Montessori VS Traditional Education

MONTESSORI EDUCATION

Emphasis on cognitive structures and social development.
Environment and method encourage internal self-discipline.
Instruction, both individual and group, adapts to each student’s learning style.
Mixed age grouping.
Teacher has unobstrusive role in classroom activity; child is an active participant in learning.
Children are encouraged to each, collaborate, and help each other.
Child sets own learning pace to internalize information.
Child spots own errors through feedback from learning materials.
Multi-sensory materials for physical exploration.

Emphasis on rote knowledge and social development.
Teacher acts as primary enforcer of external discipline.
Instruction, both individual and group, conforms to the adult’s teaching style.
Same-age grouping.
Teacher has dominant, active role in classroom activity; child is a passive participant in learning.
Most teaching is done by teacher and collaboration is discouraged.
Instruction pace usually set by group “norm” or teacher.
Instruction pace usually set by group “norm” or teacher.
Fewer materials for sensory development and concrete manipulation.