Monday 3 July 2017

The Difference You Need to Know Between Montessori and Preschool

Putting your kids into the right educational institute is such a big task! You heave a sigh of relief when this stage is over. Right? But deciding on the school takes such a toll on you. Preschool or Montessori?  Montessori or preschool? This is what goes on in your mind? Let me throw some light on the differences between these two to give you some insight into the matter. Based on various platforms, Montessori differs a lot from preschool. During the sensitive period of development, decisions should be reflected upon a couple of times. First let us have look on what is a preschool and a Montessori and then we will move onto the differences.
 

Preschool is a specially designed learning environment for little ones where they learn and play under the guidance and supervision of specially trained adults where children are normally enrolled between the years of two to five. The base of a child depends on the kind of primary education he/ she gets. This creates a solid base and proposes a good future. So, the qualities of a good preschool have a lot to do with the child’s development. It’s here that they learn to focus on language and literary skills. An educator also works on a child’s problem solving skills and helps them so that they develop their vocabulary and knowledge in a fun learning environment. Preschoolers acquire the basic things which prepare them for school and life.
Looking into Montessori, children develop their maximum potential that is based on self directed activity, learning and collaborative play. The teacher creates a favorable learning environment and offers kids with age appropriate activities to guide to aid their learning process. A Montessori environment promotes trust in themselves and their immediate surrounding and offers opportunities to slowly gain independence in their daily task.  Montessori teaching provides opportunities for imaginative exploration leading to confident, creative self-expression and leads to a clearer communication. Montessori classrooms are designed in such a way so as to nurture a child’s individual strengths and interests.
Among the major differences, Montessori scores big time over preschool. The classrooms are designed according to a child’s individual needs. In preschool classrooms, lessons are teacher centred whereas in Montessori lessons are student centred. The lesson plan is quite different too. It includes active and participatory based learning compared to just being bookish, memorizing test taking plans. Preschool doesn’t allow children the necessary time they need to work on the lessons, Montessori is all about fun learning. Also, in a Montessori teachers acts as the perfect guides for children and provides an environment where students are attended in a one on one basis, helping them in their own learning path. This needs to be understood that not every child has the same learning capacity and that they should be allowed that time resulting in a better learning process. Montessori education is flexible with regard to students’ needs and is intended to appeal to the child’s instinctive hunger for knowledge. Children learn to love learning. When compared to preschool curricula, it focuses on standardized test performance and grades. There, children learn because it is mandatory. Montessori educators understand that the child’s self-esteem comes from an internal sense of pride in his or her own accomplishments. In preschool, self-esteem is thought to come from external judgement and justification. Though these differences don’t cater to all, still preschool and Montessori are popular choices when it comes to early education for children before stepping into the world of education in a proper sense.
Parents considering sending their child to preschool should investigate several different ones and consider many factors before choosing one. However, they should consider the advantages and disadvantages of both preschool and Montessori before sending their wards off. Parents can be assured that there are alternative ways of introducing their child to early academic skills and social activities. Each child has their own way and pace of learning. Every material in a Montessori classroom supports an aspect of child development, creating a connection between the child’s natural interests and the available activities. Children sometimes learn through their own experience. They can react at any moment to the usual curiosities that exist in all humans and build a solid foundation for life-long learning.

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