More pictures of Korea

I visited a few Montessori schools.. and saw some innovative work.

These maps were fabulous!
And I participated in a tea ceremony.

After the conference in Tokyo...

Here is the picture of their school and administrative office, and some key staff.  

Of course we ate... and took pictures. 

Where did we eat?  In Chinatown in Yokohama. 

Off to Japan

I spoke at the annual conference of the Japan Montessori Research Institute.  Jenny Vyvall is my interpreter and a dear friend. She is the Head of Treehouse Montessori School in Yokohama. 

I also walked the streets. Tokyo is like NYC. It is vibrant and filled with people.

I spoke at the second annual conference of the Korean Federation of Montessori Educators, which was held at the DaeGu Catholic University.

We viewed the movie of Maria Montessori made in Italy.

Dr Cho translated the words into Korean. Eui Hyang Kim then whispered the English.  

The movie, which you all should see, is LONG... we took a dinner break. But it is worth it!

And of course, I ate.

Upstairs is the temple

DaeGu and Seoul

 I ate and ate...

I visited schools.  This school is in a Buddist Temple. 

On the lower levels are the classrooms.

Off to Hong Kong

My purpose was to meet with Josephine Wu, Children's Own Workshop School.  While Marilyn Stewart and I had met with her last February in Shanghai, this was an opportunity to hear her issues and to do some planning. 

This is my favorite Hong Kong view... from the Peak.  It was foggy -- smoggy -- but I still get a thrill from being there.  It truly is spectacular. 

Josephine Wu, Silvy, and I met with administrators at the YWCA. They are interested in Montessori education. 

I gave a mini-workshop for Josephine's faculty... 
We had dinner with a colleague, Maggie Koong -- after touring her newly built, very high tech, high school. Maggie is the executive director of Victoria Educational Organisation, www.victoria.edu.hk. Victoria Educational Organization has schools in Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.   Dr Koong also serves on the board of OMEP World Organization of Early Childhood Education, OMEP-ong.net.  

I even went to the park...

I spent a very hot day sprawled out in the grass in Chaoyang Park.

Back to BJ

The following weeks were filled with events. 

I went to the theatre.

I observed students practicing with materials and participated in deep discussions. 

 

Nanjing and the Purple Mountain

We were on TV.. a show for parents about 'what's important.'

Charmaine Soh and I [interpreted by Vivien Wang] talked about the importance of 'choice.'  We were very practical.  We talked about how to set up one's home so that children could choice their own clothing and activities.  How parents can allow children to have emotional choices and social choices.  While I never saw the program, I heard that it presented our views clearly. 

I gave a talk to about 200 parents on Montessori education... 

Our hotel looked out at the Purple Mountain.  

photos from China

Students who attended the child development workshops. 

Shopping... for practical life materials...  Noon [AMI teacher from Thailand], Charmaine Soh, and ....

I bought metal chopsticks. 

Did  you know..

In 1998, 245 BILLION disposable chopsticks were consumed in Japan, according to research by Tokyo University.  The cost was 2 million, 4 hundred and 10 thousand trees.

The discarded chopsticks would create a pile 3 times as high as Mt Fuji. 

Helping a colleague -- led to FABULOUS mindmaps!

In Beijing I helped a colleague by giving some child development workshops. 

You might find these mindmaps interesting.  

Some were done by individuals. Some were done by groups. 

2 months in a few pictures

I was alone... and too tired to keep up this blog.  But I did take photos.

Where was I?

Mid June to the end of July in China -- Beijing and Nanjin. 

Almost a week in Hong Kong.  

A week in South Korea -- TaeGu and Seoul.

A week+ in Japan - Yokohama and Tokyo. 

What was I doing?  Ah... the photos will show you...