Waldorf education

Waldorf education (also called Steiner education) is based upon the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, and stems from his religious philosophy anthroposophy, which considers child development as a process of the child's soul and spirit incarnating into a developing living, physical organism. Waldorf education emphasizes an imaginative and holistic approach to education. Spiritual values are central both to the curriculum and to the training of teachers..

Waldorf education is practiced in more than 900 established independent private Waldorf schools located in about sixty different countries, in "Waldorf-method" government-funded schools, in homeschooling environments; and in special education.

Description

Waldorf education is founded on the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. The Waldorf movement as it is often called, is based on the research and work of believers in Steiner's philosophies and methods (pedagogues) since the early 20th Century. The Waldorf school curriculum focuses on perceived developmental stages in a child's life. Steiner believed that childhood was divided into three distinct seven-year phases:

• Early childhood, when Steiner believed a) that children's consciousness was divided between the spiritual and physical realms and that b) learning (language and skill acquisition) is largely experiential, imitative and sensory-based;
• During the elementary school years, Steiner believed learning naturally occured through the imagination and feelings. He believed learning at this stage was best conducted by creative (especially artistic) activity and movement, and;
• Adolescence, when Steiner believed the capacity for abstract thought and conceptual judgment developed.

The Waldorf movement often refers to itself as "education of head, heart and hands;" this refers respectively to intellect, feelings and practical skills.

The Waldorf approach to early childhood education (through age 6/7) emphasizes learning through doing (imitation of practical activities);. The approach to the elementary years (ages 7-12 or 7-14) emphasizes learning through artistic expression, movement and the creation of forms.. The Waldorf approach to the middle (12-14 years) and high school (14-18 years) emphasizes learning through intellectual understanding. (Schools vary in how distinctly they differentiate a middle school and some Waldorf schools go directly from elementary to high school.) Waldorf education attempts to integrate practical, artistic and intellectual approaches into the teaching of all subjects. This usually takes the form providing artistic and practical experiences of academic subjects (cf. main lesson books, below).

There are coordinating bodies for Waldorf education at both the national level (e.g. the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America and the Steiner/Waldorf Schools Fellowship in Great Britain) and the international level. These organizations certify schools to use the registered names Waldorf and Steiner school and offer accreditations, often in conjunction with regional independent school associations; some schools are also accredited by governmental authorities. Within these restrictions, the schools are essentially self-governing. It is also a central tenet of the Waldorf Method that within the school itself, the classroom teacher (or Main Lesson teacher) has almost complete autonomy within his or her own classroom.

Pedagogy

Steiner developed a 3-stage pedagogical model of child development that views a child's physical, emotional, and cognitive development as expressions of the process of incarnation of an immortal soul and spirit in its gradual embodiment in the human body which will be its temporal earthly vehicle. Childhood thus includes but three of the many seven-year cycles of development that Steiner believed define human biography.

Pre-school and kindergarten: birth to age 6 or 7

Steiner believed that children in the early stages of life learn through imitation and example,. Steiner also believed that the child was still transitioning from the spirit realm to the physical realm, so as in any school, it is considered best to surround him with caring, practically active adults to emulate. The teacher has the responsibility for providing an environment that he or she believes will stimulate imitation. In Waldorf, much of kindergarten class time allows children to play freely. It is believed by Waldorf practitioners, that such an environment supports the physical and spiritual growth of the child. Formal instruction is loosely structured or absent, and any learning that takes place, happens imitatively. Oral language development is addressed through circle games (songs, poems and games in movement), daily story time (normally recited from memory) and a range of other activities.

Waldorf early childhood education emphasizes the importance of children experiencing the rhythms of the year and seasons, including seasonal festivals that have roots in both pagan and Christian traditions. These include festivals at the Winter Solstice (Advent Spiral), as well as celebrations of Sts. Michael and Martin (Michaelmas and Martinmas) and Spring Solstice (Mayday). Some children also learn the rhythmic experience of the course of each day.. Children are also taught about gnomes, fairies, and stories from the Old Testament of the Bible, in addition to other religious stories pertaining to Saint Michael, Saint Martin and Lucifer.

