Montessori vs. Traditional Schooling
First through Third Grade
Montessori
- Emphasis on free choice, initiative
- Teacher assists and guides
- Learning materials are self-correcting
- Learning materials are hands-on
- Student can go as far as capable
- Moving from independent work to group work
- Emphasis on independence
Conventional
- Emphasis on following directions
- Teacher gives information
- Learning is corrected by teacher
- Learning materials paper and pencil
- Student stays at pace with class
- Moving from group play to group instruction
- Emphasis on compliance
Fourth through Sixth Grade
Montessori
- Emphasis on free choice and initiative as a working group
- Teacher gives comprehensive lesson and assigns long projects without grades
- Students keep individual work journals
- Learning materials hands-on and developed for groups
Conventional
- Emphasis on seat work and individual achievement
- Teacher gives daily bits of instruction followed up with homework and grades
- Teachers keep track of progress
- Learning material in workbooks, worksheets, and individual work
Seventh Grade and Beyond
Montessori
- Emphasis on self-responsibility to manage multiple work projects to completion
- Teacher assists with critiquing and student assessment of work
- Emphasis on continuous improvement
- Student can move beyond grade level individually
Conventional
- Emphasis on completion of classwork and homework assigned by teacher
- Teacher assists with preparation for testing
- Emphasis on grades
- Students grouped by ability
