The Montessori-Palau International Research and Training Center (MIRTC) is staffed by highly qualified professionals who are active members of the Montessori Palau Girona School’s faculty and participate regularly in the school’s training courses and activities, as well as in workshops, seminars and international conferences.
Three of the school’s faculty members are currently undertaking the rigorous AMI Trainer of Trainers Program and they will be responsible for leading, coordinating and supporting all the activities related to the MIRTC, including all the AMI official teacher training courses. Monica Kleiner is actually undertaking the course to become an AMI Assistant to Infancy (0-3) trainer, while Eduard Vilanova and Dani Cañigueral are intensively engaged in the process of becoming AMI Elementary Teacher (6-12) trainers.
Our AMI training courses are supported by the expertise of seasoned and experienced AMI trainers from around the world, and we are working closely together with other educational and training centers, as well as universities, in the organization of a wide variety of training activities.
The professional staff, resources and the administrative network of the Montessori Palau Girona School bring extensive support to the MIRTC in order to ensure it provides rigorous, in-depth and hands-on training to the very highest standards.
The MIRTC’s Executive Directors are Ana Juliá, President of Spain's Montessori Association (AME) and Coordinator of Research and Innovation at the Montessori Palau Girona, and Montse Juliá, Director of the Montessori Palau Girona.
The AMI International Elementary Teacher Training (6-12), the course that the MIRTC offers over a three summer period (2019-2021), comprises the following staff:
Dani Cañigueral holds a Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education from the University of Girona. He has worked in several public schools, and since 1989 he has been working as a Primary teacher at the Montessori Palau Girona.
For the last 15 years he has been a Montessori teacher certified by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).
He has been responsible for coordination and has assumed functions related to pedagogical innovation in his school. He participated as a speaker at the 27th International Montessori Congress, which was held in 2013 in Portland (Oregon). The Congress showed how the Montessori Palau Girona evolved from being a traditional school to a Montessori school (giving prominence to environmentalism and the environment). With more than 15 years of experience as an AMI guide, he has directed and participated in talks, peer learning activities, workshops and seminars related to the Montessori method. He has the AMI diploma for Early Childhood Education (3-6) and Elementary Education (6-12). He is an international trainer of AMI guides in Elementary Education. He is currently enrolled in inclusive education credits at the University and is preparing to do a Doctorate in education.
Eduard Vilanova is attending the Association Montessori International (AMI) program for trainer of Elementary education trainers. He is especially interested in cosmic education, the cornerstone of the Montessori Elementary Education classroom and the path through which the child develops a global vision of humanity, the universe and his own life in it. He participated actively in the organization of the first Montessori AMI in Elementary Education that was carried out in the Montessori Palau Girona School from 2002 to 2005, also collaborating in translation tasks. He is a teacher of Elementary Education at the Montessori Palau Girona. He has a degree in Educational Psychology and has a Diploma as a professor of Elementary Education of the University of Girona. He obtained the AMI Diploma of Elementary Education (6-12 years) at the Centro Internazionale Studi Montessoriani of Bergamo (Italy), the first AMI center to train Montessori teachers of Elementary Education and, consequently, the center with the greatest tradition in teaching Montessori advanced courses. He obtained the AMI Diploma of Early Childhood Education (3-6 years) at the University of Vic. Since 1999 he has participated in talks and organized workshops on the Montessori method for parents and teachers.
Born in Mexico City, in 1979 she received her Diploma as Montessori Guide of Children’s House (3 to 6 years old) by the ‘AMI Education Studies Center Mexico’, and in 1983 she received a Diploma in Montessori Special Education by this same institution.
Within her training, she has taken several Diplomas in the Iberoamerican University in:
- Human Development
- Transpersonal Development
- Biopsychosynthesis
- Logotherapy
She attended the Bachelor of Preschool Education at the "Hebraic University" and a Master of Science in Education at this same University.
In 1998 she opened the Training Center for Children's House Guides and shortly after, she opened her school, "Montessori de Metepec", which currently has a Children's Community, Children's House, Elementary and Adolescent’s Community, where she is the Director.
In 2011 she received her diploma as AMI International Coach for Children's House (3 to 6 years old).
Currently she is also an International Consultant and Examiner and has given courses in countries such as Canada, China, Argentina, Spain, United States of America and Mexico.
She is also part of the AMI Training Group, as a Spanish-speaking member.
