|
Montessori
|
Traditional
|
| Emphasis on cognitive structures and social development |
Emphasis on rote knowledge and social development |
| Teacher's role is unobtrusive; child actively participates in learning |
Teacher's role is dominant, active; child is a passive participant |
| Environment and method encourage internal self-discipline |
Teacher is primary enforcer of external discipline |
| Individual and group instruction adapts to each student's learning
style |
Individual and group instruction conforms to the adult's teaching
style |
| Mixed age grouping |
Same age grouping |
| Children encouraged to teach, collaborate, and help each other |
Most teaching done by teacher and collaboration is discouraged |
| Child chooses own work from interests, abilities |
Curriculum structured with little regard for child's interests |
| Child formulates concepts from self-teaching materials |
Child is guided to concepts by teacher |
| Child works as long as s/he wants on chosen project |
Child usually given specific time for work |
| Child sets own learning pace to internalize information |
Instruction pace set by group norm or teacher |
| Child spots own errors thru feedback from material |
Errors corrected by teacher |
| Learning is reinforced internally thru child's own repetition of
activity, internal feelings of success repetition |
Learning is reinforced externally by rewards, discouragements |
| Multi-sensory materials for physical exploration development |
Few materials for sensory, concrete manipulation |
| Organized program for learning care of self and self-care environment
(shoe polishing, sink washing, etc) |
Little emphasis on instruction or classroom maintenance |
| Child can work where s/he is comfortable, moves and talks at will
(yet doesn't disturb others); group work is voluntary and negotiable |
Child assigned seat; encouraged to sit still and listen during
group sessions |
| Organized program for parents to understand the Montessori philosophy
and participate in the learning process |
Voluntary parent involvement, often only as fundraisers, not participants
in understanding the learning process |
