B04 About Infinity Children's World─Montessori (Hong Kong)

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Founders
Daisy Lau	Ralph Yau
* Instructor of Montessori Parent Education Programme of SCS, CUHK * Chief Executive of Hong Kong Montessori Research and Developmental Association * Director of Hong Kong Montessori Educational Services * Consultant of Pok Oi Hospital Pre-primary Education Service * Divisional Vice President of HK St. John Ambulance Brigade KYMCA Nursing Division * American Montessori Society Teacher Education Programme Trainer * America Montessori Society Directress * Supervisor of Infinity Children's School	* Chairman of Hong Kong Montessori Research and Development Association * Director of Hong Kong MontessoriEducational Services * American Montessori Society Teacher Education Programme Trainer * American Montessori Society Director * Principal of Infinity Children's School
Consultants
Linda Rosas	Professor Chen Su An
* American Montessori Society Teacher Education Programme Trainer	* Chinese Educator

1. Our Directress (Teachers)

2. Overview of ICW Structure

3. Infinity Children's Cinema

The Birth of Infinity Children’s World

In the beginning of 2006, shortly after Daisy Lau moved back to Hong Kong from Canada, she saw a TV programme on animal care. While many pet-lovers are willing to spend lots of time and money in learning how to care for their pets, she wondered how many parents would do the same for their children? This realization prompted Daisy to establish Infinity Children’s World with Ralph, an organizations that prioritizes parent education and helps parents become their children’s best educator. We also offer Montessori Teacher Training workshops, Montessori school programmes for children, research and development opportunities, and specialized Montessori materials. We hope that our holistic approach—one that attends to children, adults (parents, teachers, caregivers etc.), and the environment (home and school) — will create a better future for the whole of humanity, thereby enhancing human civilization to the next level!

Our Beliefs

Interactive and Concrete Learning Experiences

When young children exercise their hands, they are exercising their brains. This is because concrete logical movement is the foundation for the abstract thinking mind; as Dr. Montessori said, “Mental development must be connected with movement and be dependent on it.” This is why learning at this early age should not be dominated by text but rather, it should focus more on hands-on activities. Children learn through movement, and only things that children can see, touch, and hear can arouse children’s learning interest. When children’s five senses are fully engaged, these experiences become internalized, and learning occurs in a fun and natural way. When learning is interactive, the positive experience inspires an internal motivation to make discoveries, and children develop a strong sense of wonder towards their environment. Through manipulating different materials that are appropriate to their internal needs, children’s motivation and interest can be sustained, and they will develop a sense of determination that will subsequently release their full potential. When learning is not focused on letter grades, children can learn through exploration in a joyful and pressure-free environment; on the other hand, when children have to cope with stress and are not allowed to explore the classroom, how can children become active learners? We should be reminded that human beings are the most proactive learning creatures on earth!

Sustain Children’s Natural Learning Desire

In order to transform what we see into abstract concepts, there must be an interaction between the concrete object and our mind. As Dr. Montessori stated, "The education of even a very small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school but for Life." If we believe that children should not be made to comply with the rigid standards and curriculum that adults set, then we need to know more about how humans learn first so that we can offer a better alternative. Through insights gained from scientific observation, we can modify our approaches according to children’s developmental needs at various stages. What we need to do as educators is respect life and support healthy psychological development. If adults force children to memorize things without providing appropriate concrete experiences, children’s spirit will be crushed.

The kind of education we embrace does not treat children as empty vessels in which we pour knowledge and information into. Rather, we see our role as that of a guide and nurturer; our duty is to support children’s natural learning abilities and assist them in becoming the best that they can be.

Education for Life, Hope for the Future

“Peaceful Education” is fundamental to the Montessori approach, which is highly valuable to the city we live in. Hong Kong is a competition-based society and this extends to the field of education. There is a lack of compassion, acceptance, and cooperation among people. It is unfortunate that children learn to compete against each other at a young age; when it is all about winning your components and getting higher marks than your peers, it is no wonder that children become aggressive and self-centered. Without the promotion of peaceful education at home and in school, children do not get to learn how to share and cooperate, and this dire situation will be hard to change.

