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What are some of the faults of traditional eduation as viewed by Montessori? To name a few: restriction of child's activity; suppression of his spontaneity; use of external rewards and punishments; frequent interruptions; verbal "pouring-in" approach; inadquate teacher training.  
Says Montessori: "The educational methods now in use precede on lines exactly the reverse of ours." 
The Goal of both Montessori and traditional kindergartens is the same: to provide learning experiences for the child. The biggest differences lie in the kinds of learning experiences each school provides and the methods they use to accomplish this goal.  Montessori educators believe both differences are important because they help shape what a child learns, his work habits, and his future attitude toward himself and the world around him.
Montessori

  • Emphasis on cognitive development

  • Teacher has unobtrusive role in classroom

  • Environment and method encourage self-discipline

  • Mainly individual instructions, mixed age grouping

  • Grouping encourages children to teach and help each other

  • Child chooses own work

  • Child discovers own concepts from self-teaching materials

  • Child works as long as he wishes on chosen project

  • Child sets own learning pace

  • Child spots own error from feedback of material

  • Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feeling of success

  • Multi-sensory materials for physical exploration

  • Organized programs for learning care of self and environment (polish shoes; sink)

  • Child works where chooses, moves around and talks at will (not disturbing others); group work is voluntary

Traditional

  • Emphasis on social development

  • Teacher is center of classroom as "controller"

  • Teacher acts as primary enforcer of discipline

  • Mainly group instruction; same age grouping

  • Most teaching done by teacher

  • Curriculum structured for child

  • Child is guided to concepts by teacher

  • Child generally allotted specific time for work

  • Instruction pace usually set by group norm

  • If work is corrected, errors usually pointed out by teacher

  • Learning is reinforced externally by repetition, rewards, and punishment

  • Few materials for sensory development

  • No organzied program for self-care instruction- left primarily to parents

  • Child usually assigned own chair required to participate, sit still, and listen during group lessons

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