Is Montessori Opposed to Competition

In Montessori we are encouraging students to learn to collaborate rather than to compete against each other.

Students discover their own innate abilities and therefore establish a strong recognition of their own independence, self confidence and self discipline. The environment facilitates each child to learn at their own pace and to strive towards improvement, realising that making mistakes is part of a learning process without humiliation by other students.

Children do naturally compete with each other both in the playground and classroom. Dr Montessori approved of competition in principle but did not promote artificial competition as a motivation for children to achieve. Consistent with the principles students learn because they are curious and interested and therefore the learning has a deep and profound impact on the child. Montessori allows competition to evolve naturally amongst the students with each child voluntarily making a choice to compete rather than having it imposed by external means e.g.. compulsory competitive activities and sport.