Frequently Asked Questions

Apples to Acorns —
Why is a Montessori Education Different?

There is a vast difference between a traditional education and an education informed by the Montessori Method. These questions and answers should help parents understand some of those differences.

Q: What is the primary emphasis within each type of educational setting?

A: In a traditional educational setting, the emphasis is on grades and making sure each child accumulates and memorizes a requisite collection of facts. Within the Montessori educational setting, the emphasis is on inspiring motivation through self development.

Q: How are children grouped together?

A: Unlike traditional schools, children in a Montessori school are grouped in age groups spanning 2 to 3 years. This approach creates mentoring opportunities for younger children and helps ensure that everyone in the class teaches one another, making learning a more interactive process.

Q: What role does the teacher play?

A: In a Montessori classroom the teacher acts as a facilitator among the students, encouraging discussion and exploration of different topics. In a traditional classroom, the teacher is the primary focal point and frequently spends a majority of the class lecturing students, with the expectations that they will absorb the information.

Q: How do students learn?

A: In traditional classrooms, teachers teach, students complete assignments, and the teacher tells them whether their answers are right and wrong. In Montessori classroQ:

Q: How is discipline handled?

A: Unlike a traditional classroom, where the teacher is the sole arbiter of what behavior is acceptable and the sole enforcer of those rules, children in a Montessori classroom focus more on peer discipline, guided by the teacher.

Q: Is the focus on large groups or small groups?

A: Unlike a traditional classroom, where the teacher primarily presents material to the class, children in a Montessori classroom tend to work more independently, usually in groups of 2 or 3.

Q: Who does the teaching?

A: While a Montessori teacher does most of the teaching, the curriculum is also structured so that students can teach each other, which is helped by multi-age classrooms.

Q: How are curricula structured?

A: A traditional classroom is structured around meeting state educational requirements. In a Montessori classroom, while those requirements are covered, they’re done so in a way that children develop a love of learning.

Q: Who defines how fast or slow the curriculum is taught?

A: In a traditional classroom, teachers teach a single subject to the whole class simultaneously, requiring them to accommodate all learning styles at once. In a Montessori classroom, each child works on the activity in the way that best meets his or her learning style, in the context of completing the whole program.

Q: How are different materials integrated into the lesson plan?

A: In a Montessori classroom, multi-sensory materials and movement play a leading role in the curriculum, which represents a sharp contrast to traditional classrooms, where these materials are rarely used, if ever.