What were the discoveries made by Dr.

Maria Dr. Montessori at Casa dei

Bambini? Essays
When I was at school we had a teacher whose fixed idea was to make us learn by heart
the lives of famous women, in order to incite us to imitate them. The exhortation which
accompanied these narrations was always the same. Would you not like to become
famous? Oh no, I replied drily one day, I shall never be that. I care too much for the
children of the future to add yet another biography to the list. (Her Life and Work,
Chapter 1, p. 21). Despite not having an inclination of being famous, Dr. Montessori
became
Improve your academic results!
We will write a custom essay sample on
What were the discoveries made by Dr. Maria Dr. Montessori at Casa dei Bambini?
or any similar topic
specifically for you for only $12.90/page!

the founder of the Montessori Method of Education. After graduating in 1896 at the age
of 26, Dr. Montessori worked at a psychiatric clinic in the University of Rome as an
Assistant Director. She quickly observed how the children were ill treated.
In light of her interest in children, Dr. Montessoris studies and work were inclined
towards the work of Jean Itard and Edouard Seguin who specialized and studied about
mentally disabled children. Dr. Montessori was successful in this field of work and it was
not long before Dr. Montessori realized that the similar method in educating the mentally
disabled children could be used to normal children. After I had left the school for
deficient, I became convinced that similar methods applied to normal children would
develop or set free their personality in a marvelous and surprising wayA great faith
animated me, and although I did not know that I should ever be able to test the truth of
my idea, I gave up every other occupation to deepen and broaden its conceptionIt was
almost as if I prepared myself for an unknown mission. (The Essential Montessori,
Chapter 1, p.14). Nonetheless, she was not in luck and she did not have an opportunity to
work with normal children just yet.
Casa dei Bambini or rather known as Childrens House was the first school Dr.
Montessori had established in 1907. This was also her first opportunity to work with
normal children. Casa dei Bambini was located in a slum area in San Lorenzo. This area
was over populated and was known for its poverty and high crime rates. Given the state
of the area at that juncture, the government authorities decided that the children of the
area should not be left abandoned and thus approached Dr. Montessori to assist in caring
for these children. Despite the government having the objective of the school as

overcoming social issues, Dr. Montessori was of the view that Casa di Bambini was to
provide free education and care to children of working parents. At Casa dei Bambini, Dr.
Montessori made the following ten observations.
Dr. Montessoris first observation led to her discovery of the ability of children to
concentrate. She noted that children had the ability to concentrate without easily being
distracted. Dr. Montessori was taken aback to notice the intensity of a three year old child
who was working on cylinders and their containers. The child was slipping the cylinders
in and out of the containers. Her motion was almost perpetual like with no change in
speed. She was not distracted by her surrounding that it seemed as though her
concentration and interest towards the cylinders had shut her off from her surroundings.
Having closely observed this child, Dr. Montessori made efforts to distract the child by
requesting the other children to sing loudly and in addition to that, Dr. Montessori also
picked up the chair seated by the girl and placed it on the table.
Dr. Montessoris efforts in distracting the childs concentration were to no avail. Besides
observing the intensity of concentration in this child, Dr. Montessori had also noticed that
the child had repeatedly conducted the exercise and managed to complete it 42 times.
Having completed what is considered a tiring task, the child seemed pleased. This
observation had led Dr. Montessori in developing the method with the fundamental
principle of the spontaneous work of the child. In addition to the level of concentration in
a child as discovered by Dr. Montessori, she had also observed that the child has love of
repetition. She noticed that children needed to repeat a particular task to assist their
development. Dr. Montessori shared her experience on how she taught the children in
Casa dei Bambini to wash their hands and thereafter became aware that the children had
continually washed them despite it being clean. They often repeated exercises for no
external purpose and this happened often in various other exercises.
Dr. Montessori noted that the more detail the exercise was taught the more the children
continuously repeated the same. Though periods of concentration that made the children
oblivious to the outer world were not frequent, I noted a strange behavior that was
common to all and nearly constant in all their actions. This was what I later called
repetition of exercise. (The Secret of Childhood, Chapter 19, p.120).
Dr. Montessoris next discovery was the love of order in a child. During her close
examination on the children at Casa dei Bambini, Dr. Montessori discovered that the
children who had often monitored their teacher placing objects back at its proper place
and disobeyed their teachers instructions to return to their seat were doing so simply
due to their interest in wanting to imitate their teachers actions; i.e. to place objects back
at their proper places. Since they portrayed the interest of returning the objects to where
they belonged, Dr. Montessori did not deny their desire and allowed them to do so. With
that, the children adopted this new practice in their life. The children always placed
things in order, straightened objects up and generally kept the environment in order. Dr.
Montessori later observed that this behavior was absent in older children.

