Comparative Education

This semester, in my teacher training class, we have been studying comparative education. We have reviewed all types of educational methods and philosophies from religious day schools, to Montessori, to innovations in public school, and even homeschooling. Overall, I find that excellent teachers who elicit wonder and interest in their students, as well as bring a standard of excellence are everywhere. What I find that Waldorf brings, is a coherence to that effort, as well as a balance. Waldorf education embraces a holistic view of the human being and our needs, therefore allowing all areas of human capacity to be developed. The mind, the heart, the hands are all given attention, and humanity and a sense of purpose always permeate the curriculum. Additionally, teachers in Waldorf are always working creatively to design and implement their lessons with attention to the actual students before them; one size fits all is not relevant in a Waldorf classroom. Meaning and relevance are always a part of the curriculum and its presentation in lesson form to the students.

And what I believe homeschooling brings to refine the benefits of Waldorf even more is the freedom from oppressive structure, such as administrative issues, time constraints of a particular period, and forced same age social situations. Homeschooling allows children to relate with multiple ages, and gain a sense of self that is more naturally reached, rather than brought to bear from the forces of peer pressure. What happens in a same age setting is a pecking order develops, whereas in a multi-age setting, natural variations in ability exist because of maturation. In a healthy homeschooling situation, children also have plenty of time to socialize and play with other children, as well as meet and relate with adults through the natural course of the work of the day.

What excellent teachers have you seen or heard of?

One of my absolute favorites is John Taylor Gatto. His research into the history of public education and its unabashed, stated purpose is eye opening to say the least. Some new names I have learned about from my course work are Parker J. Palmer, Steven Levy, and Ron Berger. These educators are doing exciting and valuable work in the field of education and they are bringing excellence forth in other educators and in the students they encounter. And they sure aren't teaching to any standardized test. For information against standardized testing, check out Alfie Kohn's work. Please take time to read about their work. Here are the links:

John Taylor Gatto Site
The Courage To Teach, Parker Palmer
Expeditionary Learning, Steven Levy
Article by Ron Berger
Alfied Kohn's Website

Best to you in your work of education!

Summer's Conference: Highlights from our Keynote

After a great summer conference for homeschoolers, here in Virginia, I finally have time to get down a few thoughts. We were so lucky to have Gene Campbell of Chiron, Jody Grossman, Natalie Adams, Cynthia Bennett and Gloria Leon as presenters this year. These women are all great Waldorf teachers and advocates for Waldorf and it was such a pleasure and a gift to have them share their wisdom. We covered a range of topics, always with a focus on the anthroposophical roots and practical application. Ms. Adams began the keynote with a talk entitled: "Waldorf: Education Against Alienation."

She touched on some of the challenges of modern society with regard to academic, as well as, extra-curricular pressure. Time for children to play, and have something come out of their creative ability versus always being instructed by an adult, is critical. This important aspect of healthy development is being squeezed out of childhood in both public and private time.

See the following articles that discuss the intense, ever increasing academic pressure for contemporary children.

The New First Grade: Too Much Too Soon? http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14638573/site/newsweek/from/ET/

As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091100908.html

Ms. Adams noted that all of Waldorf education works against letting a soulless intellectuality take over, but ensures a connectedness to what is learned, studied, or experienced. I also notice that even in everyday terminology, a strict intellectual approach is considered dry and lifeless. Waldorf strives to enliven content, emphasize meaning, and allow a sense of wonder and beauty to develop. Waldorf does this without "entertaining children" and "making things fun" in a sugar coating kind of way. Keeping a human connection to what is studied is always central.

Montessori vs. Waldorf

I recently attended a lecture at the local Waldorf school regarding the difference between Waldorf and Montessori. A question I often get from other parents I meet is, "What is the difference between Waldorf and Montessor?". This lecture really gave me a good basic understanding of some of the differences. What is important to note in my evaluation is that I am simply looking at the curriculum, its foundation, its purposes, and comparing that to Waldorf. I have met former Montessori teachers and they are wonderful in their love and respect for children, and strive to create a loving environment. So my comments are not criticizing well-meaning, well prepared and dedicated teachers.

