As a parent, it may be difficult to determine where your child will thrive. There are so many different nurseries, daycares, and schools to choose from.
Many parents are interested in Montessori schools but are unsure how the Montessori approach to learning differs from that of a typical school, preschool, or childcare. Perhaps, more significantly, they want to know if and how the Montessori approach’s distinctions might help their kid.
Key Takeaways
- Montessori schools emphasize child-centered learning, allowing students to explore independently, while regular schools follow a more structured curriculum.
- Montessori schools encourage hands-on, experiential learning, whereas regular schools rely heavily on textbooks and teacher-led instruction.
- Montessori classrooms mix age groups to promote peer-to-peer learning and social development, while regular schools separate students by grade level.
Montessori vs Regular School
Montessori schools focus on child-led learning and hands-on activities, where children work at their own pace and choose their own activities. The curriculum is designed to promote self-discipline. Regular schools follow a structured approach to learning, with a set curriculum and specific goals.
Montessori School is an education method founded in Europe by Italian doctor and educator Maria Montessori, featuring self-directed activities and self-correcting equipment. Montessori designs projects that appeal to the senses, learning games and activities, and instructs teachers to help children learn skills rather than teaching them from books.
Regular education has the significant advantage of adhering to state-approved idealistic criteria. The standards specified by the country’s regulatory agency should be used to judge the quality of education.
The curriculum should be consistent so that the required education level can be assessed by comparing the qualifications of different people.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Montessori School | Regular School |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | The main goals of Montessori education are the development of social, intellectual, emotional, and practical as well as academic abilities. | Regular learning has as its primary goal the intellectual and academic growth of youngsters. Tests and examinations are expected to be passed by the students. |
| Motivation | Learners are motivated to appreciate their Montessori education by a sense of pride and esteem in themselves, as well as by their successes. | Motivation is thought to originate from outside sources in normal learning, and children are expected to learn because it is required. Learning is a requirement of their programme. |
| Pace of Learning | At own pace | All students are supposed to learn at the same pace. |
| Nature of curricula | Change any time | Predetermined |
| Age Groups | Mixed | Same |
What is Montessori School?
Montessori education is self-directed, and it emphasizes the importance of students getting hands-on experience with their learning. In other words, emphasis is placed on the need to ensure that students learn by doing and that cooperation among them is encouraged since this aids in the development of their creativity.
The students work in groups or alone, but the focus is on their need to be creative in order to maximize their potential in various areas. Montessori specifically caters to the unique requirements of students, allowing them to develop their natural interests.
Montessori education does not rely on the compulsion to get children to learn. The students learn on their own initiative and are not pressured by their professors to concentrate on their academics.
This is an effective learning strategy since students will be in a better position to build interest in their studies on their own. Montessori classrooms are considered secular since they are not based on religion or spirituality.
They are portrayed as natural settings in which all youngsters are assumed to be inherently eager to learn. Instead of memorizing a particular course’s specifics, students are encouraged to comprehend the core of learning.
What is Regular School?
Regular education is teacher-centered learning that takes place in a classroom with a group of students and a teacher. The instructor instructs the students.
Students use this method to learn basic educational techniques, including subjects such as arithmetic, reading, writing, science, and social studies. Formal education courses are developed by regulatory agencies such as the federal government or states, and then payment is made to institutions that provide such education.
Many students see the traditional educational approach as hell since they are pushed or compelled to study. Pupils are required to grasp all of the academic disciplines taught in this model in order to excel in their studies.
Apart from that, students who fail to learn various courses are forced to pass by their lecturers. Religious studies are part of formal education.
Pupils are required to study and comprehend various religious topics as established by the regulatory bodies in charge of developing educational curricula. Religious education is believed to help children develop their moral ideals.
Regular education means that, for example, public schools are eligible for state support. Consequently, they are obligated to provide equal opportunities for every child.
Another benefit of state funding is that students with special needs can get free assistance, which helps to alleviate the financial pressure on the parents of the victims.
Main Differences Between Montessori and Regular School
- Montessori education focuses on social, intellectual, emotional, practical, and academic skills development, whereas children’s intellectual and academic growth is the primary goal of regular learning. Tests and examinations are expected to be passed by students.
- A sense of pride and self-esteem inspires learners to enjoy their Montessori education, and their successes also play a part in inspiring them, whereas Motivation is thought to originate from outside sources in normal learning, and children are expected to learn because it is required. Learning is a component of their curriculum.
- Montessori education promotes an individual learning rate; children are encouraged to learn at their own pace, whereas, in regular learning, all students are supposed to learn at the same pace.
- The curriculum is flexible to student requirements; it may be changed at any moment as long as it meets the learners’ needs, whereas, in regular school, the curriculum is set and does not consider the pupils’ demands.
- Montessori schools are comprised of mixed-age groups, whereas regular schools are comprised of the same age group.
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/42642922
- https://www.public-montessori.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Following-All-the-Children-Early-Intervention-and-Montessori.pdf
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
The Montessori education method focuses on self-directed activities and self-correcting equipment, which greatly benefits the students’ learning process.
The emphasis on hands-on experience and self-directed learning in Montessori schools allows students to develop their creativity and natural interests.
Religious education is integrated into the regular school’s curriculum to help children develop moral ideals, combined with the pressure to excel in their studies.
Montessori schools emphasize child-centered learning, allowing students to explore independently, while regular schools follow a more structured curriculum.
In a regular school, students learn at the same pace, while Montessori schools promote an individual learning rate, fostering creativity and self-paced learning.
Regular schools have a more structured approach to learning, setting specific goals for intellectual and academic growth in students.
Regular education means that public schools are eligible for state support, ensuring equal opportunities for every child and free assistance for students with special needs.
Students in Montessori schools have the advantage of learning to promote self-discipline, as well as develop social, intellectual, emotional, and practical abilities.