What Makes a Montessori School Unique? Print E-mail

 

Montessori education is based on stages of development that allow the focus to remain exclusively on the child. The Montessori classroom is deliberately designed to facilitate the independent development of the child. We provide an environment that meets the innate desires and needs of young children to adapt, explore, learn, grow and reach their full potential. Our greater mission is to foster the foundation and growth of the child’s personality while nurturing him as a lifelong learner.

In contrast to the traditional classroom where students have little choice or control over their own learning, Montessori students are encouraged to pursue their own interests and to collaborate with peers. Self-directed, self-paced and uninterrupted work fosters deeper concentration, which leads to deeper understanding.

Montessori vs. Traditional Approaches

Montessori Emphasis     

Traditional Trends    

Observing, judging, discovering

Memorizing and reciting

Teacher in background

Teacher central in classroom

Individual, small-group instruction

Large-group instruction

Mixed-age grouping

Same-age grouping

Cooperative interactions

Competitive interactions

Self-correcting materials

Teacher corrections

Individually-paced learning

Group-paced learning

Many multi-sensory materials

Few multi-sensory materials

Many self-care responsibilities

Little self-care instruction

Movement encouraged

Movement discouraged

Initiative emphasized

Initiative de-emphasized

Choices maximized

Choices minimized

Self-motivation; self-discipline

Rewards; punishments

Independent learning encouraged

Teacher directed instruction

 

 
 

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Why Choose Montessori?


Hear what Trevor Eissler, Montessori father of three and author of Montessori Madness has to  say.