Workshop
Lateral entrant at age six – paths to optimal development
“The teacher’s task is not to talk,
but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity
in a special environment made for the child.”
Maria Montessori
Three-hour workshop for people who live and work with children who start their school career later in the Montessori environment.
Register now
Workshop
Some children do not start school until the age of six in a Montessori environment. This late entry poses particular challenges for educators—but at the same time opens up new opportunities for the children’s development.
Course topics
* Special developmental characteristics around the age of 6
* Differences between previous Montessori experience and lateral entrants
* What children aged 3–6 learn – practical independence, sensorial experiences, language, mathematics, culture
* How lateral entrants can catch up on missing basics
* What children need to learn when they enter primary school – social learning, abstract thinking, language, mathematics, cosmic education, and self-organization
* Strategies for supporting lateral entrants
A course for professionals and anyone interested
The workshop is aimed at Montessori educators, assistants, parents, and anyone interested in supporting children who are changing schools.
Course information
COURSE DATE
Wednesday, 10.12.2025, 18:00-21:00
COURSE LOCATION
The course will be held online via Zoom.
COURSE LANGUAGE
The course will be held in German and translated into English if necessary.
COURSE FEES
CHF 90.-
Our course instructors
Cordula Arana Lehrer is a primary school teacher and AMI Director of Training for 6-12 year olds. She holds AMI diplomas for infants, children’s houses and primary school (BG; IT).
Ms. Arana has a bachelor’s degree in education and studied violoncello in Linz, Austria. Study courses in special and remedial education, sensory integration, Tomatis, Gordon communication training, and NLP have broadened her educational experience.
She has been living in Lucerne for 20 years, taught grades 4-6 at the Montessori School Lucerne, and was a member of the educational management team at the Insle Montessori School for several years.
She works internationally as a lecturer and examiner on various AMI courses, offers AMI orientation courses, and, since 2019, AMI diploma courses for 6-12-year-olds for MCH and in Estonia.
István Szurkos was born and raised in northeastern Hungary. Today, he lives and works in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. After moving from Hungary to Switzerland in 2009, he continued his education in teaching. In addition to various university courses—including a teaching diploma for preschool and primary school and a master’s degree in early childhood studies—he completed AMI training for ages 3–6 and 6–12, as well as additional training in Montessori geragogy.
He has worked in various Montessori children’s houses, schools, and day schools. He currently works three days a week at a children’s house in Bern and is writing his dissertation on “Montessori and Gender.”
István is president of the German-Swiss International Montessori Training Center and offers various workshops and lectures on Montessori education. He sees Montessori as a universal educational method that can be successfully applied regardless of age, culture, or social background.
In his free time, István enjoys traveling the world, spending time with family and friends, and playing sports. He is a big fan of classic detective stories, especially Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple.
