Is Montessori Education Better than Traditional Schooling?

Montessori education is a formal learning approach developed in 1907 by educator and physician Dr. Maria Montessori. Montessori opened her first classroom in 1907, the Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House, paving the way for the introduction of a method of education that concentrates on individual progress and development of each student. Montessori believed that children could learn better if they discover knowledge by themselves rather than direct instructions. But is this unconventional type of schooling better than traditional education?

In 2006, psychologists in the United States co-led by Angeline Lillard of University of Virginia conducted a study aimed at finding out whether Montessori education is better than the traditional way of schooling. For the study, researchers compared pupils aged three to 12 at a Montessori school in Milwaukee with students of the same age bracket studying at traditional schools in the same location. Researchers tested the children for mental performance, academic abilities, and social and behavioural skills. What did they found out?

According to Lillard, the study found out significant advantages for the Montessori students in these tests for both age groups. Lillard noted remarkable positive social effects of Montessori education on the children. Researchers observed that five-year-old Montessori pupils were better prepared for reading and maths than their counterparts, while 12-year-old Montessori students wrote "significantly more creative" essays than their traditional opposites. Researchers also observed big differences in social skills and behaviour.

In short, researchers found that on a certain range of abilities, children studying at Montessori schools essentially outperformed their traditional counterparts. Researchers also found out that Montessori schools produce more mature and socially adept children than traditional education institutions.

With these observations and findings, the researchers concluded that Montessori schooling nurtures academic and social skills that are equal or superior to those nurtured by traditional education.