Learning the Waldorf Way

With so many teaching styles and curricula out there, it's hard to make sense of what each method offers. Dina has done the research for you in a series of articles. Here she looks at Steiner/Waldorf schools.By Dina Kassymbekova   If you’ve ever been in a Steiner/Waldorf kindergarten or preschool, you would probably recognize others regardless of the country where they are located. The schools would be surrounded by a beautiful garden; the classrooms equipped with wooden furniture and decorated with natural fabrics; the toys would be made from wood, cotton and wool. Since there is no focus on learning to read and write at an early age, children in Waldorf schools spend their days engaged in free play or arts and craft activities. [caption id="attachment_11348" align="alignright" width="240"] Rudolf Steiner. Image courtesy Pausoak2018 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Many parents are attracted to the beauty of Waldorf schools’ natural environment and the idea of stress-free childhood, but if you look more closely, there is more to these schools than meets the eye. Waldorf pedagogy is based on the ideas of anthroposophy -- a philosophic concept developed by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian thinker and social activist, who lived and worked at the end of the 19^th and beginning-20^th century. This approach is sometimes referred to as Waldorf Education after Steiner’s first school, established for the children of the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory’s workers in 1919 in Germany.

Guiding principles and methods

Steiner believed that every human being possesses not only a physical body but also a soul and a spirit, and that education should embrace the whole child. He postulates three main stages in child development, each lasting approximately seven years. The natural boundaries between these developmental stages are the loss of baby teeth and puberty. The first stage is a period when the will activity is dominant; in the second, the feelings of a child develop most intensely; and in the third stage, intellectual abilities unfold.

Waldorf curriculum

The Waldorf curriculum and teaching methods correspond with the child’s inner development stages. Appropriate curriculum and methods ensure that students can relate to their learning. Children under 7, who according to Steiner are not yet ready to comprehend, should not be taught academics. Their curriculum consists of practical activities and the main method of learning is following the teacher’s example, imitating the teacher. The curriculum for the students aged between 7 and 14 includes a broad spectrum of academic subjects, but these are introduced imaginatively and linked to children’s emotional life. Art subjects play a significant role in the curriculum. Students aged 14 and up start to develop the capacity for abstract thought. The learning process aims to foster their intellectual understanding and independent judgment.

Waldorf environment and teacher’s role                 

The school and family environment are incredibly important in Steiner’s system, especially for young children who are not yet able to differentiate between good and bad but, according to Steiner, unconsciously follow examples of their environment. “Waldorf education is education for children’s souls,” says Abhisiree Charanjavanaphet, Waldorf teacher trainer, founder and co-owner of Baanrak Kindergarten in Bangkok. “Children should feel safe, happy and healthy in the school environment. They should be surrounded by beauty and goodness. The teacher must love children, create an atmosphere of trust, but set clear boundaries for children’s behavior.” In practical areas, children follow the teacher’s example. Their imagination is protected from the influence of the outside world. The classrooms are filled with natural materials like wooden sticks, seeds, pieces of natural fabrics and unfinished toys that stimulate children’s imagination and creativity; television and computers are prohibited. [caption id="attachment_11353" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo by Von Florian K. via Wikimedia Commons[/caption]

Curriculum for preschool children

Students under seven are not taught academics in Waldorf schools. Steiner believed that at this stage of life children are not ready to absorb knowledge. He was a spiritualist and argued that learning academics would hinder the development of children’s souls. Instead of learning to read and write, the Waldorf curriculum consists of play time and arts and craft activities. “In our kindergarten, education happens in a natural way. The teacher and the students spend time like a mother and her children. We have home-like craft activities,” says Khun Abhisiree. Storytelling and songs are an important part of the curriculum as they develop children’s imagination. Rhythm is considered important for children. It is Waldorf schools’ belief that rhythm creates predictable, consistent flow of time and makes children feel safe. Waldorf schools pay a lot of attention to celebrating holidays -- it's their belief that these create rhythm within the year.

Benefits for children

“Safe environment instills confidence in children; in this environment, their will develops -- the will to play, to help, to learn,” says Khun Abhisiree. Safe, nurturing and unhurried Waldorf preschool environment fosters children’s imagination and creativity and gives them the opportunity to explore the world undisturbed. There is no pressure to achieve particular learning results. [caption id="attachment_11350" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo by Kindergarten_Guanacaste_Waldorf_School_Circletime_Rancho via Wikipedia[/caption] Not less important is that the Waldorf environment is healthy. Children spend a lot of time outside. Schools are usually located in green surroundings. As a rule, Waldorf schools provide their students with wholesome food.

Criticism and misconceptions

There are parents who turn to Waldorf education being not (fully) aware of the spiritual world view behind the method and feel bewildered when confronted with the deeper principles and ideas. Although anthroposophy is not taught to the children directly, Steiner’s ideas build the foundation for Waldorf education and it is good advice for parents to do research on this educational approach before deciding to send their children to a Waldorf school. One of the main criticisms of Waldorf education is that the method is dogmatic -- parents are expected to follow the Waldorf principals without questioning them. Some parents find the method rigid, feeling that there is not much space for an individual parenting style within the Waldorf environment.  Image by klimkin from Pixabay 

About the Author

Dina comes from Almaty, Kazakhstan. After graduating with a degree in philosophy, she moved to Germany to get her master’s degree in public relations from Freie Universitaet Berlin and worked as a freelance PR-consultant and a children’s book editor.

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The views expressed in the articles in this magazine are not necessarily those of BAMBI committee members and we assume no responsibility for them or their effects.BAMBI News welcomes volunteer contributors to our magazine. Please contact editor@bambiweb.org.