Updating and Implementation of New Educational School and Teaching Programmes

This project makes an effort to turn the many and diverse approaches of New Education to practical use in the development of schools and teaching. In Germany, the results of international comparative studies (e.g. the PISA studies) have emphasized the actuality of these approaches and their contemporary further development. In the context of this long-term project an intensive cooperation with scientists from East-European as well as Asian countries has developed.

One focus is the cooperation with the Montessori Centre of the State University of Belgorod (Russian Federation) that has started in 1994 and has been based on a contract that provides for annual work plans since 2000. Mr Andrei Dorofeev, DAAD scholarship holder of the academic year 2001/2002 at the Montessori Centre of the University of Münster, concluded his dissertation on “Maria Montessori’s New Educational ideas and their realisation in educational institutions of Germany” and successfully defended the survey at the University of Belgorod in October 2003.

From 19th till 25th April, 2004, the Montessori Centre of the State University of Belgorod organised a seminar on “The Montessori Method and its implementation in the Russian education system”. The following staff members of the Montessori Centre of the University of Münster took part in this seminar: Prof. Dr. Harald Ludwig, then head of the Montessori Centre, Dr. Reinhard Fischer, then assistant lecturer, and Esther Grindel, then assistant lecturer and student taking her doctorate. The German scientists gave lectures about the ethical and religious dimension of Cosmic Education (Prof. Ludwig), the critical discussion about the Montessori Method in Germany (Prof. Ludwig), the problems of Montessori’s didactic materials (Dr. Fischer) and the possibilities of fostering gifted children in the context of Free Work (Esther Grindel). The Russian scientists’ contributions dealt with problems concerning the concept of Montessori’s Cosmic Education and its implementation in school practice. Within this context, a project work was presented and critically analysed in various Russian Montessori schools in Belgorod.

In August 2004, during another stay of Prof. Ludwig in Belgorod, a preliminary exchange concerning the conception of an international academic Montessori congress in the summer of 2006 at the State University of Belgorod took place. In 2005 the preliminary discussions for this congress were continued at the University of Münster and on a “Montessori Europe”conference in Gothenburg (Sweden). Further effort was put in the Russian translation of Maria Montessori’s work “Cosmic Education”. Ms Prof. Dr. Tarassenko and Dr. Dorofeev collaborated on the Montessori study day at the University of Münster on 28th October, 2005. In May 2006 the planned international academic Montessori congress was realized at the University of Belgorod. (Read more about the congress here.)

Additionally, lose contacts exist with other Russian universities. In 2004 delegations from the University of Kostroma and the Dubna International University visited the Montessori Centre of the University of Münster. The University of Kostroma showed an interest in the Russian translation of the course books about the Montessori Method written by Prof. Ludwig for the Open University (FernUniversitäts) of Hagen.

Another intensive cooperation, however, was the one with Montessori researchers in Japan. In the summer of 2003 Prof. Ludwig accepted an invitation of the Japanese partners and during his one-week stay took part in an academic exchange of ideas and lectures on Montessori’s Peace Education at the Montessori training centre in Kyoto and the Fuji Women’s University in Sapporo. During another stay of Prof. Ludwig in Japan in the autumn of 2003 he gave a lecture on Montessori’s Peace Education at the Sophia University in Tokio. There he met Prof. Luhmer and Prof. Ejima. They both engaged themselves in the Montessori study day at the University of Münster on 28th October, 2005, as well.

Every year a big group of Korean educationalists and educators visits the Montessori Centre of the University of Münster headed by Ms Prof. Dr. Cho, who spent a research visit of one year there. Here, the problems of implementing the Montessori Method in the nursery schools are the focus of attention. In January 2005 Ms Prof. Cho visited the Montessori Centre with a group of 43 Korean educationalists.

From 15th June till 15th July, 2003, Prof. Dr. Isidor Graorac (Novi Sad, Serbia) spent his second research visit sponsored by the Heinrich Hertz Foundation at the Montessori Centre. Prof. Graorac occupies himself with a comparison of the Montessori Method and concepts of “anti-authoritarian education” and possible implementations of the Montessori Method in Serbia.

Even the contacts with educationalists from Poland (University of Lódz), Switzerland, Austria (PA Vienna), the Czech Republic (Karls-University Prague) and the Netherlands (Hengelo, Amsterdam) have been continued. New contacts like the one with Hungary, with mutual visits and an exchange of ideas concerning the realisation of the Montessori Method, have recently been established.

Dr. Harold Baumann (Switzerland), Dr. Turi Katalin Bebesiné (Education Centre of Pécs, Hungary), Prof. Dr. Syeong-Ja Cho (Cath. Univ. Taegu, Korea), Prof. Dr. Masako Ejima (Kanto Gakuen Univ., Japan), Prof. Dr. Hildegard Holtstiege (Univ. Münster), Dr. Christian Fischer (Univ. Münster), Dr. Reinhard Fischer (Univ. Münster), Esther Grindel (Univ. Münster), Prof. Dr. Franz Hammerer (Pädagogische Akademie Wien, Austria), Fred Kelpin (Netherlands), Prof. Dr. Harald Ludwig (Univ. Münster), Prof. Dr. Klaus Luhmer SJ (Sophia Univ. Tokyo), Dr. Malgorzata Miksza (Univ. Lódz, Poland), Prof. Seong-Eun Rhee-Park (Sangji College Andong, Korea), Prof. Dr. Karel Rýdl (Univ. Prague/Univ. Pardubice, Czeck Republic), Keiko Shinohara-Akabane (Montessori Training Centre Kyoto, Japan), Prof. Dr. Boguslaw Sliwerski (Univ. Lódz, Poland), Terézia Szélig (Education Centre of Pécs, Hungary), Prof. Dr. Nadeshda Tarassenko (Univ. Belgorod, Russian Federation)

