Children are taught what they need to know in a top-down way in traditional schools.
Because it’s so simple, this is also a good way to get people to buy your products. This means that the teacher makes sure that everyone can study the letter a on the same day.
In Montessori education, there is a dynamic relationship between the child, the adult, and the learning space. It is up to the child and the adult to help them learn, but they are in charge of their own education.
The materials are put on shelves in order of how difficult they are.
Each child moves through the materials at their own pace, based on what they’re interested in at the moment. As soon as it looks like the child has learned what they’re going to be learning about, they’ll teach them the next thing.
Montessori Education Vs. Traditional Schooling
Both of the arrows in the Montessori education diagram above point in the same direction. There is a lot of interaction between the child and the world around them. The child is drawn to the environment, and the child learns from the things in the environment. They both have an effect on each other. The adult makes the environment, watches, and makes changes as needed to meet the needs of the child. And the adult and child have a dynamic relationship based on respect. The adult will keep an eye on the child and help only as much as is needed. Then, the adult will move out of the way so the child can continue to learn on his or her own.
Throughout her work, Dr. Montessori says that the goal of Montessori education is not to fill a child with facts, but to make them want to learn.
In the classroom and at home, these ideas work well. We encourage our kids to make their own discoveries, give them freedom and limits, and help them succeed by setting up our homes so they can be a part of our daily lives.
