Selecting the proper educational model for your child is undeniably one of the most crucial decisions a parent could make. The distinction between Montessori vs Traditional Schooling has been going on for many years, and at the same time, there are some pros and cons in each of them. In an attempt to orient you better about the two approaches, this article contrasts and analyzes their fundamental ideas, ways of instructions, and advantages to pinpoint which one aligns well with your child’s learning style.
Let’s compare Montessori vs Traditional Schooling
- Foundation of Ideas
Montessori Schooling
- This approach was pioneered by Dr. Maria Montessori at the beginning of the twentieth century and has as its base a child-oriented teaching approach.
- The Montessori education system is developed through the idea that children should be allowed to follow the desire to learn, following their passion, and that at their own pace.
- The approach does not force learning on a child; rather, it follows the child’s instinct of curiosity and promotes independence, responsibility, and self-motivation.
Traditional Schooling
- In contrast, traditional schools require teachers to be in the center of the learning process with daily lesson plans provided at the grade level.
- It is more of content, having a structure of set academic years as provided by the local education authorities.
- The system is usually rigid, with subjects delivered in a compartmentalized manner and tests as the mode of evaluating the students.
- The classroom setting
Montessori Schooling
- The structure of the classroom is focused on encouraging students to work independently while discovering something on their own.
- Children’s furniture is somewhat smaller in scale, and equipment is included that is easy to touch and manipulate in order to provide sensory stimulation.
- The class grouping is done in groups to enhance his or her learning and also benefit the senior students by acting as a role model to the junior classes.
Traditional Schooling
- A classroom is commonly a small hall with all students’ desks set in rows so that they are directed toward the teacher.
- The environment is more formalized and less free from formality because it emphasizes that everything and everyone is subject to a definite order and the teacher has all the keys to orchestrate the lesson.
- Usually, children are categorized by their age, and preferences for playing in groups of different ages are limited.
- Learning Style and Curriculum
Montessori Schooling
- The curriculum is never isolated or broken down into well-defined subject areas, as the children can be working on several areas at once.
- The learning is more individualized, and students actively select what they would like to do and what resources they would like to use.
- Another aspect of the Montessori method is based on developing a child’s practical life alongside educational experience and practices like cooking, cleaning, and others.
Traditional Schooling
- The curriculum is more sequential and introduced in the class as different learning areas focusing on different grade levels for the subjects such as math, language, science, and social studies.
- The students are overemphasized on memorization, test taking, as well as finishing various tasks within a certain duration.
- There is hardly any concentration on the aspect of social relations or the kind of practical life as presented in the Montessori teaching and learning system.
- The Role of the Teacher
Montessori Schooling
- Montessori education means that a teacher of a class does not have full power of a class but rather serves as a manager. Teachers monitor each child to determine which area they are strong at and which area interests them, and at what time they are likely to experience difficulties and recommend the needed support or additional resources.
- Teaching assistants help the teachers focus on a few children and teach them in groups or to individuals based on their age and disability level.
Traditional Schooling
- The teacher is the central figure of the learning process as a director of the process, responsible for students’ behavior, and a person who evaluates achievements.
- Generally, a teacher gives instruction to the whole group of children at once, while they mostly do not pay much attention to them as individuals unless they require additional assistance that they are unlikely to get anywhere.
- Evaluation is much more structured and is generally carried out using written assignments, tests and quizzes, assignment submissions, and other forms of written or electronic submissions.
- Comparing Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Learning
Montessori Schooling
- Montessori is student-focused, where students appear to be on their own and decide what they want to learn.
- They can select their preferred materials, be independent in their learning process, and use topics of their choice.
Traditional Schooling
- The conventional systems of schooling employ an imposed structure in which the teacher dominates on content and timing.
- Students are supposed to adhere to the teacher’s directions; there is normally less opportunity to choose what to study from the syllabus.
- Review and Analysis
Montessori Schooling
- The Montessori children are continually assessed throughout their learning process and in their classrooms through conversation, samples of their activities, and their involvement.
- In Montessori schools, for instance, there are usually no grades or tests; the status of the child is determined by how enhanced a skill he or she has become and how interested he or she appears to be.
Traditional Schooling
- The traditional method of delivery of education uses a large measure of measurement through paper and pen examinations, assignments, class and term grades, and reports.
- Standardized testing is evident, and frequently students’ performance is quantified by means of letter/b grade.
- Again, this has a downside in that the evaluation will focus more on the academic aspects than the child as an individual or even his/her interpersonal skills.
- Communication
Montessori Schooling
- The classroom organization by the ages makes children work together, share the activities, and learn from one another, making the children collaborative.
- Young children may easily follow the lead of older students, and in turn, the old may learn how to be responsible for the young individuals.
Traditional Schooling
- An analysis and comparison of social relations from the perspective of traditional schools shows that they are more age-specific.
- While group work is evident, more often the goal is likely to be the achievement of academic objectives, not the development of social skills.
- Getting Ready for the Future
Montessori Schooling
- It enacted the aims of the Montessori system, which are to produce citizens or independent learners who like learning all their lives.
- The emphasis on students’ self-regulation and motivation predisposes the students to be proactive in their future academic and personal lives.
- Children learn time management, how to solve a given problem in a creative manner, and critical thinking—something that is particularly useful in learning institutions and jobs.
Traditional Schooling
- Traditional schooling trains children to perform in environments that are less flexible compared to educational settings and aims at achieving a certain level of academic achievement.
- Major concern is in the areas of getting good grades and passing through strictly mapped out academic expectations.
- However, analysis finds out that critical thinking may not be part of the program as it is in the Montessori education system.
Conclusion
There is a great deal of truth to this since both Montessori and traditional education have their own advantages that would suit your child depending on his or her learning style as well as personality. Montessori education is therefore ideal for children who are flexible and learn better in organizations that allow them to set their own goals and be creative.
Conventional schools, on the other hand, are more formal and systematic, hence appropriate for those childhood social lives that do well under the standard operating procedures. Therefore, the final decision is the one that will suit the needs of your child, your learning beliefs, and the kind of learning environment that your child will benefit from.
Some of the best international schools in Kerala, such as DiYES International, ensure that Montessori education is given to students in the most advanced way. As one of the top international schools in Trivandrum, it looks after the entire personality development of a child, not just the curriculum.