Montessori vs. Traditional Education / Maria Montessori / History of Montessori Education

How Does Montessori Education Work?

There are several key principles that make the Montessori method unique, according to Bergen and Richard Ungerer, executive director of the American Montessori Society:

Montessori Materials

Dr. Montessori designed hands-on learning tools that children can manipulate independently. A preschooler can play with cylinder blocks while building fine motor, analytical and comparative language skills. A fourth-grader can learn about geography using interactive maps.

Click on the Montessori Materials below to learn more:

A Holistic Curriculum

Lessons include social, academic and even real-world subjects such as washing dishes. Manners, respect and a sense of community are emphasized. "My daughters are more gracious and helpful at home because of the practical things they’ve learned at school," says Stephanie VanEekeren. Her children, Katie, 41/2, and Ellie, 21/2, attend Lor-Jon Montessori in Elmhurst.

A Structured Environment

"We set up the classroom environment to help the kids learn to be responsible and make decisions themselves," says Debbie Kelley, principal of Brickton Montessori School on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Classrooms are laid out so students can access the learning materials as needed and have space to do their work quietly. In fact, the term "work" is used even with preschoolers manipulating blocks. The goal? To give children a sense of pride about
their explorations.

Self-Directed Learning

Montessori students choose their work each day from available lessons. Teachers guide the process and ensure all academic bases are covered—but each student defines her own pace and timing.

"My daughter tends to pursue different interests in spurts," says Ellen Pavelich, whose daughter, Mari, is a fourth-grader at the Montessori School of Lake Forest. "One month she may be interested in geography and focus a lot of her time on learning the maps of Europe. Then she might spend three weeks primarily interested in language and diagramming sentences."

Mixed age groups

Classes are grouped in three-year increments. So 3- to 6-year-olds, for example, are classmates. This approach, which models families, allows younger kids to see where they’re headed and older ones to learn leadership and understand the material at a deeper level through teaching, says Jeff Keiser, assistant director of Seton Montessori School in Clarendon Hills.

"Children will be drawn to what they need," says Traci Tyszka, educational director of Hope Montessori in Tinley Park. "Sometimes I have a 3-year-old interested in letters, so he might work with a 4-year-old. Children aren’t being held back."

A collaborative approach

Montessori students are encouraged to work independently or in small groups. And when a 6-year-old learns to tie her shoes, she’s encouraged to teach other classmates. Instead of report cards, students receive progress reports and informal feedback. Grades "compete with the idea that each individual is working towards her own potential," says Beth Caldwell of Chiaravalle Montessori in Evanston. Students generally do, however, take annual standardized tests such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

Trained teachers

After completing a bachelor’s degree, Montessori teachers typically undertake an additional year of certification training. Their role in the classroom is to introduce new learning opportunities, answer questions, establish goals and help students meet those goals. Rather than lecturing, a teacher might sit at a table and pull out a new activity. Interested students simply come over and participate. "Teachers help move the children forward," says Caldwell. But the speed and path varies depending on the child.