Many people see the field of Early Childhood Education as a lucrative business but this is absolutely not what education should be. Education is neither a commodity nor a business, and its purpose is not to serve adults. It is about respecting life.

Prepared Adult, Prepared Environment

According to Montessori, children 0 to 6 years of age have a strong “absorbent mind”; this refers to their incredible capacity to take in all sorts of verbal and non-verbal information from the surrounding. Before 3 years old, children’s learning is mostly unconscious, and they absorb whatever information they receive from the environment. From 3 to 6 years old, they begin to learn consciously (brought on by the mastery of language), and their personal character becomes more or less stabilized when they reach 6 years old. Therefore, the first few years are critical in one’s life; the environment that children are immersed in will shape their development. In order to ensure that children can gain rich experiences from a diverse environment that builds up their character, parents must understand their child’s developmental needs; they are the ones who share an ever-present bond with their child, 24-hours day, since the day the child is born. This is why we believe that parent education should start during pregnancy and not just after birth. Our Montessori Parent Education Programme serves parents who have children under 5 years of age; our Infinity Infant class welcomes 1 to 2 years 8 months old toddlers and their parents; our Infinity Children program is open to children 2.8 to 6 years of age; and our Cosmic Education program is for children between 6 to 9 years old (please click on “Kowloon Tong School” for details).

One of the aims of the Montessori approach is to create an environment that promotes self-directed learning and concentration in children. This environment does not impart knowledge; rather through the dynamic interaction between children, adults, and educational materials, we focus on nurturing children’s learning abilities. As developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (former president of Association Montessori Internationale) pointed out, mental development is a continuous process that lasts from birth till adulthood. Therefore, what we emphasize is the process itself and not the product, and this process is what we find the most fascinating. As Montessori educators, we strive to provide prepared environments that bring the outside world into the classroom, so that children’s minds may be inspired.

The Story of Infinity Children’s World

2012

* We are launching the first and only international Montessori Teacher Certificate Programme in Hong Kong in cooperation with Montessori Teacher Education Center San Francisco Bay Area (MTEC). MTEC is American Montessori Society (AMS) affiliated & Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) accredited.

2011

* Our founders were on the discussion panel at the Asian World International Montessori Conference at Beijing.

_{* Chosen by the 63rd OMEP (World Organization for Early Childhood Education) World Conference as a visiting school site in Hong Kong.}

* Parent education：

Dalian, Sheungzhen, Nanning City of Guangxi, Macau, and Hong Kong.

* Teacher training：

About a hundred kindergartens in Dalian, Nanning City of Guangxi, and Hong Kong

2010

* Ralph Yau was on the discussion panel at the “Future of Montessori in Asia” conference in Seoul Korea. He also gave a presentation on “Montessori Education and Chinese Medicine” and “The Key to Running Montessori Parent Education Programmes”.

* Invited to be one of the visiting sites for the 2011 OMEP conference in Hong Kong

* Ambassador Soliven from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations), the founder of O.B. Montessori Center in the Philippines, visited the Kowloon Tong campus and exchanged dialogues with our parents and directresses.

* Daisy and Ralph were invited to attend a panel discussion on “The Integration of Western Educational Approaches and Chinese Traditional Culture” in Nanjing. Descents of the renowned Chinese Educator Chen He Qin were also at the meeting.

* Educators and Kindergarten principles from Shandong, Hangzhou, Liaoning, and Shenzhen came to our school for cultural exchange

* We set up the Kowloon Tong campus and opened up Infinity Children’s
School which offers full-time programs for 3- to 6-year-old children.
The Grand Opening ceremony of the Kowloon Tong School Campus was held in the summer of 2010. Many honorable guests attended the event such as Mr Jimmy Po, the Founder of Chinese Montessori Foundation ; Ms. Chan Chan Shu An, an eminent educator in China and Hong Kong ; Mr. Richard Ungerer, the Chief Executive Officer of American Montessori Society ; Ms. Doris Sommer, the Director of Teachers Training of American Montessori Society ; Mr. Kimitoshi Matsuura, the director of Montessori Research Institution, Japan ; Ms. Angel Zhou, the Board Chairman of Montessori Research Foundation, Taiwan ; and also Mr. Christian Willemsen, the manager of Nienhuis Montessori, Netherlands.

