The Montessori Palau International Research and Training Center (MIRTC) resides in a state-of the art facility, located in Girona, Spain, namely the Montessori Palau Girona Sport and Cultural Complex, an educational center that has been applying the Montessori Method during almost two decades. Only a few schools worldwide have evolved from a traditional school to a Montessori school that “follows the child” with such success and conviction. The implementation of pedagogical innovations and educational research have led the school to become a benchmark for Montessori education in Spain and abroad.
The School provides childhood, elementary, primary and secondary education to over 1,000 pupils of all ages, from recently born babies to 18 year-old pre-university students. All of our elementary and primary teachers hold AMI credentials, they are AMI trained teachers and are fully qualified Montessori Guides. Some secondary teachers have completed the NAMTA Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies as the school finds itself in the process of adapting its curriculum to the ideal prepared environment for adolescents.
The Montessori Palau Girona remains in permanent contact with the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the leading authority on Montessori education, and it has played a major role in the revitalization of the Montessori Method and philosophy in Spain. It was the first Spanish educational institution to organize an AMI teacher training course in the country. The school is also affiliated to Spain´s Montessori Association (AME) and works alongside its Board of Directors to spearhead the expansion of the Montessori movement in the country.
Over the years, the School has been refining and translating the Montessori materials in order to make them relevant to the Catalan and Spanish communities. In our classrooms, pupils work simultaneously with English, Spanish and Catalan materials. These adjustments have become a very important asset in facilitating the opening of new Montessori schools in the country.