Many Waldorf kindergartens and lower grades ask or require that children be sheltered from media and popular cultural influences, including television and recorded music (see "What Waldorf Discourages" below).

Elementary education: age 6 or 7 to puberty

In Waldorf schools, elementary education generally begins when the child is nearing or already seven years of age; this is up to one year older than the entrance age for most schools in English-speaking countries. The curriculum includes two foreign languages from age 6/7 - though not every Waldorf school achieves this - and an unusual emphasis on arts and crafts.

The objective of Waldorf schools is to have a single teacher accompany a class throughout the elementary school years from Grade 1 through Grade 8. This teacher, usually referred to as the "Main Lesson" teacher, is responsible for teaching the principal academic lessons to a class. S/He may also have responsibilities for some of the artistic and/or practical lessons, however specialist teachers generally teach the latter. Academic instruction is integrated with arts, craft (handwork, woodwork, etc.), music and movement.

Throughout the elementary years, an imaginative approach is encouraged; new material is introduced through stories and images rather than abstractly, and the children create their own "textbooks", known as "main lesson books". The school day generally starts with the children reciting a religious verse written by Steiner for the start of a school day. The rest of the day then includes:

• The "Main Lesson," which is a one-and-a-half to two hour daily lesson, devoted to a single academic subject that is conducted over the course of about a month's time.
• Singing and/or playing musical instruments
• Reciting poetry
• Movement, gym, recess or other exercise
• Language
• Handwork using natural materials such as yarn and beeswax

Science education in the early years

Until the child is 9-10, nature stories and outdoor experiences are the only "science education". A third grade (9-10 year olds) block introduces the human being, animal, plant and mineral world in their interrelationship on a farm. Only after this (11-14 year olds) are biology, botany and mineralogy introduced as separate subjects in successive years. Many Waldorf schools introduce a "building" block at this time which generally involves the students in building a structure of some kind. Steiner recommended introducing animals as what he referred to as "a one-sided development of the unspecialized human being" and plants in relation to the earth's varied climatic zones, as well as the soil in which they grow.

Middle school years (12-14)

In the middle school years, when the child is twelve to fourteen years old, many schools employ specialist teachers for academic subjects including mathematics, science, and literature. These are seen as transitional years when the pupils still need the support of a central teacher, but also the in-depth education possible only through teachers with special competencies in these subjects. The approach to teaching these years is changing in some schools, including shortening the class teacher cycle from the traditional eight years to six or seven years.

Secondary education: after puberty

In most Waldorf schools, pupils enter secondary education (high school (USA) or upper school (UK)) in 9th grade/year nine, when they are about fourteen years old. The education is now wholly carried by specialist teachers. Though the education now focuses much more strongly on academic subjects, students normally continue to take courses in art, music, and crafts. Academic subjects are treated in parallel: three to five-week subject block courses (main lessons) explore the historical evolution, philosophical significance, and social consequences of special themes in depth while track classes focus more on traditional content. Pupils continue to create their own textbook ("main lesson book") in academic classes, depending strongly upon oral learning, while the use conventional textbooks is generally limited to math and English (in English-speaking countries). Some critics of Waldorf view the lack of textbooks as opportunities for non-conventional (Anthroposophical) ideas to enter the curriculum, particularly in the areas of history and science.

While the elementary education focuses the child's experience on the teacher as an authority, the child is now encouraged to begin a more independent development of knowledge, under the guidance of their teachers. Naturally, the nature of the "guiding" depends very much on the teachers doing the guiding. As stated in Education for Adolescents (1922), "The capacity for forming judgments is blossoming at this time and should be directed toward world-interrelationships in every field." [8] In Waldorf, idealism is central to these years.

Educational philosophy

Introduction of reading and writing

While in a traditional educational setting, reading is introduced as early as four or five and writing is introduced later, in Waldorf the written language is first introduced at age six or seven. Children also learn how to write first, it is believed that reading consequently evolves from the skill of writing. Waldorf kindergartens also approach literacy through movement games, poetry and storytelling.