My impression overall is that Montessori is very remedial, especially now that I also learned that the original materials used in the classroom were designed for children in a psychiatric facility in the early 1900's. On the display table last night were the Montessori letter forms, a globe, the buttoning board, a bell, and a few other items. On the Waldorfside, were watercolor paintings, beeswax forms, table puppets, etc... The first thing that is striking about the difference between these two types of materials is that the Waldorf items are beautiful and full of vital life force. They are about living processes, what life is about; which is one of the main precepts indicated by Steiner and it is evident in the materials. The Montessori items were lifeless, dull, and disconnected from real life and context.

That is another striking difference between Montessori and Waldorf; Montessori materials and stations are very decontextualized. All are activities in and of themselves, and there is no relationship to a larger purpose, other than doing the activities. In some ways, this is somewhat a "consumer" type approach to working or doing (something Gene Campbell touched on at our conference last summer).

I find it hard to shake the feeling that this approach is remedial, and so removed from meaningful context and relationship. Even though the presenter mentioned that part of the goal of Montessori is to allow children to develop mastery and self-confidence in their ability to do things, it strikes me as divorced from real life. Why would anyone need to send their child to a program that has them button, pour water in and out of a particular pitcher, ring bells, polish silver for no apparent reason or meaning, and then put it all back on the shelf just so? As homeschoolers, this is even more poignant, because children learn these tasks in the course of a real day. Like baking cookies with you, or working on a small handwork project together, or getting ready for a special dinner with family and bringing out the silver! One time we got out the baking soda and scrubbed the racks from the oven because we needed to. They enjoyed that tremendously, and it had purpose and a true sense of accomplishment!

The manners and courtesy circle time, although lovingly done, seems a bit unnatural; these things should or could be learned at home. Here again the focus is out of context, whereas in a Waldorf classroom, as Nancy Foster mentioned she would assess various "manners" situations and help the children work through situations that arise.

I was also noticed how the day is focused on these activities and little on play and movement. Even though there is a station for language arts, with sand paper letters that children can trace for themselves, and cut out letters they can draw with and
books to peruse, the Waldorf approach seems more attuned with the natural way language is learned. In Waldorf, rich and beautiful language is used in stories, poems, verses and songs. Even as the Montessori teacher mentioned, language is acquired naturally in the "sensitive period" when a child easily and effortlessly masters the structure and sound of language, without being taught. She acknowledged this known fact about language acquisition, but the approach she uses doesn't maximize this process as much and as richly as a Waldorf curriculum.

A very interesting lecture, and one that certainly confirms to me that Waldorf education is richer, more attuned to the complete needs of a growing child, and is centered more deeply on true living processes. Waldorf doesn't just give information to children, it educates them and allows them to become truly and fully human.

There is a review of Montessori from a Waldorf teacher's perspective, Douglas J. Gabriel, in his book "The Spirit of Childhood". This book is available from the Rudolf Steiner Lending Library:

http://rslibrary.anthroposophy.org/

This is a great service and allows you to peruse hard to find Waldorf books, find the ones that are most valuable, and at a fraction of the cost of buying them yourself.

After finding some favorites, you might be interested in buying a copy yourself. I would recommend Bob and Nancy's Waldorf book site. They have been so supportive of the homeschooling conference, Bringing Waldorf Home; I am really appreciative of their help!

http://www.waldorfbooks.com/

New Thoughts after a long break

I have been doing a lot of reading of Steiner lately, and have been really enjoying it. It also has been a lot of information to digest thoughtfully, so I have really waited before I put out my thoughts on it. My impression lately is that Waldorf education is much deeper than I had been aware, and I love the depth. Concepts like the integration of willing, feeling, and thinking into the curriculum is a very detailed and in-depth theory of Steiner's. It really makes sense to educate holistically, and what is interesting, is that there is more to it than just what we would be aware of at the surface. Constantly, Steiner empahsized that we must work form a picture of our true humanity. What is the meaning of our unique creation and development? From the answer to this, we can truly educate.

