| Conventional |
Montessori |
| Pervasive emphasis on grades,
merits, social Conformity |
Self-humanization as root motivation |
| Children are grouped chronologically
with one age per class |
Non-graded (two or three year age
span) |
| Class generally seated, as a group,
at desks |
Students "work" at tables,
on floor; freedom of movement for lessons |
| Basal readers |
Multidimensional, more flexible
reading and writing opportunities |
| Class, as a group, studies one
subject at a time |
Children pursue a self-paced
curriculum, individually or in small groups, in
various parts of the learning environment |
| Children taught by "truth
middlemen" |
Children in direct contact with the
environment - (teachers, society's conforming
values) natural, sensory and cultural experiences |
| Class-schedules limit the child's
involvement |
Long blocks of time permit valuable
concentration |
| Relatively frequent interruptions -
bells, adult intervention |
Relatively few interruptions |
| Postponement of cognitive
development until Kindergarten |
Critical cognitive skills developed
before age six |
| Teacher society "corrects"
pupils' errors |
Children learn from peers,
self-correcting materials; teacher's role is that
of a "guide" |
