Montessori vs Traditional Education
The goal of both Montessori and traditional educational settings is the same: a philosophical dedication to the optimum development of the child. The difference lies in the kinds of learning experiences each school provides and the methods they use to accomplish this goal.
Montessori Techniques Compared To Traditional Educational
| Multi age group | vs. | children grouped according to age |
| Teacher has an unobtrusive role | vs. | teacher is the center of the class |
| Children learn from peer, self-correcting materials | vs. | Teacher correcting “errors” |
| Children are encouraged to teach and help others | vs. | most teaching done by teacher |
| Children choose own work according to developmental needs | vs. | a structured curriculum regardless of developmental stage |
| Children discover own concepts, self-teaching materials | vs. | being guided by teacher |
| Child sets up own learning pace | vs. | instruction pace is set by group |
| Multi-sensory materials for exploration | vs. | few materials incorporating more than one modality of learning |
| Organized program for learning care of self and environment | vs. | no organized program for self-care or environment |