Main lesson books

In both the elementary school and secondary school, most academic subjects are taught in "main lesson" blocks. For these blocks, each pupil writes and illustrates a "main lesson book", a self-created 'textbook' based upon the content learned. Over time, children are encouraged to explore their own creativity in their main lesson book, so long as it supports the spirit of the lesson.

Foreign languages

Most Waldorf schools begin teaching two foreign languages from first grade/ class 1 (age six-seven) on. Foreign language instruction in the first years is purely oral; by the end of class 3, the written forms of the languages are introduced. When the pupils are about sixteen years old, exchanges with schools in other countries are encouraged.

Art

• Painting is normally a weekly experience in the early years. Art instruction continues through the high school for all students.
• In the elementary years, drawing is practiced daily and handwork [knitting] is practiced several times weekly, with projects which may include cushions, socks and gloves. For pedagogical reasons, full-color figures are usually drawn, not outlines. A special discipline called Form Drawing, created by the early Waldorf pedagogue Hermann von Baravalle, focuses on linear forms and is based on his belief that the form-drawing exercise creates a balance between mind and body.
• Sculpting with clay and/or woodworking is added to the art curriculum usually during 5th ot 6th grade.
• In high school, a wider variety of art is taught, including basketry, book-binding, silk painting, mosaics, oil painting, and other things, as well as all the art taught in the elementary grades.

Music

• The children sing daily with their class teacher. Generally, weekly singing lessons with a specialized music teacher begin at an early age and continue as choral instruction through to age 18.

• Pentatonic recorders are introduced in first grade/ class 1, the familiar diatonic recorder in third grade / class 3, when the children also take up a string instrument: either violin, viola or cello. Waldorf pupils are generally required to take private music lessons when a class orchestra is formed, usually at age 10. By age 11, the children may switch to (or add) other orchestral instruments such as the woodwind or brass. Orchestral instruction continues through to 18, though in many schools it becomes elective at some point.

• Waldorf children are discouraged from listening to recorded music, especially of their own practice, performance or voice.

Eurythmy

Further information: Eurythmy

A movement art created by Steiner, Eurythmy, is required in most Waldorf schools, generally from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The movement is usually performed to poetry or music, and aims to create a marriage of movement, the performer's inner experience and the spiritual content of the piece.

I speak in all humility when I say that within the Anthroposophical Movement there is a firm conviction that a spiritual impulse of this kind must now, at the present time, enter once more into human evolution. And this spiritual impulse must perforce, among its other means of expression, embody itself in a new form of art. It will increasingly be realised that this particular form of art has been given to the world in Eurythmy.

It is the task of Anthroposophy to bring a greater depth, a wider vision and a more living spirit into the other forms of art. But the art of Eurythmy could only grow up out of the soul of Anthroposophy; could only receive its inspiration through a purely Anthroposophical conception.

Rudolf Steiner, "Lecture on Eurythmy"

While six or seven-year old children typically perform a nursery rhyme, folk tale or a simple melody in eurythmy, eighteen-year old students might perform large-scale musical and/or dramatic pieces to their own choreography.

Other forms of dance (ballet, modern, tap, urban) are often discouraged, while attending a Waldorf school.

Nature and science in the Waldorf School

Waldorf schools approach nature and the natural sciences through direct, personal experiences. Children play outside in all weather, preferably in gardens that show the seasons through the changing plant (and sometimes animal) life. Inside the classroom, natural materials are preferred for the room, its furnishings and all toys. Materials include wood, stone, clay (e.g. pottery), wool, cotton, silk, linen and beeswax. Dolls are also made of natural materials and have simple expressions or are faceless. The beings of nature, including gnomes and fairies, are personified and even anthropomorphized as active agents in day to day life.

From about age 9, nature is studied more abstractly. The curriculum includes blocks on farming (aged 10), Man and animal (aged 11), Plant and Earth (aged 12) and geology (aged 13). Children are taught that they are interdependently connected with nature and the environment around them. They are also taught that as a result of that interdependence, how they treat nature and the environment is at least as important as how they treat themselves and each other.

