Montessori | Traditional Preschool |
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 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 through feedback from material | Errors corrected by teacher |
Learning is reinforced internally through 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 |