In a traditional classroom setting children have little control over their environment, the environment is controlled by the teacher. The teacher plans, prepares and presents a set of information to all of their students. Then, since each child is different, each child absorbs the information differently. As a result, each child will walk away from the lesson with varying levels of understanding even though all of the students were taught the same material, at the same time. A Montessori classroom on the other hand, is a time-tested (it has been developed for over 100 years world-wide!) child-centered learning environment, optimized in such a way as to allow children the freedom to have direct control over their environment. This self-direction plus completing (and repeating) a purposeful activity (called work in the classroom) is how the child learns how to learn.