By twelve, an experimental approach to science is introduced, beginning with simple but systematic sensory explorations of phenomena of acoustics, light, mechanics and chemistry and progressing through ever more advanced physics, chemistry, biological and ecological studies:

• 11-12 years: Mineralogy, acoustics, optics, heat, natural magnetism and electricity.
• 12-13 years: Nutrition and hygiene, mechanics, acoustics, heat, optics, electricity and magnetism, chemistry.
• 13-14 years: Anatomy, hydrostatics and simple hydrodynamics, simple organic chemistry of starches, sugars and fats.

At the secondary school level (fourteen years of age and up), Waldorf schools tend to emphasize the historical origins, cultural background, and philosophical roots and consequences of scientific discoveries. By the end of their secondary school education, students are expected to have a grasp of modern science equivalent to that achieved in other schools. In particular, the following subjects are recommended:

• 14-15 years: Acoustics and thermodynamics, earth science, organic chemistry
• 15-16 years: Mechanics, mineralogy, anatomy and physiology, mechanics, acid-base reactions.
• 16-17 years: Cell biology and embryology, botany, atomic theory, electromagnetism and radiation, the periodic table, advanced chemistry
• 17-18 years: Zoology, optics, physiological chemistry

Standardized Testing

Waldorf schools rarely use standardized tests in the elementary grades. High school students take standard college entrance examinations: SAT in the USA, A-levels in England, Abitur in Germany, etc. It is now a requirement of all independent schools in NSW, Australia to use standardized tests in order to receive government funding.

Celebrations and Festivals

Most private Waldorf schools celebrate festivals. Festivals can be secular in character, combine elements of several religious traditions, as is frequently the case in multi-cultural settings, or represent the dominant local tradition, as is generally the case in parts of Europe (Christian festivals), Egypt (Islamic festivals), Israel (Jewish festivals, but see Intercultural links in socially polarized communities), and India and Thailand (Buddhist festivals). In the kindergarten and earliest elementary schools years, many Waldorf schools also have an advent spiral celebration.

What Waldorf Discourages

There are some things that for pedagogical reasons, are often discouraged at Waldorf schools. Among the more common are:

• Television viewing
• Media including movies, many types of music
• Cartoons, chartoon and other characters (Mickey Mouse, Sesame Street) especially on clothing
• Computer use in pre-high school grades
• Certain sports
• Many types of dance (ballet, modern, urban, tap)
• Martial Arts
• Open communication among parents
• Wearing of black clothing ("unrelieved black attire")
• Use of black art supplies [paint, crayon, dye, paper, cloth, yarn, etc.]
• Wearing of synthetic fabrics
• Reading of books that have been made into movies [Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island, etc.]

Several checklists of questions to ask are also available.

Social mission

Wider social purpose

Besides seeking to foster creative development of the "whole child", Steiner also started the Waldorf movement in order to help fulfill a social purpose: that education, while remaining fully accessible and available to all regardless of economic background, should eventually cease to be controlled by the State, and should instead come to depend on the free choices of families and teachers freely developing a highly pluralistic and diverse range of schools and educational options.

Steiner held that where the State administered education, culture was crippled in its ability to impartially distinguish good from bad in state action and in economic life. Without the capacity to make impartial, independently-based critiques, i.e., critiques not controlled by the state and economic interests, society would proceed relatively blindly. He also held that educators whose methods and work were determined by the State often had their competencies and creativity greatly weakened through the lack of full self-responsibility and independence.

Social health, he believed, required education to be a matter of freedom and pluralism. At the same time Steiner emphasized that compromises with the State would have to be made.

Intercultural links in socially polarized communities

Waldorf schools have linked polarized communities in a variety of settings.

• Under the apartheid regime in South Africa, the Waldorf school was the only school in which children of both races attended the same classes, and this despite the ensuing loss of state aid. The Waldorf training college in Cape Town, the Novalis Institute, was praised by UNESCO as "an organization of tremendous consequence in the conquest of apartheid".
• In Ireland, the Holywood Rudolf Steiner School has accepted both Catholics and Protestants since its founding in 1975.
• In Israel, when the Harduf Waldorf school attempted to include the local Arab community, the educational authorities threatened to withdraw funding; the school responded by beginning a joint project with that community to run parallel schools with rich contacts. A joint Arab-Jewish Waldorf kindergarten has also been founded in Hilf (near Haifa).
• In Brazil, a Waldorf teacher, Ute Craemer, founded a community service organization providing training and work, health care and Waldorf education in the Favelas (poverty-stricken areas of the city).
• The Imhoff Waldorf School in Cape Town, South Africa has a programme which offers sponsored education to previously disadvantaged pupils.

