File:Montessori Vs. Conventional School

Description
The Montessori Method is an inclusive educational method that was formed by Dr. Maria Montessori in which it delves into the perception of children's preferred learning modalities as they develop. The classroom environment consists of attractive manipulatives, educational toys that involves children in academic learning. "The Montessori classroom is a "prepared environment" planned in advance to support independent, student initiated work." In the classroom, children are free to select manipulative's of their preference and through curiosity and innate interest engage in learning activities of their own individual choice. In the traditional Montessori environment, children manipulate objects and discover the joy of learning while a teacher guides them and "... by making discoveries with the materials, cultivating concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning."

The traditional classroom setting consists of a teacher assigned to a group of students. Rather than guiding children through learning, the teacher's role is to instruct students. The job of the teacher is to provide each student with a firm foundation and enrich their minds by teaching the grade level standards. In this setting, the teacher delivers curriculum from textbooks, with an outline of the lesson to be taught that day. The students are seated in chairs or tables, either working by themselves or in collaborative groups, contingent on the set up of the classroom. In this setting, there exists a variety of learners however the teacher teaches from a whole group perspective. The outcome of student learning relies heavily on assessments, or tests. Rather than constructively learning through manipulating their environment, the students in this setting are taught in a very structured environment.