Analysis of Waldorf
Waldorf Education is a private, developmental curriculum focused on teaching to the holistic needs of children. Rudolf Steiner developed Waldorf education in the early 20th Century to create a learning environment focused on artistic learning and creative thinking. Waldorf schools, also referred to as Steiner schools, exist in 91 countries and there are about 1,000 schools in total (Costello-Dougherty, 2009). Waldorf schools vary in sizes but some have programs from preschool through high school (DeLuca & Hughes, 2014). As children pass through a series of stages of development, Waldorf curriculum focuses on teaching the right thing at the right time, meaning, in each stage of development, Steiner focuses on developmentally appropriate practices like imaginative play and creative thinking processes (Nordlund, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to explore the curriculum, assessments, its relevance for special needs children, and to identify how the program is meeting the needs of today’s children.
Overview of a Curriculum Model
There are a lot of curricula designed for Early Childhood Education. This paper presents one of these curricula, mainly Waldorf Curriculum. This curriculum is based on an unique approach and extended main lessons. The main goal of this essay is to analyze this curriculum and answer questions regarding it, such as the relationships between the traditional schools and Waldorf schools.
Brief Background of Waldorf
Waldorf Education was established by Rudolf Steiner in 1919. It was founded for children of workmen at the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Factory in Stuttgart, Germany (Costello-Dougherty, 2009). While conducting his lectures and discussions with the school’s first teachers, he endeavored to focus a considerable and noteworthy attention to a nature of the whole human development and further favorable outcome. It is considered to be his paramount cornerstone.
Description of Who Uses Waldorf
These schools are very successful and they have plenty of famous alumni. Some prominent schools include Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, MI; Sacramento Waldorf School in Fair Oaks, CA; Linden Waldorf School in Nashville, TN; and City of Lakes Waldorf School in Minneapolis, MN (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, 2016). Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor finds the Waldorf education one of the most promising and quickest to grow education in the world (DeLuca & Hughes, 2014). They chose it for their school because the system of this kind of education is eager to find out the capacities of children from the very beginning and also continues to do this during the whole education process.
Waldorf preschool and kindergarten environments allow children to work in the environment based upon joy, imaginative play, and security. The teachers are aware of the importance of an unobtrusive education. The whole system of education of the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor is based on the opportunity to unify the whole academic curriculum. There are a lot of the various disciplines presented to a student here. All the subjects are taught through stories and artistic presentations in order to catch children’s attention (Waldorf Education: Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, 2016).
Major Discussions, Debates, and Developments Related to Waldorf
The key point of the school is not the process of studying, but the successful outcomes (Ogletree, 1996). Thus, all the constituents of the learning process should be made in detail to bring an advantageous outcome such as high proficiency and intelligence of the students at the early age (Ogletree, 1996). The recent developments are considered to find its implementation in the teacher's activity of sharing varied observations, examining, and reviewing of the curriculum in order to add newly-created implications, elaborating of advanced policies and programs, spending more efforts and money on teachers’ growth, and establishing new facilities.
Creativity is one of the potent factors which can bring a lot of positive results. Torrance, who was a pioneer in creativity and investigation, claimed that the attempts which were aimed at learning all academic disciplines had a negative impact on children’s imagination, emotional, social, and in particular, fantasy (Torrance, 1966). Thus, all teachers should apply varied beneficial and useful methods of creativity and encouragement such as estimation of children’s ideas and aspirations, provide opportunities for internal self-development and self-confidence, as well as implementation of non-evaluated activities.
Research findings detected that the pupils of the Waldorf School acquired higher level scores based on creativity than many other pupils from the state school (Torrance, 1966). The pupils of Waldorf School also successfully passed various tests relying on creativity (Torrance, 1966).
Other findings identified the impact of years spent in the following school and how this length could impact the creativity of pupils (Torrance, 1966). The investigation was conducted taking into consideration pupils who began their schooling in the first, second, and third grades (Torrance, 1966). Detailed examination detected that the pupils who got involved in the third grade received higher score level than those in the second grade, and the second-grade pupils received higher score level than those in the first grade (Torrance, 1966). Creativity is one of the potent factors which can bring a lot of positive results. Torrance, who was a pioneer in creativity investigation, claimed that the attempts which were aimed at learning all academic disciplines had a negative impact on children’s imagination, emotional and social state and, in particular, fantasy as well (Torrance, 1966). Thus, all teachers should endeavor to avoid it applying varied beneficial and useful methods of creativity encouragement such as estimation of children’s ideas and aspirations, provision a great deal of opportunities for internal self-development and self-confidence, implementation of non-evaluated activities.
