Montessori Method differs from Traditional teaching methods in some significant and meaningful ways. Here are a few:
Montessori Method:
1. Emphasis is on cognitive and social development
2. Teacher has unobtrusive role in classroom
3. Environment and method encourage self-discipline
4. Mainly individual instruction
5. Mixed age grouping
6. Grouping encourages children to teach and help each other
7. Child chooses own work
8. Child discovers own concepts from self-teaching materials
9. Child works as long as he wishes on chosen project
10. Child sets own learning pace
11. Child spots own errors from feedback of material
12. Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feelings of success
13. Multi-sensory materials for physical exploration
14. Organized program for learning care of self and environment
15. Child can work where he chooses, move around and talk at will (yet not disturb the work of others); group work is voluntary
16. Organized program for parents to understand the Montessori philosophy and participate in the learning process