Links to UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, known as UNESCO, has chosen many Waldorf schools to be associated project schools, including at least seven UNESCO Waldorf schools in Germany (out of over 180 UNESCO schools in Germany), as well as schools in Africa and Asia.

UNESCO also sponsored an exhibit about the Waldorf schools at the 44th Session of their International Conference on Education in Geneva. An exhibition catalog was published by UNESCO under the title Waldorf Education Exhibition Catalog On Occasion of the 4th Session of the International Conference on Education of UNESCO in Geneva.

History

See also: History of Waldorf schools

Waldorf education was developed by Rudolf Steiner as an attempt to establish a school system that would facilitate the inclusive, broadly based, balanced development of children. Though he had written a book on education, The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy, twelve years before, his first opportunity to open such a school came in 1919 in response to a request by Emil Molt, the owner and managing director of the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Company in Stuttgart, Germany. The name Waldorf thus comes from the factory which hosted the first school.

The resulting coeducational, comprehensive twelve-year school was open to all children. The teachers had primary control over the pedagogy of the school, with a minimum of interference from the state or from economic sources. For the first year the school was legally a company school and all teachers were listed as workers at Waldorf Astoria; by the second year the school had become an independent legal entity. The Stuttgart school grew rapidly, opening parallel classes, until political interference from the Nazi regime limited and ultimately closed the school.

As of 2005, there were over 900 independent Waldorf schools worldwide, including over 150 in the United States, and 31 in the UK and Ireland. In the United States there are a growing number of Waldorf methods based charter school and public school movements. Many teachers not working in schools committed to Waldorf education have brought aspects of Waldorf education into their classrooms, as well . In Europe, especially in Switzerland, there is much more integration of the Waldorf approach and government-funded education than in the USA or England. There is also a large homeschooling movement utilizing Waldorf pedagogy and methods.

School organization

Internal self-government

One of Waldorf education's central premises is that all schools should be self-governing; that the people who are practical experts on education, the teachers, should decide issues directly relating to pedagogy. Most Waldorf schools do not have a person acting as principal or headmaster, but rather a group of teachers who decide on pedagogical issues. This group is often known as the college of teachers. It is usually open to all full-time teachers who have been with the school for a certain period (often two years). Most colleges of teachers decide issues on the basis of consensus. Accordingly, each school is unique in its approach and may act solely on the basis of the decisions of the college of teachers, with respect to setting policy or other actions pertaining to the school and its students.

For more information about school organization and administration, see Waldorf schools' organization and administration

File:Audonicon.jpg

The Audonicon, Waldorf Teacher Training Institute in Skandenborg, Denmark

Teacher education

Waldorf education teaching programs are in operation throughout the world, both in specialized colleges and training centers and as courses in established universities. The course of study normally includes methodologies of teaching, academic training in specialized disciplines, artistic development, and familiarity with child development (especially as researched by Steiner and later Waldorf educators). It also generally aims to develop an understanding of the inner, or spiritual, basis of teaching; of the human being as composed of spirit, soul and body; and that an individual human being reincarnates in a series of lives. The latter implies that children bring certain gifts and challenges with them from previous Earth experiences, and have chosen a future destiny to develop in this life — a destiny which can be supported through the environment of family and school. This spiritual background is intended to enhance teachers' professional, personal and inner development. It is not intended to flow into the actual content taught to children.

