Practical Advice to Teachers » (REVISED)

How do Waldorf teachers put their educational ideals into practice in the classroom? How does a teacher connect geography and art and language to enliven the souls of children? What does a child's respect for the teacher mean for later life? These are only a few practical aspects of this ini tial course for Waldorf teachers.

During an intensive two weeks, Rudolf Steiner gave three simultaneous educational courses to those who would be the first teachers of the original Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany. One course provided the foundational ideas behind Waldorf education ("The Foundations of Human Experience"); another provided a forum for questions and lively discussions on specific issues in the classroom ("Discussions with Teachers"). This course takes the middle-path, integrating theory and practice.

Steiner spoke of new ways to teach reading, writing, geography, geometry, languages, and much more. His approach is tailored to the spiritual and physical needs of the children themselves, not to an arbitrary curriculum based solely on external results. This education is not geared merely toward producing marketable workers for an uncertain economy; rather, it provides a broad foun dation and the tools for a successful, creative life by helping children to grow to adulthood with a fuller sense of themselves and with a creative approach to life and the world around them. At a time when public education is in a state of crisis, this book describes how children around the world are being educated for the twenty-first century.

Steiner gave these talks to teachers and prospective teachers, but parents will also find these insights immensely useful to better understand of how Waldorf schools teach children each day in the classroom.

About the Author:
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) became a respected and well-published scientific, literary, and philo sophical scholar, particularly known for his work on Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his earlier philosophical principles into an approach to methodical research of psychological and spiritual phenomena. His multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, philosophy, religion, education (Waldorf schools), special education (the Camphill movement), economics, agriculture (biodynamics), science, architecture, and the arts (drama, speech and eurythmy). In 1924 he founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which has branches throughout the world.