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What Makes a Montessori School Unique? |
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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
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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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