* Shu-An’s Library was set up in our Kowloon Tong School Campus

* Organized a 60-hour teachers training for 15 Tung Wah Kindergartens
* Helped set up a Nienhuis Montessori materials showroom in Shanghai

2009

* Presented a paper titled “The Montessori Parent Education Movement” at the Asian World International Montessori Conference 2009 in Taiwan, and received an award from the President of the American Montessori Society.

* Organized a seminar for parents from the Hong Kong Books Exhibition and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.

* Organized teachers training for Tseung Kwan O Methodist Kindergarten

* Montessorians from China, United States, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, India, Philippines, and Taiwan visited our Prince Edward school.

* Became a provider of children’s material for the Hong Kong Hospital AuthoritySpecial Care Department.

2008

*Invited by the Korea Gifted School’s executive manager to have an academic exchange
* Began to write educational articles for Hong Kong’s newspaper and magazines
* Organized the first caregiver education class
* Our founders were invited by Radio Television Hong Kong to be featured in the program “Hong Kong Connection”
* Invited by the Radio Television Hong Kong to speak on one of their radio shows
* Organized the 1st Montessori Aged 0-3 (30 hours) Parent Education Class in Hong Kong
* Set up a Parent Education Class for Pok Oi Hospital-Nursery Section

2007

*Our founders participated in the American Montessori Society conference in celebration of
the 100th Anniversary of Children’s Home

*Our founders were invited to introduce the Montessori Method to Pok Oi Mrs. Yam Wing Yin Kindergarten

*Introduced Montessori to parents at Kam Sau Primary School and received positive feedback from the Parents Teachers Association

*Invited to introduce Montessori to Gracefield Christian Kindergarten

*Set up a JELIC Multiple Intelligences classroom for Tseung Kwan O Methodist Kindergarten
and organized teachers training workshop to talk about the Montessori Method. We also
met with their parents to introduce Montessori and the JELIC program

*Set up a JELIC Multiple Intelligences and provided teacher training for Christian Alliance Louey Choy Kwan Lok Kindergarten

*Chinese Montessori International was founded and our founders were appointed as council members; Daisy and Ralph’s role was to promote spread out Montessori all over the world especially to Asians

*Set up a Montessori classroom for Pok Oi Mrs. Yam Wing Yin Kindergarten and Gracefield Christian Kindergarten that meets international standard

*Invited by a group of parents to organize the first parent education class in Macau

*To our honor, Daisy was invited to be the consultant of Pre-school Services for Pok Oi Hospital

*Daisy gave an 8-hr Introduction to Montessori workshop to MBA alumni of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

2006

* Organized 3-hour and 8-hour Parent Education Class that showed parents how to apply Montessori in their daily lives. We also encouraged parents to form Montessori cell groups to support each other. Our Montessori Parent Program is the first of its kind in Hong Kong
* We started running 60-hour Montessori Parent Education Course for parents
* We received considerable media coverage, including Ming Pao, Hong Kong Economic Times, East Magazine of Hong Kong, Hong Kong TVB Magazine, and the Preschool Educational Monthly Magazine. A thesis student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong also came to interview our founder regarding Montessori education. In addition, Daisy and Ralph were invited by different kindergartens and primary schools to hold workshops for parents

* Daisy and Ralph participated in the 1st Chinese Montessori Society International Conference, where Daisy was invited to be one of the guest speakers

* Set up a JELIC Multiple Intelligences classroom for Elementi Cultural and Educational Center(Chai Wan, Hong Kong). We also provided teacher training and showed teachers how to use the materials

* We were invited by Fuchau Xin Yan Yuen, China to evaluate their school facilities
* We became the first and only Montessori school in Hong Kong where all the directresses were trained in international Montessori organizations
* Daisy was employed by The School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong to be the instructor of the Montessori Parent Education Program

The Story of Infinity Children’s World

以智慧之愛培育心靈胚胎

Let us unite love with wisdom to nurture the spiritual embryo