Rudolf Steiner's "spiritual science" or Anthroposophy and developmental psychology are normally central courses at any Waldorf teaching college or training. Further specialized courses may draw on research done since Steiner's day by pedagogues such as George Adams, Hermann von Baravalle, Lawrence Edwards, Erich Gabert, Michaela Glöckler, Freya Jaffke, Dennis Klocek, Henning Köhler, Ernst Kranich, Georg Kuhlewind, Audrey McAllen, Martin Rawson, Wolfgang Schad, Ernst Schubert, Jörgen Smit and Olive Whicher. For elementary educators, artistic work will include painting, blackboard drawing, sculpture, singing, recorder playing, speech and drama work and movement (eurythmy and/or gymnastics). Practica in schools vary in length and will include opportunities for observation and for trial teaching.

Much of the education of any Waldorf teacher happens after graduation from the teaching program, however, including through further seminars and conferences (such as those run by the national associations of Waldorf teachers), publications, and on-the-job training in the classroom.

Private schools (including Waldorf schools) in the United States are generally exempt from meeting State licencing standards. Most independent private schools request candidates with at least bachelor's degree in the subject they intend to teach. The same is not necessarily true for Waldorf schools.

Spiritual Foundations

Anthroposophy's role in Waldorf education

Main article: Anthroposophy

Both historically and philosophically, Waldorf education grows out of anthroposophy's view of child development. Some Waldorf schools mention both Rudolf Steiner and anthroposophy in their websites but the extent of information schools provide to prospective parents about these particular topics varies widely. AWSNA, the accrediting organization for all Waldorf Schools in North America, states on their web page:

• A Waldorf school is not just an alternative to public schools or another independent school; its curriculum and philosophy proceed from the worldview and the insights into the nature of the child that Rudolf Steiner has given us in Anthroposophy. If there is not a core community surrounding the school initiative that is thoroughly familiar with and committed to that philosophy and pedagogy, then it is unlikely that the initiative will prosper.
• The anthroposophical work in a community is very important because Waldorf Education arises out of the soil of Anthroposophy. It is into this soil that the roots of the school will grow and derive nourishment.
• The school itself needs to have a healthy fertile relationship with Anthroposophy if it is to grow and thrive as a Waldorf school. For more information about the study of Anthroposophy or to learn of anthroposophical study groups in your area, you may contact the Anthroposophical Society in America.

AWSNA also stresses that although Anthroposophy is a central influence, and study of its inner path and teachings are encouraged for the educational community of teachers, parents, and supporters of the schools, they are never compulsory, stating, "There can be nothing compulsory about the study of Anthroposophy, for it must live in the realm of inner freedom."

Anthroposophy is not taught to pupils as a subject: Nevertheless, it stands as the basis for Waldorf education's theory of child development, methodology of teaching and particularly affecting pupils, the curriculum.

There is one occasional exception to the exclusion of anthroposophical content; some schools have seen the need to give their graduating twelfth-graders a clear picture of the basis for their education through a course on Child Development. Above and beyond presenting the anthroposophic view of child development, such a course may include a description of some other anthroposophic ideas, introduced to help the students understand the origin and nature of the school's educational approach: the human being as composed of body, soul and spirit; the value of integrating multiple points of view; reincarnation; etc. The purpose is to ensure that pupils understand the background of their educational experience and there is open discussion of the viability of these ideas.

Anthroposophical principles are the foundation of the curriculum itself. Steiner emphasized this connection in his public lectures about Waldorf education. For some people, these principles are interpreted as religious, and this reasoning has brought questions about whether public charter schools should receive taxpayer funding.

Racism in Waldorf Schools

Concerns have been raised that latent racism in anthroposophy persists today due to the unreserved adherence to the writings of Rudolf Steiner among some followers of anthroposophy (see Waldorf study below).

The Anthroposophical Society in America has issued a statement saying:

We explicitly reject any racial theory that may be construed to be part of Rudolf Steiner's writings. The Anthroposophical Society in America is an open, public society and it rejects any purported spiritual or scientific theory on the basis of which the alleged superiority of one race is justified at the expense of another race.

