3. FIRST WALDORF SCHOOL
Emil Molt asked Steiner to establish a school for
the children of the workers of his company.
Steiner agreed but set four conditions.
That the school:
1. Be open to all children
2. Be coeducational
3. Be a unified twelve-year school
4. FIRST WALDORF SCHOOL
4. Will have minimum interference from the
state or from economic sources and the
teachers will have primary control of the
school
Steiner trained teachers based on child
development.
September 7, 1919: the “Independent Waldorf
School“ (Die Freie Waldorfschule) opened.
5. Waldorf Education
• Vision: to educate human beings to create a
just and peaceful society.
• Imaginary play is the most important “work”
of the children.
• Comprehensive from preschool level through
high school
6. Waldorf Education
1. Learning is balanced.
Steiner believed in a unit of spirit,
soul, and body, and that good education
restores the balance between feeling,
thinking and willing.
7. Essential Phases of Child Development
• Early Childhood: IMITATION
o The young child mimics everything in the environment
uncritically-not only the sounds of speech, the gestures of
people, but also the attitudes and values of parents and
peers.
• Middle Childhood: IMAGINATION
o As the child moves through these years, the faculty for more
sequential and logical thought begins to unfold.
• Adolescence: TRUTH, DISCRIMATION AND JUDGMENT
o The child begins to experience his or her own thinking.
8. Waldorf Education
2. Art, music, and movement are integral to
everything the child learns.
– Eurethmy
– Knitting
– Creation and illustration
of books
– Roleplays
9.
10. Waldorf Education
3. Learning environment bolsters the confidence of
all children and builds on their innate curiosity.
Student progress is evaluated through compiling portfolios of
the student’s work and the careful observations of the teacher
throughout each day of each school year.
The classrooms, and even to some extent whole buildings were
shaped and modeled by the teachers and the school
community, to form a personalized space, aimed at reinforcing
class identity and the teacher and class as a team
Recreates the home
15. Waldorf Education
4. So that learning in its fullest sense can occur,
teachers are nurturers as well as instructors.
Goal: to acquire and build on an in-depth
understanding of each child’s essential being and
character, of his or her strengths and emotional
needs.
16. Waldorf Education
5. Behavior is managed in a creative, non-
coercive manner.
The curriculum itself supports constructive
behavior because it has been designed to respond
to the needs of children at each development
stage.
17. Waldorf Education
6. Waldorf provides a framework that supports
parents who desire to shield their children from
the excessive stimulation and consumerism that
characterize popular culture.
Waldorf schools strongly discourage exposing
children to television, videos, and computer games.
18. Sources
• http://www.rudolfsteinerweb.com/Rudolf_Steiner_Biography.ph
• Follari, L.M. (2011). Foundations and best practices in early
childhood education: History, theories, and approaches to
learning. 2nd edition. NJ: Pearson Education.
• Gordon, A.M. & Browne, K.W. (2007). Beginning essentials
in early childhood education. Canada: Thomson Delmar
Learning. Lucas, M.R. & Corpuz, B. (2007). Facilitating
learning: A metacognitive process. Phil: Lorimar Publishing
Inc.
• Ornstein, A.C., & Levine, D. U. (2003). Foundations of
education. 8th edition. U.S.A.: Houghton Mifflin Company.