Every day there are more traditional schools and more teachers who begin to introduce elements of Montessori Education and other alternative pedagogies in their classrooms. But even so, conventional education or the traditional school continues to maintain many differences with the Montessori Method.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MONTESSORI EDUCATION AND TRADITIONAL EDUCATION?
Below, we briefly address 7 of the main differences between traditional education and Montessori education:
1. LEARNING
Traditional school
Learning is directed by the teacher and is intended to be homogeneous and based on age. Normally, the teacher is the most active part and the child receives a lesson while listening from the desk. Students learn primarily by memorization.
Montessori Education
The child is the protagonist of his learning and his needs and interests are prioritized. There is freedom of movement in the classroom, and free choice, and the aim is for children to be happy learning. Students learn by discovery and repetition of the exercise until perfection.
2. MOTIVATION
Traditional school
Although many things are changing, in the traditional approach to education the use of rewards and punishments has been very present. Currently, this approach is being eliminated from the classroom in favor of positive discipline.
Montessori Education
Self-motivation is key thanks to the repetition of a task. The improvement stimulates the child’s interest. It avoids conditioning the behavior of students through rewards and punishments. The satisfaction is internal and arises from the personal work of the child.
3. GROUPS
Traditional school
The groups and the curriculum are organized on an annual basis. Children learn and live with other individuals of the same age and at the end of the year, they must master a series of knowledge and skills to pass the course.
Montessori Education
The classes are heterogeneous, many times, organized in groups that span 3 years apart. In this way, the little ones are enriched by the company of the older ones and vice versa. As in real life, children live with people of different ages.
4. CURRICULUM
Traditional school
Student learning is marked by a strict and unified curriculum. Results for boys and girls are often measured through tests. That is, it is evaluated and classified by means of a note.
Montessori Education
Comparison through grades is not encouraged, but collaboration between students is. The curriculum also includes learning aspects of practical life and caring for oneself and one’s environment.
5. HOURS
Traditional school
There are rigid schedules and each subject is limited by time. When this time is exceeded, the activity is changed.
Montessori Education
The child decides the time he wants to dedicate to a task and a material.
6. CLASSROOM
Traditional school
The classes are usually made up of desks distributed in front of the blackboard, where the teacher is located. The students usually remain seated (especially from the age of 6) and the environment is not usually particularly stimulating.
Montessori Education
In the Montessori methodology, the environment is a fundamental part of the learning process. What is known as a “prepared environment” is an educational environment designed to promote self-learning and growth, without constant adult intervention, thanks to materials adapted to the size and needs of children. Specific materials are also very important, distributed in the classroom at the free disposal of the children and adapted to their developmental stage.
7. ROLE OF THE ADULT
Traditional school
The teacher-to-teacher is an active part of student learning. Children are usually the most passive part, recipients of the information. The adult marks the learning times based on the global progress of the class and the demands of the curriculum.
Montessori Education
The teacher is called a guide. The guide observes the needs of each child and seeks to offer individualized learning, trying to have less intervention each time and letting the child be the true protagonist of her learning. Although her role is key, it is not the guide but the child himself who is responsible for her learning and development.
In traditional education, students follow the same lessons given by the teacher— leaving some children behind while others pull ahead. In Montessori education, students challenge themselves when they are ready, developing greater personal independence and self-sufficiency, and building an internal sense of purpose and motivation.
If you want to give your child a prepared environment in which he becomes an independent and responsible personality, Montessori education will be your best option. And to give your child a prepared environment you can contact us to get your child enrolled in Mutendi Montessori.