Waldorf study

But an independent research bulletin about racism in Waldorf schools, originally published in a Waldorf research journal, states:

Although Steiner urged his followers to think for themselves and to adjust his insights for new circumstances, a social study of anthroposophists in England found that many of them considered Steiner infallible (Ahern, 1984). If Steiner's theories do not provide an adequate safeguard from being accepted uncritically by Waldorf teachers, then his writings on race could be dangerous. It is difficult to imagine how his speculations on the evolution of consciousness among different peoples could be applied to individual children from different traditions without being racist. Few theories about how the universe works can be easily applied to the full complexity of individual lives. When any spiritual tradition accepts a multilived, karmic account of an individual child, there is always a considerable risk of misjudgment. When a key category in the interpretation of the child's karmic path through multiple lives is the individual child's skin color or ethnic background, it is more than a risk; it is racism, and it is intolerable. It is time to sound the alarm against the possibility that Waldorf teachers could be using such ideas to guide their thinking about children in their classes."

The principle author wrote a subsequent letter which contains the following:

Please note that my article is followed by a second article by a Steiner textual scholar and a Professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Douglas Sloan, carefully showing how Steiner’s thought, at its heart and in its spirit, is not at all racist. This is not to say that Steiner (or his transcribers) did not make mistakes, but it is to say that careful reading of the work would lead one to an appreciation of Steiner’s love of all children, regardless of race, creed, or color. Please note again the willingness of Waldorf people to address the issue and to clean house. I only wish that all public schools were so forthright on the issue.

U.S. Waldorf methods public schools

In 1998, a lawsuit was filed in federal district court by a small group in California, PLANS, against two public school districts that supported the use of Waldorf methods at two charter schools in, charging that publicly-financed Waldorf methods schools are in violation of the "church and state" establishment clause of the First Amendment. When the case was tried in 2005, the district court decided for the Waldorf methods schools, finding that the plaintiffs had no admissible witnesses or evidence to support their claim that anthroposophy is a religion. The plaintiffs are appealing the decision. The defendants are disputing the validity of the appeal.

Religious orientation

Independent Waldorf schools tend to celebrate festivals and otherwise incorporate content that draws on their community's cultural background. However, "no religion, including Christianity, is promulgated in a Waldorf school." In clearly Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu cultures, the religious traditions of the surrounding culture are often woven into the school's life, and this is generally one of the most appreciated aspects of school life. Challenges may arise in multicultural settings.

In traditionally Christian countries - Europe, the United States, and Australia - there is mixed anecdotal evidence, some individuals complaining that their children's Waldorf schools emphasized Christian festivals, values and/or theology; others emphasizing that they have not found such an emphasis in their school. Two factors seem to be at work here: the schools' tendency to embrace local religious traditions whatever their setting, which can be problematic for those not of the majority religion, and the schools' foundation in Anthroposophy, which, despite its conscious inclusion of all religions, has a strong esoteric Christian thread. Different schools clearly handle these tensions differently, and an engaged parent body or community input can awaken schools to the issue, as has happened on a large scale in various countries..

Comparison with state-run education

In 2005, a UK government-funded study praised the schools' ability to develop students through closer human relationships rather than relying purely on tests, but reported that the state sector could provide guidance to Steiner schools in teacher training and classroom management skills.

External links

Waldorf Resources

• The Online Waldorf Library
• Waldorf Research Institute

Further Discussion, Outside Views and Reviews of Waldorf Schools

• News articles since 2004

• "Schooling the Imagination" by Todd Oppenheimer (a winner of the National Magazine Award for public interest reporting). Atlantic Monthly, September 1999.

• "Steiner schools 'could help all" by Branwen Jeffreys. BBC News Report on British government-funded study on Waldorf education in the UK, 5july 2005.

• "Waldorf Succeeds in Public Schools" by Claudia M. Lenart. Conscious Choice, August 2000.

• "Contrarian finding: Computers are a drag on learning" by G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 December, 2004.

• "Waldorf Education. Looking into the educational system developed by Rudolf Steiner" by Diane and Robert Gilman. In Context: A Quarterly of Humane Sustainable Culture, Summer 1984.

• "The Wisdom of Waldorf: Education for the Future" by Rahima Baldwin Dancy, Mothering Magazine, March/April 2004.

• "What is a Waldorf School?" Peterson's Guide to Waldorf schools.

