A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, SUCH AS THE MARIA MONTESSORI METHOD, REGGIO EMILIA PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

This article aims to conduct a comparative analysis between early childhood traditional education and alternatives in primary education, such as the Maria Montessori method and Reggio Emilia approach. This article will be relevant and advisable for educators and parents to understand the key differences between each approach. There is no doubt that early childhood education plays an essential role in educating young minds. The question is how to find the best way to educate young children, what to choose: teacher-centered or child-centered models of teaching? Furthermore, from a parental view, the question is not only which method works the best, but also which one is more beneficial for “My Child”. Parents have difficulty choosing the right teaching option specifically for their children, which would help them become successful members of modern society in the future. Taking into consideration our teaching experience of more than twenty-five years, along with researching many pedagogical and educational books and articles, we came to an interesting conclusion about both – traditional and alternatives in teaching young minds. Alongside, we discovered that no matter how beneficial is the true idea of any teaching method, unfortunately, not every school is a true barrier to the philosophy, theory, and teaching approach behind the school’s name brand.