QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Don't do for a child what they can do for themselves."
- Maria Montessori
Comparison of Education Philosophies
| MONTESSORI EDUCATION | TRADITIONAL EDUCATION |
| Emphasis is on cognitive structures and social development | Emphasis is on rote knowledge and social conformity |
| Teacher has unobtrusive role in classroom activity; child is an active participant in learning | Teacher has a dominant role in the classroom, is center of classroom as "controller", while child is a passive participant in learning |
| Environment and method encourage internal discipline (discipline becomes a natural choice) | Teacher is primary enforcer of external discipline (discipline imposed from outside) |
| Individual instruction takes precedence over group instruction. Each student's learning style is respected and followed | Mostly group instruction, conforming to a set curriculum taught according to the adult's teaching style, and to which all children must equally conform |
| Mixed age grouping, usually spanning three years, in some cases, even more | Same age grouping |
| Grouping encourages children to help each other, teach and collaborate while respecting individuality | Most teaching is done by the teacher and collaboration is in many cases discouraged |
| Child chooses own work according to interests and abilities, following her own individual needs | Curriculum is structured for the children, uniformly, paying little attention to each child's interests and individuality |
| Child discovers and formulates own concepts from self-teaching, self-correcting materials, with minimal adult intervention | Child is guided to concepts by the teacher and in most cases concepts learned by heart, but not understood |
| Child works as long as s/he wishes on any chosen project, repetition being not only allowed but understood as a need, and is never interrupted while at work | Child is generally allotted a specific timeframe for work, never having a chance to truly concentrate because of continuous interruptions and interference from adults |
| Child sets own learning pace as needed to internalize information, understand it and build upon it | Instruction pace is usually set by group norm, teacher and curriculum regardless of child's needs |
| Child spots own errors through feedback received from self-correcting materials, with what is called "control of error". Work is not graded. | The child's work is assessed, corrected and graded. Errors are marked and pointed out by the teacher |
| Child reinforces own learning through repetition of work, internal feelings of success, and understanding of principles each material evidences | Learning is reinforced externally by rote repetition, rewards and punishments (albeit veiled or hidden), seeking to create conditioning and conformity |
| Multi-sensory materials for physical exploration are not only freely available and accessible but also created to meet specific needs children may have | If available, materials for sensory development are mere toys and do not lead child to understanding of specific concepts |
| Organized program for learning care of self and environment, both in a limited (classroom) and broad (the world) sense | Less emphasis of self-care instruction and environment maintenance and care |
| Child can work where s/he chooses to and feels comfortable, having the freedom to move around, talk at will (but without disturbing the work of others) | Child usually is assigned a fixed chair and desk, and asked to sit still and listen to group lessons and presentations. |
| Programs and workshops are organized to help parents understand the Montessori philosophy and participate in the learning Close cooperation between school & home | Voluntary parent involvement if any. In many cases, teachers expect parents to not get involved and let experts do their job without questioning |
| High sense of community purpose and dedication to social and altruistic causes, the school being seen as a family working hand in hand with the children. | School operating as a mere business, or a place where character is molded into shape, often with little dialogue or concern for individuality |
| Education for Peace promotes understanding, dialogue, and conflict resolution through discussion, encouraging differences, accepting and respecting personal and | Education promotes aggressive, competitive behavior, based on the winner/looser dichotomy, often promoting, even if in subliminal ways, hanger and ostracism |
| Group work is voluntary, negotiable and spontaneous (self-initiated rather then adult suggested or enforced) | Group work and activities are organized by the teacher and children expected to take part even if unwilling, shy or uncomfortable |