Waldorf News
'The world is changing now': why education and climate activism go hand in hand: For students and universities, tackling the climate crisis is a shared responsibility
January 29, 2020
With sustainability-focused postgraduate courses ranging from agroforestry to engineering, the choice is now vast. “Sustainability is no longer just for biologists and geographers,” says Iain Patton, chief executive of the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, who recently launched the Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education Leaders with 40 vice-chancellors and principals from UK institutions plus students working together to meet net-zero targets. “Yes, we need environmental specialists but everyone needs a baseline carbon literacy and understanding of sustainability.” Thanks to youth climate activism, Patton has noticed a huge shift in postgraduate education. “The world is changing now,” he says. “This is really significant. Students will deliver carbon-literacy training, influence institutional leadership and have positive impacts on postgraduate curriculum design. What we currently have is broken – we need innovative new approaches.” More »
The Purpose of Education by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 21, 2020
We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will, therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living. If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, “brethren!” Be careful, teachers! More »
The First Waldorf Kindergarten: The Beginnings of Our Waldorf Early Childhood Movement
November 16, 2019
The first “official” Waldorf kindergarten opened at the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart in 1926, a year and a half after the death of Rudolf Steiner. However, there was actually an early first attempt that is less known. I have looked through various articles, unpublished manuscripts and notes from conversations to piece together the following story of the very beginnings of our Waldorf early childhood movement: Even before the opening of the first Waldorf School in 1919, Rudolf Steiner had spoken about the importance of the first seven years of life and his regret that the class teachers would receive the children only after this formative period was complete. More »
Seven Benefits of Waldorf’s “Writing to Read”
November 4, 2019
Waldorf Education starts to set the foundation for reading in kindergarten. Learning to read is allowed to evolve for each child in the same form as it evolved from the beginning of humanity: spoken language developed first, then people drew pictures to communicate their ideas, followed by symbols such as hieroglyphics and finally the abstract letters of our modern alphabets. Once there was a written language, people learned to read. This is exactly the sequence in which children master language, and it also is the sequence in which reading is taught in Waldorf schools. More »
Saving Childhood: Basic Schools and the Future of Waldorf Education
October 22, 2019
At home: family structures are breaking down, stressed parents, unemployment, poverty, children sitting alone in front of the screen, computer games. Even the rich people’s children are poor! Let us take some necessary steps to preserve childhood! Let us give our children at least ten years of childhood! Only this way will they be able to have enough fantasy to reshape life on earth in a new and better way when they become adults. We’re dealing with the earth and the youth forces of the earth. The whole idea of “School” must be re-thought anew! Schools, where children can live, play and work in such a way that their natural gift of imagination can turn into creative fantasy. We need schools where they can live without pressure or fear, thus being happy while they learn and grow healthy. More »
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