Baumann, Harold: Montessori-Pädagogik und Faschismus — eine Entgegnung, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.122-176

Dorofeev, Andrei: Die pädagogischen Ideen Maria Montessoris und ihre Realisierung in Bildungseinrichtungen Deutschlands, Belgorod 2003, (Diss.; bisher nur auf Russisch)

Dorofeev, Andrej: Die Umsetzung pädagogischer Ideen Maria Montessoris in vorschulischen und schulischen Einrichtungen des Landes NRW — Blick eines Außenseiters, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.): 2005, S.437-458

Fischer, Reinhard / Heitkämper, Peter (Hrsg.): Montessori-Pädagogik: aktuelle und internationale Entwicklungen — Festschrift für Prof. Dr. Harald Ludwig, Reihe: Impulse der Reformpädagogik, hg. von H. Ludwig, Bd.10, Münster 2005

Haberl, Herbert: Verbreitung der Montessori-Pädagogik — strategische Überlegungen, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.224-231

Hammerer, Franz: Der Fehler — eine pädagogische Schlüsselsituation und Herausforderung, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.367-382

Holtstiege, Hildegard: Informationstag über Montessori-Pädagogik in Ungarn, in: Montessori — Zeitschrift für Montessori-Pädagogik 41 (2003), H.3, S.134-138

Holtstiege, Hildegard: Montessori emberképe az aktualis kutatás tübrében („Montessori-Pädagogik im Spiegel aktueller Forschung“), Pécs 2003 (Ungarisch)

Holtstiege, Hildegard: Früherziehung nach Maria Montessori, in: Ludwig, H. u.a. (Hrsg.): Montessori-Pädagogik und frühe Kindheit, Münster 2004, S.27-56

Kelpin, Fred: Lesen in der Montessorischule, in. Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.274-281

Ludwig, Harald: Montessori-Pädagogik, Studienbriefe der FernUniversität Hagen, Kurseinheit 1: Grundlagen, Kurseinheit 2: Schule und Unterricht, Hagen 2003

Ludwig, Harald: Montessori-Pädagogik als Friedenserziehung, in: „Freiheit den Kindern“, 18/2003, S.4-41 (Japanisch, übersetzt von Reiko Müller-Shiba)

Ludwig, Harald: Ethik und Religion in der Friedenspädagogik Maria Montessoris, in: Montessori Education 36 (2003), Nr.36, S.40-57 (Japanisch, übersetzt von Prof. Klaus Luhmer SJ), S.58-70 (Deutsch)

Ludwig, Harald: Die halbierte Montessori — Zur Wiederbelebung alter Montessori-Kritik in neuen Veröffentlichungen, in: Montessori — Zeitschrift für Montessori-Pädagogik 41 (2003), H.4, S.169-190

Ludwig, Harald: Les écoles de plein air en Allemagne, une forme d l’Éducation nouvelle — Open-Air schools in Germany and their Contribution to the New Education, in: Chatelet, A.-M./ Lerch, D./ Luc, J.-N. (Hg.): L‘école de plein air — Open-Air Schools, Paris 2003, S.39-55

Ludwig, Harald (Hrsg.): Erziehen mit Maria Montessori, Neuausgabe (=5. erweiterte Auflage), Freiburg 2003

Ludwig, Harald, Fischer, Christian, Fischer, Reinhard (Hrsg.): Verstehendes Lernen in der Montessori-Pädagogik, Reihe: Impulse der Reformpädagogik, hg. von H. Ludwig, Bd. 8, Münster 2003

Ludwig, Harald: Montessori-Schulen und ihre Didaktik, Reihe: Basiswissen Grundschule, hg. von J. Bennack, Bd.15, Baltmannsweiler 2004

Ludwig, Harald, Fischer, Christian, Fischer, Reinhard (Hrsg.): Montessori-Pädagogik und frühe Kindheit, Reihe: Impulse der Reformpädagogik, hg. von H. Ludwig, Bd. 9, Münster 2004

Ludwig, Harald / Fischer, Christian / Fischer, Reinhard / Klein-Landeck, Michael (Hg.): Sozialerziehung in der Montessori-Pädagogik — Theorie und Praxis einer ‚Erfahrungsschule des sozialen Lebens’, Reihe: Impulse der Reformpädagogik, hg. von H. Ludwig, Bd.12, Münster: LIT-Verlag 2005

Luhmer, Klaus: Montessori-Bewegung in Japan — Deutsche Impulse, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.232-240

Miksza, Malgorzata: Die Kategorie des Schicksals in der Pädagogik und Erziehungstheorie, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.103-121

Rýdl, Karel: Der Freiheitsbegriff in der Erziehung und die Montessori-Methode, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.91-102

Sczélig, Terézia: Das Bildungszentrum Apáczai (Ungarn) stellt sich vor, in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.) 2005, S.241-251.

Tarassenko, Nadeshda / Emeljanova, Galina: Zur Zusammenarbeit des Montessori-Zentrums der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (BRD) und der Staatlichen Universität Belgorod (Russland), in: Fischer / Heitkämper (Hg.): 2005, S.252-255.