World
The entrance requirement for the Primary Specialisation course is a recognised Foundation Phase education degree. This could be a Bachelor of Education, or a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.
In South Africa, it is a legal requirement that all persons working in a primary school hold an education degree for the foundation phase.
Our Primary Specialisation course is therefore a Montessori specialisation certification to add to the existing mainstream qualification.
Continued Professional Development points are awarded upon successful completion of this course.
- Complete the online application form and submit all required documents and a non-refundable application fee of R600.
- Successful applicants will then receive an offer of study upon which the enrolment documents will need to be submitted with the payment of the enrolment fee.
We are now enrolling for 2024!
As this course is not a qualification, we may only issue a certification once the course is finished. Students who are engaged on the interactive forum and who have attended all components of the course (face to face lectures, Zoom chats and assignments), will be awarded a Certificate of Completion. Students who miss components, or who are not active on the forum will receive a Certificate of Attendance for the aspects attended.