In addition to the above, another surprising discovery at Casa dei Bambini which Dr.
Montessori came across was that the children had the ability to select materials and
objects of their choice. Dr. Montessori explained in The Secret of Childhood and in Her
Life and Work that the teacher having forgotten to lock the cupboards in the class arrived
in class the next day only to notice that all the children have helped themselves with
materials and objects of their choices. Despite the teachers being cross and had intention
to punish the children, Dr. Montessori quickly noticed that the children had no aim of
stealing as they enjoyed putting things back into their proper places after usage. This
incident was the beginning of that principle of free choice of activity
(Her Life and Work, Chapter 2, p.42). Having witnessed that incident, Dr. Montessori had
gotten all the locked cupboards replaced by smaller and attractively painted cupboards
which allowed the children to access the materials and objects easily. This enabled them
select items which corresponded to their inner needs. By providing the children with this
freedom of choice, Dr. Montessori further observed their psychic needs and inclination.
The children often chose the same materials and objects leaving the other objects unused.
Despite exposing the children to ALL the materials and objects, they never voluntarily
chose the unused items. With this observation, Dr. Montessori later adopted the method
called Free Choice of Activity.
Dr. Montessoris next observation led to her discovery that the children were not keen in
toys, be it costly toys or otherwise and that their preference was simply to work with
materials and objects. Pricey toys which Dr. Montessori placed in the room were never
chosen by the children. Dr. Montessori got involved in demonstrating to the children on
how to handle and play with the toys but their attention was short-lived. The children
never went back to choose or play with those toys. She simply said that They never
made such toys the object of their spontaneous choice (Her Life and Work, Chapter 2,
p.43). Having witnessed this incident Dr. Montessori could conclude that children felt
that they had a priority which made them attracted to do any exercise which could assist
their development as opposed to playing.
Another incident which occurred led to Dr. Montessoris conclusion that children need
not be rewarded or punished. She once entered the room and noted that a child who was
being punished by a teacher had a decoration on his breast and was seated in the centre of
the room. On the other hand, there was another child who was being rewarded with a
badge. Surprisingly, the reward did not mean anything to the child and he had removed it
and given it to the child who was being punished. The child who was being punished
appeared to be indifferent to both the reward and the punishment badges as if it did not
mean anything to him. Observing this situation and other subsequent incidents whereby
the children often refused rewards, Dr. Montessori discovered that rewards and
punishment impeded the childrens choice of activity and soon abandoned the reward and
punishment practice. She had also monitored the behavior of the children and
distinguished that children were well behaved when they had learned how to work.
Dr. Montessori also regarded mischief or disobedience which exists amongst children
was simply due to the divergence of their energies from the true channels. The only

