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The XVIII International Montessori Course in Barcelona, 1933
school was held on 14th November 1932, and enjoyed the presence of many notable figures, including the mayor of Barcelona, and Maria Montessori herself. Dolors Canals, in her speech, spoke of Maria Montessori as someone who loved the Catalan land which she had made her home, and she asked her to regard this new school and institution which was being opened today as her own, so that she could help with advice and with the training of new teachers. Continuing the Council’s campaign in favour of public Montessori schools, on 11th March 1933, coinciding with the XVIII International Montessori Course in Barcelona, a booklet titled ‘L’escola pública de Barcelona i el mètode Montessori’ (Public education in Barcelona and the Montessori method) was published, including speeches which had been made at the inauguration of the Carrer Còrsega school and a look back at the beginnings of the methodology in Barcelona and at the first schools which practiced it.
While in 1932 Maria Montessori carried on with her activities outside Barcelona, the new President of the Generalitat, Francesc Macià, opened the way towards its own management of the education system, and reached agreement with the mayor of Barcelona and with the Spanish minister for Public Instruction, to give complete support to the new International Course which was to be held in Barcelona.
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The organizer of the course at the time was the Montessori Society, but counting on the full support of the city Council, the Spanish Ministry and the Generalitat of Catalonia. A total of 320 people took part. Conferences on theory were held by the doctor, there were conferences dedicated to the explanation of materials, practical lessons with materials, and observation classes. The structure announced for the
course was the same as that of previous courses, where there were some sixty theoretical classes. But finally the doctor gave 34 talks, seven were given by an unknown speaker and there were around 21 conferences using materials. Some 60 hours of practical work were also announced, of which 34 were carried out, and observation from nine to 34 hours. The inauguration finally took place at the City Council’s Sala de Cent, on 11th March 1933, and the closing ceremony was on 30th
June in the “Sala de Sesions del Palau de la Generalitat’ with the presence of the President of the Generalitat and the mayor Aguadé. Written and oral exams were held and when the course was over, various procedures were followed up with students and with the participating bodies.
In that year, 1933, after the XVIII International Course in Barcelona, Montessori travelled all over Europe giving talks and holding courses. At the International Congress in Rome in 1934, the final breakdown of relations with the Mussolini government was consolidated and, since then, the doctor never lived in Italy again.
In Barcelona there was an increase in the publication of Maria Montessori’s works. Editions in Spanish of her first books had been published years ago, as well as a Montessori booklet in cartoon form, but at that time the doctor had many ideas and proposals for publications with the publishers Araluce, who were giving her so much support. In 1933 a booklet was published titled ‘El método de enseñanza Montessori’ (The Montessori teaching method), a summary of the application of the method in different parts of the world. In 1934 the book ‘Psichogeometria’ and the book ‘Psicoaritmètica’ were published in Spanish for the first time, in Barcelona.
The following year, the book ‘La Santa Misa vivida por los niños’26 (the Holy Mass as experienced by children) was published as part of the religious work carried out in the Montessori schools. We know that other books, for example one on psychogrammar were being prepared, but were never published by her27 .
In 1935, the Montessori Society, under the direction of the doctor, edited a monthly magazine which ran for 12 months. In the first number, Maria Montessori presented the magazine as a campaign to extend the defence and protection of children throughout Spanish-speaking countries, since it was necessary to defend children if society was to be reconstructed. The results of the publication of this magazine surprised even the publishers, since after the first number, the Montessori Society received requests to send the magazine all over Spain and Latin America. In Madrid at the time there was also much interest in the methodology and a Montessori Society like that of Barcelona was founded.
In the month of May 1933 a Montessori Week was held in Madrid, as a continuation of the course in Barcelona, but the doctor could not attend, although in the following year, on 19th, 21st and 23rd June 1934, she gave three talks there and was preparing a Latin American course, which never took place.
In 1935, Montessori initiated an important campaign titled ‘La croada pro drets dels infants’ (The crusade for children’s rights). From then onwards, the majority of the doctor’s public appearances and interviews and the activities of the Montessori Society would be directed towards the promotion of this crusade. Montessori
26 Montessori, Maria (1936). La santa misa vivida por los niños. Barcelona: Araluce editorial. It was sold at a price of 3,5 ptas. It was first published in English in 1932.
explained that in many countries where the Montessori Association was represented, this compaign, which should last for many years, had been started and it would serve to organize adults to result in the awakening of the consciousness of children. She believed that the crusade would be well-received by everybody in the same way that the importance of hygiene in society had been accepted. She demonstrated her determination to follow the crusade in favour of the question of children’s place in society, all over the world. The Montessori Society created committees to publicize the campaign for children’s freedom throughout Catalonia, holding conferences and forming committees of associates and radio programmes to discuss the matter. On 2nd May, as a
part of the crusade, the doctor also began a series of conferences on the Radiò Associació de
Catalunya (Station EAJ3), every Thursday at 8.15 p.m. during 22 days. These conferences would
resume on Thursday from June 3, 1936 until July 15, when they were suddenly interrupted due to
the civil war. Transcripts of nine of them can be found in the Montessori magazine28 .
Taking advantage of the doctor’s great activity in Barcelona, the schools, City Council and the Generalitat organized a big party to offer their thanks and homage to her. The multitudinous party was held on Monday 24th June 1935 in the Palau de Projeccions at Montjuic, with the participation of students from all the principal Montessori schools of the city, and the doctor made a call for the defence of children’s rights.
The doctor had another important project to put into practice, which was that she herself should control trials of the methodology with older children. After the failure of the Mancomunitat school, she decided to open an experimental school
28 From the 1st to the 9th conference they are transcribed in the Montessori magazines in 1935 from May to December.
