Program
(Updated 20.04.22. Please take note that there might be changes)

Friday 6 May

From 10.00: Optional school visits. Register here to book your visit.

14.00: Registration opens at the conference venue Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Bergen.
Make sure to pick up your complimentary tickets to Fløibanen for the Conference Dinner.

19.00: Official Opening Reception at King Håkon’s Hall. (snacks, not full dinner)

Saturday 7 May, 9-16

7th Nordic Montessori Conference: «The Power of Language»

09.00: Welcome

09.15: Helene Uri
Helene Uri holds a Ph.D. in linguistics and has worked as a professor at Høyskolen Kristiania and The Norwegian Institute for Children’s Books. She is now a full-time writer. Her books have been translated into 20 languages. As a writer, she combines her passion for stories with her knowledge of the language, covering topics like language and gender, etymology and the history of language, and the art of storytelling.

10.15: Break

10.45: Madlena Ulrich and Carla Foster: Living Grammar from 3-12 – Exploring the patterns of language
Madlena Ulrich is a Preschool Teacher and AMI 3-6 Trainer. She is training students on AMI courses in Romania, Russia, and China in addition to the University of South-Eastern Norway, and lectures frequently all around the world. Carla Foster is one of the current AMI Directors of Training at Montessori Training Center Northeast (MTCNE), USA. She also works permanently at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Carla holds degrees in Social Anthropology, Old Icelandic Literature and Norwegian Literature from UC Berkeley. She has AMI 3-6 and 6-12 diplomas, and has worked with children at the levels 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 in both private and public Montessori schools.

12.30: Lunch

13.40: Lynne Lawrence 
Lynne Lawrence has been the Executive Director of Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) since June 2008, and prior to this held the position of AMI General Secretary ad interim (2007). She was also head of the AMI Human Resources Committee. Lynne was Director of Training and Schools at the Maria Montessori Training Organisation (MMTO), now known as the Maria Montessori Institute, since 1989. Lynne Lawrence was unfortunately not able to attend the conference in person, and her talk will be recorded.

14.20: Break

14.40: Tomas Myklebust: Communication and the Social Brain
Tomas Myklebust is a psychologist, specialist in clinical neuropsychology, and a pedagogue. He aims to share his passion for brain research in an understandable, engaging, and relatable way. As social creatures, our brain has developed to adapt to extremely different social settings. To cope with this enormous task our brain has made some short-cuts. That makes us able to assess social situations and people extremely effective – and also explains why we usually get it wrong.

15.40: Closing words

18.00 and 20.30: Conference dinner
The conference concludes with a dinner at Fløien Folkerestaurant.

Due to a large number of participants, we have to organize the dinner in two seatings: 18.00 and 20.30.
All participants will be sent an email where they can request the seating they prefer.

Menu
Smoked salmon from Svanøy served with egg cream
Roast beef of tenderloin served with pickled onion and remoulade
Filet of wild sheep served with seasonal vegetables, oven-baked potatoes, and rosemary Jus sauce
Fløien’s cheesecake with raspberries and raspberry coulis

(The excellent chefs at Fløien Folkerestaurant will provide alternatives for everyone who has notified us of allergies/dietary needs).

Transport with the funicular Fløibanen to Fløien Folkerestaurant is included in the conference fee, but make sure you have enough time to get to the restaurant, as space is limited on each ride. We encourage you to be at Fløibanen 30 minutes before dinner for a stress-free ride (and with spare time to enjoy the spectacular view!).

Professional Development Course
On Sunday 8 May you have the opportunity to participate in an additional professional development day, where you can choose between five different topics: Leadership, Storytelling, Practical Life (0-6), Adolescence, and Special Needs.
More detailed information can be found here.