TRADITIONAL
- Emphasis on rote knowledge and social development
- Teacher has dominant, active role in classroom; child is a passive participant in learning
- Teacher acts as primary enforcer of external self-discipline
- Instruction, both individual and group, conforms to the adult’s teaching style
- Same age grouping
- Most teaching is done by teacher and collaboration Is discouraged
- Curriculum structured for child with little regard to child’s interests
- Child is guided to concepts by teacher
- Child generally given specific time limit for work
- If work is corrected, errors usually pointed out by teacher
- Learning is reinforced externally by rote repetition and rewards/discouragements
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MONTESSORI
- Emphasis on cognitive structures and social development
- Teacher has unobtrusive role in classroom activity; child is an active participant in learning
- Environment and method encourage internal self-discipline
- Instruction, both individual and group, adapts to each student’s learning style
- Mixed age grouping
- Children are encouraged to teach, collaborate, and help each other
- Child chooses own work from interest and abilities
- Child formulates own concepts from self-teaching materials
- Child works as long as he/she wishes on chosen project
- Child spots own errors through feedback from the material
- Learning is reinforced internally through the child’s own repetition of an activity and internal feelings of success
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