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education for life

 

What's Different?

 

How does Steiner education differ from mainstream?

Christopher Clouder

Chair of Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship's Executive Group

 

(speaking at Michael House School)

 

In trying to incorporate this sense that human beings come to Earth with goodness. Every child brings something with them, and school is a place to allow that to unfold. In order to unfold they need a form: they need time to be in a lesson; they need classmates; they need teachers; they need material to learn; they need experiences; they need to develop abilities. But all of these are in the service of the child. It’s not society determining what the child should become; it’s trying to allow the child to become what they should and will become. So the whole slant is slightly different.

In the way we teach, and that goes down to the way in which the timetable is organised, for instance in the mornings we teach in blocks of two hours for three or four weeks on one subject so that the child can immerse themselves fully. Three weeks total immersion and experience of the subject in all its manifestations: and because subjects have many different forms, you can be artistic in physics, you can be scientific in literature. So the child gets a rounded experience of what that subject is and a love and enthusiasm for it.

Then there is continuity, especially when the children are younger, that they see the same person every morning for many years. That they get to know that teacher; that it becomes a relationship between teacher and child so they always feel secure and they always feel known. That they feel somehow that this person is with them. The relationship will also involve the parents. The parents will also know that teacher as somebody with whom they work for the good of the child. And that will mean a commitment from the parental side as well, to be more open and to share for the good of the child.

Another difference is in the artistic work, with a great emphasis on art, because artistic craft and art work is the basis of logic. But it is through movement, as is now well established in modern neuro-biology, that children actually learn more than through sitting reading books. The way our brains are established is that the neural connections are created through movement, and these then become more flexible and able to be used for learning more academic subjects later. So the younger the children are within the school, the stronger the artistic element. So they will sing, they will dance, they will move, they will do eurthmy, they will play instruments, they will play; endless play which encourages their imagination. We do have children coming to our schools now, who can’t play. This is almost unimaginable, but there are many children who no longer can play. And this is a disaster, because without playfulness, without this quality of dealing with the world with a playful attitude, then we become very isolated and become very cold in ourselves. So this quality of play and exploration through play and of joy – especially in the younger years – is part of what we do.

Academic subjects tend to come later because in our view, the children should be taught things when they are ready for them; when they have the ability. So reading and writing come later, but within a couple of years you’d never know. By the age of nine or ten our children are as able as any others to read and write. And they enjoy it, because it’s come out of an experience which wasn’t pushed down to an age where they weren’t ready.

Also there is a difference in the way the schools are run. Because we say to the children “Look, every child is different. Every child has different abilities. Some are clever, some are kind, some are skilful at running. You’re all different, and we respect your difference. But you’re also equal. One child is not more important than another. You’re all important.” And we try and run the schools the same way. Each teacher has different abilities, but no teacher is more important than another. So we try with ourselves to not only say something to the children, but also to do it ourselves. And that is also in the way the way the school is structured, and why we also need a lot of parental support, because we can also make mistakes in that way – it’s a difficult way of working in a school. And so the relationship between parent and school is also stronger. The school needs the parents in order to survive; it wouldn’t be here without the parents and it needs that input for the good of the child.

Here are ten ways in which you may find the Steiner Waldorf approach is different from that of other schools:

1. Reading, writing and arithmetic are introduced at a later stage than in other schools in the UK. Even though the children start formal learning later than in state schools, they are more mature when they do start and progress is more secure. Within a few years they are working at the same level as their state school peers.

2. All pupils study all subjects. For example, both boys and girls will learn sewing and knitting and woodwork.

3. From age 6 until the age of 13, children have the same Class Teacher, which gives a real sense of security and continuity to the pupils. From the age of 14 onwards, pupils are supported by their Class Sponsor.

4. From the age of 6, children receive an uninterrupted 2-hour ‘main lesson’ each morning, which allows them time to engage more deeply with the learning process. Main Lesson topics are studied for periods of three to four weeks, allowing children to reach much greater depths of understanding. 

5. Between the ages of 6 and 13, children use few textbooks – instead they learn to prepare their own illustrated and hand-written main lesson books as they go along. In the early classes, the teacher often dictates some of the text after thorough discussion of the subject matter with the class. In later years, the children start writing and drawing their own accounts of the lesson and finally even bind the books themselves. This experience lays the basis for the independent taking of notes during classes in the Upper School and on to college and University.

6. As the School teaches the International Waldorf Curriculum rather than the National Curriculum, pupils do not take SATS tests. Instead, they receive continuous qualitative assessment to check their growth in human, social and academic spheres. This allows school life to be an enjoyable learning experience for pupils and professionally rewarding for teachers.

7. There is no Head Teacher or Principal – the School is managed on a non-hierarchical collegiate basis by the College of Teachers.

8. Pupils usually sit GCSE’s. The pass rate at GCSE levels is generally well above the national average.

9. There is no school uniform. Pupils can wear clothing of their choice, within certain limits.

10. Steiner Waldorf schools in the UK and Ireland, unlike most of their counterparts in Europe, receive no state support. They are, however, dedicated to social inclusivity, although this presents economic challenges. Steiner Waldorf schools, at present, thrive thanks to financial sacrifices by parents and staff.

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