The Difference

Is there a difference between a Montessori and a conventional/ traditional school?

Montessori School vs Traditional School

Is there a difference between a montessori and a traditional school?

As soon as you step into a Montessori environment, you will agree that there is indeed a difference. The Montessori environment is immediately recognisable. The classrooms are completely different where children are working independently with specially designed learning materials. The children learn at their own pace as they discover their passion and develop their natural curiosity. To state a few, some of the differences between the two methods of schooling are:

  • In a Montessori, the school meets the requirement of children where there are mixed age group of children; whereas in a traditional school students fit to the mould of the school having same age group of children in a class.

  • Students are active participants in a Montessori school environment as they can freely follow their ideas and interests, in other words, curriculum is customised for every child. But in traditional schools, the students are passive learners as they have to follow the curriculum that is structured for the entire class.

  • Children teach themselves using materials specially designed for them in Montessori and are encouraged to learn and speak in groups, unlike a traditional school where they are taught by the teacher and work silently at their desks.

  • The children identify their own errors based on the immediate feedback from the educational materials that are designed for self-correction unlike in a traditional school, the teacher identifies the mistakes for correction.

  • Child can work where he/she is comfortable, move around and talk at will while not disturbing others but in a Traditional school the child is usually assigned own chair and is encouraged to sit still and listen during group sessions.

  • The child is led by the teacher in a traditional school; the teacher works in collaboration with the children in Montessori.

  • Learning is based on the fact that physical exploration and cognition are linked in Montessori unlike a traditional school where the children sit at their desks and learn from a whiteboard and worksheets.

  • In Montessori, the child’s individual development brings its own reward and therefore motivation but motivation is achieved by a system of reward and punishment in a traditional method.

  • The child works as long as he/she wishes on chosen project with uninterrupted work cycles in Montessori, but in traditional schools, a child generally given specific time limit for work with block time, period lessons.

  • Montessori advocates shared focus on the acquisition of academic, social, practical and life skills with emphasis on intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development whereas in a traditional school, the main focus on academics and emphasizing intellectual development.