• "Schooled in spirituality" by Chrisanne Beckner. Sacramento News and Review, February 03, 2005.

• "Diplomats tour `eco-campuses,' laud progress" by Mo Yan-chih, Taipei Times, January 23rd, 2005.

• Research Monograph Review of Waldorf Science

Critical Review

• "Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925)" by Robert Todd Carroll, editor of The Skeptics Dictionary.

Research journals

Steiner's educational philosophy is continually being developed further. Journals of note publishing such material include

• Erziehungskunst, the organ of the German Association of Waldorf Schools
• Paideia, the journal of the Steiner-Waldorf Schools Fellowship in Britain.
• Research Bulletin of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

Associations of Waldorf Schools

• Association of Waldorf Schools of North America
• Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship of the UK and Ireland
• Southern African Federation of Waldorf Schools

Finding a Waldorf School

See also: List of Waldorf Schools

• A list of Waldorf Schools worldwide (in pdf form)
• A list of Waldorf Schools in the US
• A list of Waldorf Schools in Germany
• Starting a Waldorf School

Teacher training programs

• Antioch New England Graduate School
• Center for Anthroposophy in Wilton, New Hampshire
• Emerson College in Forest Row, Sussex, England
• Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto, Canada
• Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California
• Sunbridge College in Chestnut Ridge, New York
• The University of Plymouth, England
• West Coast Institute for Studies in Anthroposophy, Vancouver, Canada
• Sound Circle Center for Art, Seattle, Washington

Homeschooling

• Waldorf World's guide to homeschooling

Special Education

• Camphill Communities Intentional communities of people with disabilities that recognize the potential, dignity, spiritual integrity, and contributions of each individual.

Bibliography

Works by Rudolf Steiner

See also: list of Rudolf Steiner's works on education

• Education: An Introductory Reader (Christopher Clouder, ed.), Sophia Books (March 2004), ISBN 1-85584-118-5. Collection of relevant works by Steiner on education.
• The Education of the Child, and early Lectures on Education (Foundations of Waldorf Education, 25), ISBN 0-88010-414-7. Includes Steiner's first descriptions of child development, originally published as a small booklet.
• The Foundations of Human Experience, ISBN 0-88010-392-2, these fundamental lectures on education were given to the teachers just before the opening of the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart in 1919.

Note: all of Steiner's lectures on Waldorf education are available in PDF form at this research site

Works by other authors

See also: list of works on Waldorf education

• Aeppli, W., The Developing Child ISBN 0-88010-491-0

• Armon J: The Waldorf Curriculum as a Framework for Moral Education: One dimension of a fourfold system. Annual Meeting of American Educational Research Association (AERA), Chicago, 1997.

• Bärtges, C. and Lyons, N.: Educating as an Art, NY 2003 ISBN 0-88010-531-3

• Clouder, C. and Rawson, M., Waldorf Education ISBN 0-86315-396-8

• Cusick, L, Waldorf Parenting Handbook ISBN 0-916786-75-7

• Edmonds, Francis, An Introduction to Steiner Education ISBN 1-85584-172-X

• Gardner, John F., Education in Search of the Spirit: Essays on American Education ISBN 0-88010-439-2

• Gloeckler, Michaela: A Healing Education, Rudolf Steiner College Press, Fair Oaks, 1989

• Harwood, A. C.: The Recovery of Man in Childhood ISBN 0-913098-53-1

• Masters, Brien, Adventures in Steiner Education ISBN 1-85584-153-3

• Thomas William Nielsen, Rudolf Steiner's Pedagogy Of Imagination: A Case Study Of Holistic Education, Peter Lang Pub Inc 2004 ISBN 3039103423

• Nobel, Agnes, Educating through Art: The Steiner School Approach

• Petrash, Jack, (2002): Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out ISBN 0-87659-246-9

• Querido, René, Creativity in Education ISBN 0-930420-05-5

• Querido, René, The Esoteric Background of Waldorf Education

• Spock, Marjorie, Teaching as a Lively Art ISBN 0-88010-127-X

• Wilkinson, R. (1996): The Spiritual Basis of Steiner Education. London: Sophia Books ISBN 1-85584-065-0