waldorf - steiner education ?

[Peter Allen]

Hi everyone,

Does anybody have an opinion on Waldorf -Steiner schools ?

 I  loathe the idea of  religious instruction   that takes place in  most independent schools,  but  I don't know much about  the  Waldorf - Steiner approach.

any comments? opinions?

[Barbara Dieu]

Hi Peter,
The Waldorf-Steiner schools are based on the Anthroposophical concept
and approach.
http://www.sab.org.br/antrop/anthrop-eng.htm
Here is some more about it.
http://www.sab.org.br/pedag-wal/artigos/myths.htm

Warm regards from Brazil,
Bee

--
Barbara Dieu
http://barbaradieu.com
http://beespace.net

[Barbara Dieu]

Hi Peter,

Some more info.

>I don't know much about the Waldorf - Steiner approach.

Wikipedia has more information about it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthroposophy

and here is a comprehensive list of links
http://www.waldorfanswers.org/WaldorfLinks.html

I know several people who were educated in Waldorf schools and they
seem all well-adjusted and happy. I considered sending my kids there
but gave up because of the language taught (German) but not sure this
is the case for all of them. I think it is worth visiting the school,
hanging around and finding more about it. Talk to parents and kids.

Warm regards,

[Peter Allen]

Thanks Barbara - the most informative document I found from your links was this: - http://www.ecswe.org/wren/html/_private/seven_myths.pdf



I started reading about the methodology  the waldorf-steiner employs and I started   wondering  along the lines of these " myths"

The questions helped to make an assessment of what the authors call “seven myths about
Waldorf Education”, detailing and expanding the doubts referred to in section 1. These
myths are as follows:
 
1.  Waldorf graduates are not able to pass the admission examinations to Brazilian
colleges and universities
 
2.  They are not admitted to first-rank colleges and universities;
3.  Once accepted by a good college or university, they are not able to finish their
course;
4.  Most Waldorf graduates become artists;
5.  Waldorf Education does not prepare its students for the job market;
6.  It does not prepare its students to be professionally competitive;
7.  Waldorf is a religious education.

Even after reading the  document I  am  still  concerned about : -

Parents who decide to send their children to a Waldorf school know that they are taking a
courageous step to be “different”. The decision is not easy, because Waldorf Education
really presents many differences in comparison with other teaching methods. Here are some
of the most obvious ones:
-  No text books are used – students create their own;
-  There are no tests and no exams;
-  There is no failing of a grade;
-  Reading and writing begin only in first grade and may take a long time to learn;
-  All students remain grouped together from the first to the last (twelfth) grade (with
occasional exceptions due to students entering or leaving the school);
-  There is a teacher, called a “class teacher”, who takes a class in grade 1 and ideally
stays with the class until grade 8, teaching all the main subjects: Mathematics,
History, Geography, the native language and sciences;
-  These main subjects are taught in “main lessons”, in daily classes which run over
three or four weeks;
-  Ideally, students learn sciences such as Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Geology
using the so-called “Goethean phenomenological principle” – this means that first
of all they intensely experience and describe the related phenomena, and only later
come to learn and elaborate intellectual concepts about them;
-  Arts have the same importance and receive the same attention as all other school
subjects; this means that they are not organized as extra classes or elective subjects;
they include form-drawing, sketching, painting, sculpture, pottery, weaving, music,
drama and handicrafts; furthermore, in the elementary and middle schools (grades
1- 8) every subject is taught in an artistic way;
-  Waldorf Education is based on the Anthroposophical concept and understanding of
the human being developed by Rudolf Steiner at the beginning of the 20th
 century,
particularly with regard to concepts involving the processes of child and adolescent
development. The content of each school subject and the way the subject is taught
follow specific concepts about the characteristics of each age level.

I get the feeling  that  Leigh Blackhall would have  endorsed the Waldorf- Steiner  approach .:)

[Barbara Dieu]

> Even after reading the document I am still concerned about.
It is true that the Waldorf-Steiner school is different as it follow a
holistic approach so all subjects are integrated in cycles. As I said,
I have met many ex-students from the São Paulo school and they have
all enjoyed the experience and have adapted well to mainstream. My
son's girlfriend did the first 8 years of schooling but then changed
to the regular high school - she confesses that at the beginning it
was a shock to learn all in fragmented ways but she eventually
adapted. She is pursuing her studies now as a nurse at one of the best
hospitals in town. I have been into anthroposophic medicine and
doctors for ages and am very satisfied with the results
<http://www.weleda.co.uk/About-Weleda/Anthroposophic-Medicine/stry/subcategorytitle05#anchor1>
As I said, if you are interested in sending your child to a school,
the best thing to do is to approach the community, visit the school on
several occasions, hang around, observe and ask questions.
Warm regards,

[Barbara Dieu]

>I get the feeling that Leigh Blackhall would have endorsed the Waldorf- Steiner approach .:)

There are many progressive schools around - we just do not know about them.
Take for instance Paul Geheeb's Ecole d'Humanité. It's basically the
same concept of "community learning" and conviviality, which has
apparently been lost in schools built for industrial times.
http://www.geocities.com/~gianno/ecole.html