Montessori vs. Traditional Education
A Few Key Differences
Children’s minds are absorbent. They are constantly learning from every experience, every minute. The primary goal of Montessori education is to provide your child with the environment and the experiences that will maximize his/her ability to think and problem solve, to form good work habits, and to develop a sense of self-confidence. Here are a few of the distinctions that enable Montessori children to form healthy attitudes about themselves and the world around them.
| Montessori | Traditional |
|---|---|
| Emphasis on whole child development | Emphasis on academic achievement |
| Teacher has unobtrusive role in the classroom | Teacher is the center of the classroom |
| Environment and method encourage self-discipline | Teacher acts as a primary enforcer of discipline |
| Mainly individual and small group instruction | Mainly group instruction |
| Mixed age group | Same age grouping |
| Mixed age grouping encourages children to help and teach one another | Most teaching is done by the teacher |
| Child develops independence through opportunity to exercise choice in school work | Curriculum and times are structured for the child |
| Child discovers concepts from self-teaching materials | Child is guided to concepts by the teacher |
| Child works as long as he wishes on chosen exercise | Child is generally allotted specific time for the completion of the activity |
| Instruction set according to individual child’s learning pace | Instruction pace set by group norm |
| Child spots own errors from feedback of material | If work is corrected, errors are pointed out by the teacher |
| Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feelings of success | Learning is reinforced externally by rewards |
| Multi-sensory materials for physical development | Fewer materials for sensory development |
| Organized program for care of self and environment | Less emphasis on self-care instruction |
| Child can work where he chooses, move around, and talk at will, while being respectful of others | Child usually assigned a chair, asked to participate, and sit still |
