| Montessori Education |
Traditional Education |
| Emphasis on cognitive structures and social development |
Emphasis on rote knowledge and social development |
Teacher has classroom role in classroom activity;
child is an active participant in learning. |
Teacher has dominant, active role in classroom activity;
child is a passive participant in learning. |
| Environment and method encourage internal self-discipline. |
Teacher acts as primary enforcer of external discipline. |
Instruction, both individual and group,
adapts to each student's learning style. |
Instruction, both individual and group,
conforms to the adult's teaching style. |
| Mixed age grouping |
Same age grouping |
| Children are encouraged to teach, collaborate, and help each other. |
Most teaching is done by teacher and collaboration is discouraged. |
| Child chooses own work from interests and abilities. |
Curriculum structured for child with little regard for child's interests. |
| Child formulates own concepts from self-teaching materials. |
Child is guided to concepts by teacher. |
| Child works as long as he/she wishes on chosen projects. |
Child generally given specific time limit for work. |
| Child sets own learning pace to internalize information. |
Instruction pace is usually set by group norm or teacher. |
| Child spots own errors through feedback from material. |
If work is corrected, errors usually pointed out by teacher. |
Learning is reinforced internally through the child's
own repetition of an activity and internal feelings of success. |
Learning is reinforced externally by rote repetition and rewards/discouragement. |
| Multi-sensory materials for physical exploration |
Fewer materials for sensory development and concrete manipulation |
Organized program for learning care of self and the environment
(polishing shoes, cleaning the sink, etc.) |
Less emphasis on self-care instruction and classroom maintenance. |
