The Del Ray Montessori School is a non-profit Montessori School located in the quaint Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia, we are associated and recognized by AMI/USA (Association Montessori International). Founded in 2011, we serve children ages 18 months through age 12 and their families in the DC metropolitan area.
Montessori education is unique.
Montessori education differs from a standard, conventional education in numerous ways and is the only educational method that is used universally across our planet. Below we describe those differences and highlight the value delivered to our students.
Development
Montessori Education: Supports the natural development of the individual.
Conventional Education: Based on the transfer of a national curriculum.
The Montessori Difference:
- Individually focused
-Develops the whole child: academically, emotionally and socially
Curriculum
Montessori Education: Teachers develop, teach, and track individual lesson plans for each child on a weekly/bi-weekly basis
Conventional Education: Teachers teach one lesson plan to all children at the same time
The Montessori Difference:
- Meets the child where they are developmentally
- Fosters a love for learning
- Ability to identify specific needs and areas of interest for each child
Pacing
Montessori Education: Children learn at their own pace and follow their own individual interests.
Conventional Education: Children learn from a set curriculum according to a time frame that is the same for everyone.
The Montessori Difference:
- Encourages and supports intrinsic motivation
- Creates a foundational love of learning
- Feeds intense curiosity of the child
Self-Direction
Montessori Education: Children teach themselves using materials specially designed to meet their developmental and academic needs.
Conventional Education: Children are taught by teachers.
The Montessori Difference:
- Children are taught accountability
- Children take responsibility for their own actions, time and behavior
- Receive guidance and support for task completion
Breadth
Montessori Education: Children discover how things work on their own through direct feedback they receive through the use of concrete materials.
Conventional Education: Learning is based on subjects and is limited to what is provided through textbooks and written materials.
The Montessori Difference:
- Builds a foundation to ask questions and provides a roadmap and guidance on how to learn
- Allows for exploring self-interest or topics that are self-discovered
- Creates Independence
- Develops Confidence
Dynamic Learning
Montessori: Learning is based on the fact that physical exploration and cognition are linked.
Conventional Education: Children sit at desks and learn from a whiteboard and worksheets, workbooks and textbooks.
The Montessori Difference:
- Encourages children to move as needed
- Valuing the need for exploration
- Encourages children to dig deeper and learn more
Collaboration
Montessori Education: The child works in collaboration with the teacher.
Conventional Education: The class is teacher led.
The Montessori Difference:
- Develops and teaches respect
- Teachers are approachable, partners
- Learns group work and collaboration skills
Intrinsic Motivation
Montessori Education: The child’s individual development brings its own reward and therefore motivation.
Conventional Education: Motivation is achieved by a system of rewards and punishments.
The Montessori Difference:
- Develops intrinsic motivation
- Creates love for learning
- Creates independence and confidence
- Establishes happiness and curiosity
Concentration
Montessori Education: Uninterrupted work cycles.
Conventional Education: Block time and period lessons, which are often interrupted by bells, announcements and transitions.
The Montessori Difference:
- Increases ability for concentration over long periods of time
- Allows to ask more questions, delve deeper into interests
- Develops importance of finishing projects and tasks
Mixed Ages
Montessori Education: Multi-aged classrooms.
Conventional Education: Single-aged classrooms.
The Montessori Difference:
- Develops leadership skills
- Opportunity for older children to teach younger children
- Younger children learn and absorb lessons from older children
- Builds empathy and compassion
- Develops independence and confidence
- Allows teachers to give individual lesson plans
Social Development
Montessori Education: Working and learning matched to the social development of the child.
Conventional Education: Working and learning without emphasis on social development.
The Montessori Difference:
- Understand what the child is capable of
- Helps to guide children socially and emotionally
- Teaches grace and courtesy
- Develops empathy and community
