| Montessori
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Traditional
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The learning process develops cognitive structures and social skills. |
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The teaching process focuses on knowledge and social skills. |
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The child actively participates in the selection of what he will study. The teacher is a guide, but has an unobtrusive role in classroom activities. |
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The teacher has a dominant role in most classroom activities. The child becomes a passive participant in learning. |
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Children choose their own work based on their own interests and abilities. |
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The topics of study are based on the teacher's work plans and the child's interests are rarely considered. |
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The environment and methodology teach the child internal self-discipline and control of one's will. |
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The responsibility of disciplinarian and enforcer of the rules is placed with the teacher. |
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Instruction is tailored to an individual child's learning style. |
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Instruction style will be determined by the teacher's style. |
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A classroom will contain children of different ages (e.g. 3 - 6 year olds in the Primary level classroom.) |
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Typically children are grouped in classrooms by age. |
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Children are encouraged to teach and help each other and collaborate where appropriate. Competition between students is discouraged. |
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Most instruction is given solely by the teacher and collaboration is discouraged. Competition is offended fostered. |
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The child formulates intellectual concepts from the self-teaching, self-correcting materials offered in the classroom. The child determines the pace of learning on a specific concept. |
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The teacher guides the child to the prescribed concepts at a predetermined pace.
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The child is given the freedom to work on a specific task or project for as long as they see fit. |
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A child is usually given a specific time frame in which to complete a task. |
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The materials in a classroom are designed to provide the child feedback, which allows them to correct their own work. |
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When work needs to be corrected, the teacher usually has to find and point out the errors to the child.
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Reinforcement of learning is achieved through the child's own repetition of the work and their internal feeling of accomplishment.
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Reinforcement of learning comes through external measures such as rote repetition and rewards/discouragements. |
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The classroom if filled with multi-sensory materials in all subject areas. The physical exploration of classroom materials is encouraged, providing for sensory development and concrete learning experiences. |
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Very few materials offered in the class are designed for physical manipulation.
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The independence of the child is emphasized and taught by offering an organized practical life program to teach self-care and care of the environment (e.g. washing windows, cleaning tables, sweeping floors, preparing snack.)
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Much less emphasis is placed on self-care and the teacher is the primary maintainer of the classroom environment. |
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The child is free to move around the class at will as long as she does not disrupt the work of others. Group work is usually optional or negotiable. |
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The child is required to sit still in his assigned seat and listen during the group's lessons. |
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