Another investigation focused on defining drawing skills among the Scottish students of fifth and sixth grade and the students of a Waldorf school. Students were given 15 minutes and asked to draw a fascinating picture from their point of view. Waldorf student drawings were fully developed in terms of varied types of techniques and methods such as students used a mixture of different colors and shades, they preserved balance, and also meticulously chose an appropriate color (Ogletree, 1996). Waldorf students excelled at this task as opposed to drawings of students from state schools who had a lower level of peculiarity and originality, varied significant techniques, and even fantasy (Ogletree, 1996). Which showed that Waldorf curriculum can provide better results in obtaining skills and developing imagination.
Theories Relevant to the Model
Experiential Learning Theory. This theory determines the learning based on the students experience so in the early childhood education the children will refer to the reflection of their thoughts and experience. This theory was established by John Dewey. The Progressive Educational Movement of the 1930s became a driving force was adopting the following theory (Dewey, 1938). The Experiential Learning Theory relates to the Waldorf approach as the early childhood learning is based on the reflections of their experience rather than their general knowledge. He insisted on the fact that only practice and varied free activities could give a lot of positive outcomes (Dewey, 1938). As a consequence, Steiner based himself upon experience and activity in his conceptual philosophy (Dewey, 1938). To demonstrate it in a wider way, one can pay attention of how a certain lesson began. The role of the teacher in this theory is to guide the students and help them in determining the necessary experience they have to refer to. Just like the Waldorf school, Experiential Learning theory aims to teach a child considering its own experience and determines the educational activities regarding their primary experience. The common thing for both, the school and the theory, is the applying of the deductive method of learning by moving from the whole to the parts.
Developmentalism. This theory suggests the graduate level of changing the activities and increasing the level of the tasks for learning depending on the age of the children. This theory is considered to be one of the considerable backbones in his philosophy. Piaget was also a patron of such a theory (Piaget, 1969). In accordance with their point of view, all information and activities should be comprehensible and recognizable for all children taking into account the level of their preparation as well as an emotional and physical state (Piaget, 1969). Just as the Waldorf School, developmentalism question the propriety of some of the activities according to the age of the children. This means that developmentalism is one of the most effective tools of the Waldorf School as it determines the activities and level of material on the certain level as well as the role of the teacher in the guideline process (Piaget, 1969). The role of the teacher is quite accurate and its objective is to determine the activity necessary for the education at a certain level of student`s knowledge or age as well as helping and guiding through the course of the activity. The Waldorf school is famous for its gradual knowledge that are given according to the level and the teaching of self-learning, so all of the three approaches are very important for the Waldorf School. For a Waldorf curriculum it means that the teachers do not always play the role of the teacher as an instructor, but they play the role of some sort of advisor that will guide them in the right directions.
Personal Reflections
In accordance with many of findings and investigations, it can be said that the students of Waldorf School had more unlimited imagination and originally-created ideas than many other students. Thus, one can make a generalization of above-indicated facts that Waldorf students had better abilities concerning varied types of creative activities. The basis of such outcomes was considered to be a teacher as a leading actor in such a performance, instructions, teaching methods and approaches and also the organization of the educational programs.
Conclusion
In general, Waldorf schools have an ability to give their students more integrated comprehension, providing them with varied opportunities to be successful, skillful, and independent people in the long run. The principles of Waldorf Education can be guides for other early childhood curriculum approaches as they are intended to develop creativity and flexibility of a person. Waldorf is a curriculum focused on children learning through curiosity and creative exploration. Ultimately, children need love, guidance, nature, and adults who display appropriate behaviors for children to imitate.
References
Association of Waldorf Schools of North America -> Find a School. (2016).Waldorfeducation.org. Retrieved 18 April 2016, from https://waldorfeducation.org/find_a_school
Costello-Dougherty, M. (2009). Waldorf-Inspired Public Schools Are on the Rise. Edutopia. Retrieved 26 April 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/waldorf-public-school-morse
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York, N.Y.: Touchstone.
New, R., & Cochran, M. (2007). Early childhood education. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers.
Ogletree, J. (1996). The Comparative Status of the Creative Thinking Ability of Waldorf Education Students: A Survey. Retrieved from http://www.thebee.se/comments/studies/OgletreeStudy.html
Piaget, J. (1969). Judgment and reasoning in the child. Totowa, N.J.: Littlefield, Adams.
Torrance, E. (1966). Torrance tests of creative thinking. Princeton: Personnel Pr.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
