In a Montessori classroom the focus is on the child who is supported in his learning process by the teacher and the prepared environment, while in a traditional system the most important element of a classroom is the teacher, who has elaborated lesson plans and follows them regardless of the level of the child, as the age is the most important and determines where a child’s level should be.
In a Montessori class the child is encouraged to be an active part of it, and to look for activities that interest him the most, while in a traditional class the child is expected to sit down at his table and have generally a passive attitude or, on most occasions the child is encouraged to participate regardless if he/she has any interest for the topic discussed.
When choosing an activity, in a Montessori class the children have the freedom to go take it, and use it for as long as they want. In a traditional class children need to ask permission if they want to move anywhere from their table, and actually most of the time, their classroom is not even a prepared environment.
In respect to the environment, the Montessori class recreates a real life environment where the children are free to explore and become independent, as these children are prepared for life, in exchange, in a traditional class, the focus is on the intellectual aspect, thus neglecting the physical and spiritual part.
