I have taught both. Difficult to answer this question because SO much is dependent on the particular school/classroom teacher, too.

Having been in education for decades, mostly in the traditional arena, I have to say I'm a progressive convert. I wouldn't have been caught dead buying into the "do what you want when you want" philosophy 10 years ago. Then I spent some time working with progressive educators and schools really getting to know what it means to be progressive and was wowed by how prepared students are/were for the real world and truly were young experts in a series of fields. Learning by doing? You mean I don't have to sit there and listen to a boring teacher drone on and on about something and then have me read what they said for 2 hours that night? Anything but that can't be not education, right?

Now since most of the Big 3 kids have a fast track thanks to the family going to Big 3 + Ivy and then getting a cushy job a daddy's company, any education will do. It doesn't really matter.

If you want to spend your money wisely and invest in your kids future a progressive education is undoubtedly the best bang for your buck.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Montessori. ie "It's too structured" or "It's not structured at all". It's an approach that integrates so many components, that it's hard to sum it up in a few short sentences. But it fosters independence, self-direction, a love of learning. It nurtures the development of the whole child--social, emotional, intellectual. It works well for both children with learning disabilities and for gifted students because of the individualization of instruction. There is space for children to follow their interests and passions and go in depth with their work because of the freedom of choice and lack of time constraints (ie--now we're done with math and everyone has to do reading now). I would highly recommend visiting a couple of Montessori schools and hearing about the approach from them so you can be informed by people who have been trained and know all the nuances of it.

Progressive for creative Unless the kid needs the routine of Montessori structures. Montessori schools vary a lot.

Reviving an old post. Which would be better for a shy, sensitive, and creative child for elementary school?

Both are really child centered. Also, Montessori programs vary widely. AMS schools are really their own thing and have incorporated a lot of progressive theories.

I think one of the key differences is that Montessori schools follow a particular method and sequencing in teaching - one that doesn't particularly change with time. Progressive schools focus less on a particular methods and more on a series of principles that hold true even as schools adapt to be relevant in today's world. They tend to be less dogmatic, and more focused on hands-on, authentic learning that both focuses on the child and on the group. Social justice and diversity are big themes in Progressive education, as is an integrated curriculum.

This chart doesn't seem accurate to me. I always think of Montessori as being in the progressive vein, at least as compared to traditional education. However, Montessori's theories and methods are very different from those of Piaget and Dewey, upon which Progressive education (capital P to distinguish), is based. In fact, Dewey was a major critic of Montessori. Montessori seems far more structured than Progressive. While both are project based, Progressive education stresses social participation, creativity and more thinking outside the box, at least for younger kids, than Montessori seems to.

This is a better link to the various theorists:
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/comparison-early-childhood-development-theorists-6320.html

The person who created this chart obviously does not like traditional schools and has nothing positive to say about them. It's not so black-and-white. (My child will be attending a progressive school next year.)

What are the main differences between these approaches?