Steiner's concepts about the origin of willing, thinking and feeling are based on a spiritual view of the human being. The power of thinking emerges from life before birth, and the power of willing flows forward into life after death. The interaction of the two, here in this life develops the feeling life. Additionally, children, Steiner says, have willing and feeling intertwined, whereas the mature adult has feeling connected with thinking. You can see this in action in the young child who moves forward with desire to touch, to take in, to embrace what is in front of them. They are compelled, as if fitted with little internal motors that continually move forward! Ask a mom of a newly mobile toddler; the motion is perpetual and healthily and happily so!

What is enriching about these concepts is the image they evoke of this continum of forces that move through us. These forces are unique to us as humans in that we have the power to work with them unlike the animal world which operates from willing and feeling. Here too, you can get a glimpse of why it is important to work to separate these two elements and connect feeling to thinking as we mature. This is in essence one of the factors that allows humans freedom, a concept Steiner empahsizes tremendously.

So, that is a little bit of what I have been reading and thinking about. The questions that Steiner asks in his lectures are very intriguing and unique, and are a real shift from many other theories. I find the questions and the answers very enriching and satisfying, even if I just entertain them as possibilities.

What about you?

The Child's Changing Consciousness

I have just begun reviewing the Steiner book, "The Child's Changing Consciousness" by Rudolf Steiner for the current reading of my online Waldorf Study Group. We currently have 53 members on our list!

Gene Campbell of Chiron, has sent us some focus questions to bring the reading into perspective and give us something practical to work on. We are very excited about her input! Please feel free to inquire about joining the study group.

This is an amazing book. Even the introduction is jam-packed with important and useful information. Not to mention it is written by Douglas Sloan of Columbia University. What Steiner offers in his view of the developing child is a holistic and complete picture. The pedagogy of Waldorf integrates, beautifully, the development of the intellect, but not without the emotional and ethical components. Without these, all knowledge is devoid of its humanity and its utility to humanity's growth and evolution.

Each stage of child development, according to Steiner, is unique; and what is important at each stage, what reaches a child deeply, is different over time. Knowing this information deepens ones work with children and enlivens it tremendously. Understanding that the young child is "just one great sense organ", revolutionizes the efforts one makes not only as a teacher, but as a parent. Essentially, what is significant, is that to optimize our development as humans we need to truly tap into what makes us uniquely human. Steiner talks about language and our upright movement in a very deep way in these lectures. It sparks one's mind to consider the impact of these and other things in the development of the child.

What is strking to me, after having recently learned more about "Feral Children" (see feralchildren.com for more information), is how profound the NURTURE component of our development truly is! The young child totally takes in what is around her, mimicing so deeply and so wholeheartedly. There is a case of a young girl from the Ukraine who was raised by dogs from the age of 3 until 8. She ran around on all fours and barked exactly like a dog that it is incredulous. Her language has developed, but she is lacking in so many respects in terms of social skills and intellectual capacity.

In a passage from this website listed above, the authors emphasize the role of nurture in our development as social beings, this is something we learn. How well we learn this, and how well we teach this, can be truly uplifted by the Waldorf approach.

"Feral children ought to be an excellent source of evidence in the continuing nature-nurture debate. Feral children cannot walk, talk, or socialise: they cannot show empathy with others. Indeed, these poor creatures are so apparently sub-human that Linnaeus classified them as distinct from home sapiens.
On the surface, therefore, feral children suggest that our upbringing is entirely responsible for endowing us with language, the ability to think and other traits. What happens in early childhood thus has a profound impact on the neurological development of the brain. But we know that nature has a vital role to play too."

"Quite simply, feral children are usually entirely unaware of the needs and desires of others. The concepts of morals, property and possessions are alien to them, and they can't show empathy with other people. If brought up by animals, they don't even identify themselves as human, but probably regard humans as "the enemy".

The article Nurtured by Love or Matured by Nature by Dr Susan du Plessis discusses the role that parenting has in the teaching of human skills and qualities."


In that vein, my next post will discuss further these aspects of humanity: to empathize, to be aware of the needs and desires of others, and more. I will also touch on the detriment of child-led parenting and what that potentially means for our development collectively.

~waldorfhmschlr

What Waldorf Education Provides...some thoughts

Dear Visitors,

I wanted to share some thoughts generated by myself and others on the Waldorf Study Group I run. I hope these ideas are inspiring and thought provoking.

