Montessori Education

  • Child-centered, emphasizing self-directed learning, small-group instruction, independence, and exploration

  • Integrated and thematic, connecting subjects in a holistic way. 

  • The teacher is considered a guide or facilitator, who observes and supports individual progress, introducing new materials and concepts as the child is ready and/or shows interest.

  • Individualized, allowing children to move through the curriculum at their own pace. meaning that they can advance more quickly or more slowly. 

  • A prepared environment designed to encourage exploration and independence, with materials accessible for self-selected work.

  • Specialized Montessori materials are designed to teach specific concepts through hands-on experience. These materials include self-correcting materials, science experiments, and impressionistic charts.

  • Assessment is based on observation, portfolio work, and student self-assessments. Emphasizes process and growth over grades.

  • Focus on developing internal discipline through freedom within limits and natural consequences, and developing agreements with the classroom community.

Traditional Education

  • Teacher-centered, with a structured curriculum and more direct, whole-group instruction.

  • Subject-based, with distinct and separate subjects. Follows a standardized curriculum that may be less integrated. 

  • The teacher is the primary source of information, the “sage on the stage,” leading the class through the curriculum. Expectations are set by the teacher. The teacher is the provider of knowledge.

  • Curriculum is time-based: all children move to the next step when the teacher or curriculum indicates it’s time to move on. 

  • More conventional classroom setup, with desks and a central teaching area.Materials are teacher-controlled.

  • A mix of textbooks, worksheets, digital resources, and educational materials, is often used in group instruction.

  • More reliant on standardized tests, quizzes, and grades to measure progress.

  • Often employs a system of rules with corresponding rewards and consequences.