Rudolph Steiner was a pioneer in the field
of developmentally based, age-appropriate learning. He sought to develop
a balanced education for the “whole child”, one which would
engage the child’s thinking, feeling and willing (doing): an education
for the head, heart and hands. From early childhood through high school,
Waldorf educators teach according to the changing inner development of
the child.
The First Seven Years - Imitation
The milestones achieved in these first years
- to stand, to talk, to think - are all achieved through imitation. In
the preschool and kindergarten, an atmosphere much like home is created
to provide a gentle transition from home to school life. The teacher engages
in domestic, practical and artistic activities (for example, baking, painting,
gardening and handicrafts) which the children readily imitate. Their power
of fantasy is nurtured with storytelling and encouraged through free play.
Through songs and rhymes, the children learn to enjoy language.
The Heart Of Childhood - Imagination
When children are ready to enter grade one,
they are eager to explore the world at a more conscious level. They do
this through - the ability to "see" a picture, "hear"
a story, and "divine" meanings.
When seen through
the lens of the imagination, nature, the world of numbers, mathematics,
geometrical form etc. come alive. Everything that speaks to the child's
imagination in pictures and stories in colour, rhythm, and music,
is learned and remembered in such a way that it becomes a living part
of the child.
The teacher appeals primarily to the
feelings of the child between 7 and 14. Whether the subject is arithmetic,
history or physics, the presentation must live - it must speak to
the child. For this reason, all things in a Waldorf school are both
functional and beautiful.
Towards Adulthood
- Rational Thinking
During the third development stage -
adolescence, imaginative learning undergoes a metamorphosis and emerges
with the rise of the intellect. The students are searching for truth
and they begin to experience their power of thinking. Focus is now
placed on intellectual work.
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