solution to this issue was that this diverted energy be fixed via a different orientation of
elements of personality through spontaneously chosen work. Dr. Montessori compiled
views on rewards and punishments from other Dr. Montessori schools and one directress
wrote that With younger children the greatest reward is to be able to pass on to a new
stage in each subject. It is a punishment to a young child not to be allowed to use the
apparatus, but to sit still and do nothing (Her Life and Work, Chapter 2, p. 44).
The discovery of Dr. Montessoris exercise of silence originated from an observation of
hers at Casa dei Bambini. When Dr. Montessori once brought a 4 month old baby into the
class who were so silent, she jokingly wanted the children to imitate the silence. As soon
as Dr. Montessori pointed out the babys silent behavior to the children and challenged
them to imitate the same, they proved to her that they were able to be as silent as the
child. During this incident, Dr. Montessori discovered that the children were not only
silent but their silence was seen to have been a desire from within. Dr. Montessori
attempted another activity with the children as an addition to the activity of silence. She
very quietly whispered their individual names and requested them to walk to the front of
the class where she was at. Dr. Montessori noted that they could not only keep silent but
were also very sensitive to a voice that had called out to their names. They were also
careful as to not knock any furniture or objects around them. Dr. Montessori realized that
Every exercise involving movement where mistakes can be corrected, as in this case
where noise was checked by silence, is of great assistance to a child. Repetition of such
an exercise can lead a child to perform exterior acts with a perfection which it could
never attain through more instruction.(The Secret of Childhood, Chapter 19, p.124).
Through Dr. Montessoris numerous encounters in communicating with the children at
Casa dei Bambini, she discovered that children had a sense of personal dignity. She
stressed that adults should respect this, failing which the child could be offended in the
long run. Dr. Montessori described how she once carefully taught the children how to
blow their noses using a handkerchief in the most discreet manner. When the children
clapped with much enthusiasm at her demonstration, Dr. Montessori had an instinct that
she had touched a sensitive spot in the childrens lives. As opposed to having taught them
on how to use the handkerchief, many adults had often scolded the children on this
accord. During visits by various observers at the Casa dei Bambini, the children were so
well behaved that Dr. Montessori was surprised herself by the positive feedbacks made
by the visitors. The children were said to have been very inviting and polite. Dr.
Montessori knew that their actions were sincere as they were not instructed to treat the
visitors with such warmth.
During Dr. Montessoris tenure at Casa dei Bambini, she did not have the intention to
teach the children to read and write. Dr. Montessori opined that children should begin
writing as late as possible, preferably after the age of 6. The children at Casa dei Bambini
had never failed to surprise Dr. Montessori when they approached her to teach them.
Many parents had also approached Dr. Montessori requesting her to teach their children.
As they were persistent, Dr. Montessori finally agreed and together with assistance from
other teachers, they made alphabets out of card boxes and sandpapers. The children were
only taught the sounds that the alphabets represented and not the name of them. When

one student finally managed to spell the word SOFIA, it was proven that the children
were seeking for the component sound of the words they had in mind. They also slowly
learnt to grasp that each of the sound corresponds to an alphabet. Dr. Montessori
thereafter wrote instructions and commands on the board and within a week there were
children who could read and perform those commands. It is a common misconception
that children start to read before they are able to write.
However, Dr. Montessori discovered otherwise. Subsequent to all of the above, Dr.
Montessori had discovered the vast improvement in the overall wellbeing of the children
at Casa dei Bambini. During her initial days at Casa dei Bambini, she witnessed the street
children being in a disorderly and unkempt state. Nonetheless, as time passed, the
children had adapted to the new practices in life of which Dr. Montessori had exposed
them to. As mentioned above, the approach of offering rewards or punishments had been
disregarded. However, the children had still inhibited the good habits which improved
their day to day lifestyle. It was apparent that this change was a spontaneous selfdiscipline. The children also portrayed positive vibe, being very happy and joyful. Their
well behaved attitudes awed many observers who visited the class. With this self
discipline, Dr. Montessori discovered that the children were independent and obedient.
They were able to attend class, select their favorite materials and work with them in a
quiet manner and returned the materials to its proper place when they have completed
their exercises.
Casa dei Bambini, being the first opportunity which arose for Dr. Montessori to work
with normal children, had indeed equipped her with numerous unforgettable memories
and experiences which eventually formed the foundations to her method. Her method is
said to have been a consequence of her various discoveries mentioned above via
observations of children behavior, particularly the children at Casa dei Bambini.
Subsequent to all the above discoveries, Dr. Montessori conducted her first course on
education for children in 1909.