Life has been busy at MSS campuses since the opening of the school.

How time flies and here comes our first Professional Development Day (PD Day).
Teachers embraced this fantastic learning experience.

PD Day not only benefits the teachers, but also our children.

It is only with the development of the teachers that children will get greater help.

WHQ PD DAY

Our Montessori teachers had an in-depth seminar with a theme of “Scientific Observation”.

The Montessori Method is best characterized by its “prepared environment”and the adult is one of the most important elements of the environment.

It is only through scientific observation that teachers are able to reflect on themselves, to review, adjust and perfect the environment, and eventually to help children in the classroom.

After attending the Integrate Chinese Culture into the Environment lecture by Miss Tina in October, Chinese teachers at WHQ shared about relevant practice in their classrooms. With an inquisitive mind, we will notice what specific materials have been used in the environment, which speaks the beauty of Chinese culture to our children. This PD day provided teachers an opportunity to learn from one another and be inspired by their creativity.

Moreover, Chinese teachers had a seminar about “Motor Development”. Children at different age groups have different motor skills. Teachers learn about the physical development of children at their own age levels and how to assist them in developing these skills. Ideas and discussions about how to design appropriate movement activities were also included in the seminar.

Life teachers had a training about their everyday work routine. Their responsibilities not only include taking care of children, but also communicating with parents and collaborating with team members. Our life teachers need to be very responsible and professional. This training was aimed to help life teachers to go through their daily routine and share their own experience. With reflection on their daily routine and care-giving practice, the team is making great efforts to polish their professional skills.

Moreover, all teachers took a part in checking campus safety measures, facilities and files. It was a intense day, but everyone was greatly motivated. Because we do everything in the best interest of the child!

Xuhui Campus PD Day

Montessori teachers at XH campus have their PD day with a focus on the Practical Life area (principles and innovations) and Chinese traditional handcrafts.

The hand is one of the most important organs for children to receive information from the outside world. The training of the hand is also the training of the brain. A child starts his or her initial exploration by touching with hands. Teachers reviewed the developmental purposes of designing activities that encourage the use of the hand and reflected together on the challenges in teaching. For example, why children don’t like some activities or don’t really work with them?

Teachers also made some Chinese traditional handcrafts, which not only helped them in deepening their understanding about the culture, but also provided teachers an opportunity to learn and to share.

With the teaching and research goals in mind, Chinese teachers at XH campus developed a great discussion about creating constructive games both indoors and outdoors through case studies. Teachers would like to be more creative in the future practices, provide more space for children to let their imagination grow, and be ready to support children appropriately according to their needs at different age levels.

Moreover, Chinese teachers also had a seminar about the transition course of moving up to elementary. According the latest advice from the education bureau, we need to improve the quality of the transition activities. Teachers started the discussion with a focus on environmental design and preparation that cater for this transition. This part of the training will first help teachers to have a better understanding that a successful transition does not only focus on our graduates, but really make it a product of the child’s overall development that starts right after the first day of school. The seminar also encouraged teachers to develop their own potential, be creative and improve the overall level of the environmental design.

Life teachers at XH campus had a skill focus competition, which included both written and practical exams. It provided teachers an opportunity to present their skills and be motivated to learn. It encouraged them to have self-reflection and look for ways that would make work more efficient and productive. At the same time, it helped life teachers to be aware of their respective responsibilities in day-to-day work, to perfect their skills and to fulfill their duties to assist the team. This contributes to guarantee the nursing of the child at school.

Minhang Campus PD DAY

Montessori and Chinese teachers dived into the importance of the English oral language learning. In order to support the child to develop their English speaking abilities, the first thing we need to do is to help them to “listen (absorb)” to a great amount of materials and create lots of opportunities for children to “refine their listening skills”. There are already a variety of English oral activities in our Montessori environment. With this seminar, teachers opened up their minds and learned together how to make even more materials that are appropriate to children’s oral language levels.

Moreover, teachers had a seminar with the topic of “Challenging Children”. Adults usually feel frustrated when children are having some “Challenging Behaviors”. This does not mean that they are bad children, instead they are telling us that they need our help. It is not right to simply label them or give them up. First of all, we need to equip our teachers with the observation skills to identify the specific challenging behaviors, which serves as the first step of handling it the right way.
The Montessori Method emphases the importance of a “Prepared Environment”. In order to maintain the environment, teachers return to their classrooms to clean up the rooms, tidy-up the storage and prepare the materials.

How do we take care of children in terms of eating and sleeping? How do we give them responses promptly and actively?How do we sterilize our classrooms and the public areas? Life teachers at MH had a thorough training about children-caring, cleaning and sterilizing. It also helped them to continue implementing the idea of “Combing Nursing with Educating”. It is not only about looking after the child physically but also mentally. They aim to improve their professional skills and create a living environment that is good, orderly, and standardized.

MH logistics and kitchen staff reflected on their respective duties and read through the policy requirements. Our kitchen staff are usually very busy throughout the school year. The PD Day gives them a great chance to come together to review their respective responsibilities, to increase their knowledge in food safety regulations and to be more alert of its importance. Everyone shared and discussed about some concerns they may have. A kitchen job involves a lot of details and it is so important to be responsible and professional in their everyday work. With this learning experience, the team not only gained new knowledge about food safety, but also learned skills to work more efficiently, which will eventually be helpful to provide a quality service to our children.

By the End

The professional development day is a training program that involves all MSS members. Each and everyone of the team took part in the sharing and learning to acquire knowledge and improve their skills.

All the time, energy and cost devoted by our teachers will eventually show its value in our Montessori environment and our children. Both the child and the family will benefit from this. It will eventually help children to walk towards a larger stage and fulfill their potentials.