Enjoy reading!


Dear Listmates,

I wanted to share how much I enjoy reading about what Waldorf education means to
you and what you have come to value and cherish about it!

Carol wrote:

"The Waldorf approach adds a fresh perspective as I come to parenthood after
many years in ECE and EC Special Ed. I experience Waldorf as a higher way, as in spiritual
evolutionary terms, of viewing my child and presenting activities. I am right there in
feeling the necessity of going deeper with the why and how. It always makes me pause and
appreciate life more when I can get that wider lens in focus."

I love how you put your thoughts into words, and I feel the same way regarding
the spiritual evolution idea. Waldorf is the only pedagogical system that has this
incredible range of focus from the microcosm to the macrocosm, and vice versa. It is truly
wholistic both for us personally and us collectively, and in the Creator's scheme. It is
about meaning and purpose at every level.

Caroline wrote:

"My most recent interest was sparked by attending a speech at the Washington
Waldorf school a few years ago by Joseph Chilton Pierce on brain research and early
childhood that really blew me away."

I was there also, and it was one of the most amazing lectures I have ever
attended! I posted a link to another article of his here on the discussion group; read it if
you have the chance. To begin to see the concepts of mind, heart, social connections,
spiritual connections visible in scientific studies is extremely exciting!

I think you will get more out of the next book to help with the anthroposophical
concepts and ideas.

Zaina wrote:

"I think I like most how it meets the child where they are and
presents and introduces learning the best possible way for them. The
techniques make sense and are backed up by careful study and
observation of children and their developing stages. That's my take
on it anyway."

Waldorf is truly attuned to the child and to their needs and development. I
think you will like the next book also, even though it isn't specifically about homeschooling.
Steiner's ideas are supposed to be fluid and applicable, as he states himself. After
getting more grounding, we can all begin to see applications and have a broader, clearer
consciousness as we do our work.

Sumiyeh wrote:

"Basically it gives sanity to an otherwise insane and often cruel world. "

Waldorf protects the child by allowing them to experience many things, but at
the right time and the right amount. Too heavy a dose of "reality" too young certainly
damages the spirit of a child, the desire for beauty and fairness. Please pray/send good
thoughts (however you like to do this) to those children who have no choice in this
respect. Hopefully our loving thoughts will reach them. (According to Joseph Chilton
Pearce, those heart waves are connected and extend out into the world infinitely).

In that vein, in addition to this idea presented by Mr. Pearce, I have read so
many articles, books, that emphasize that our own positive energy, effort, or work increases
the positive level of coherence in our environment. Additionally, when a group of people in
an area do this collectively, it increases the coherence in that area. Here is the
spiritual evolution piece.

~waldorfhmschlr

About My Links

I have just added some great links on the sidebar. Check them out to learn more about Waldorf education and other organizations that promote the principles of Waldorf to a wider audience. I am hoping over the next couple of posts to share some of what I have learned from each of these people featured in the links, most of whom I have had the privilege to hear speak at various conferences.

What is so valuable about these organizations, such as Alliance for Childhood and the NOVA Institute, is that they are striving to protect childhood and help to develop the healthiest individuals possible. Ultimately, this is a great service to humanity. One important aspect of Waldorf education and Anthroposophy in general, is its emphasis on developing social awareness and true relationship with others. Bringing greater consciousness to oneself in the service of developing social harmony is something unique to Waldorf.

Recently, a lovely woman who joined the Waldorf coop I helped develop, shared an amazing story. She is a professional violin player and the first chair violin player in her orchestra was Waldorf educated. She notes, with awe, at his incredible talent in music, an area strongly integrated into the Waldorf curriculum. However, not only is he proficient in music, but his awareness of social relationships and the ability to communicate with others both while playing and while interacting is remarkable. Often, serious musicians who excel in their instrument, are very focused and sensitive to their relationship to the music. This young (by the way) man is able to both reach inward and extend outward in a beautifully balanced way. This story was very inspiring to me. It brought home what I had learned from Gene Campbell of CHIRON; that the central task of Waldorf is to bring the children into true human relationship on behalf of humanity.

Enjoy checking out the links and feel free to share your thoughts and insights!