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Art in Education

At different times during the course you will participate in a wide range of artistic activities, including:

eurythmy, the art of the spoken word, storytelling, clay modelling, music and singing, painting, drawing, including wax crayons and blackboard chalks, form drawing and crafts.

The emphasis in this work will vary: sometimes it will be mainly for developing your own creativity and flexibility; sometimes it will be more directly connected to developing specific teaching skills.

Every weekend you will be given exercises in some of these arts to fulfill at home. We anticipate that among the student group there will be a wide range of skill and artistic ability in this work. In our view, a large part of our purpose will be fulfilled when you approach any art you find challenging with determination. You will be expected to complete each task to the best of your ability and to make significant and demonstrable progress during the course, but not to achieve a predetermined standard of work.

Hierarchies and the Horizontal

Waldorf schools are managed collectively by a College of Teachers rather than by a head teacher. In this sense they have a flat or horizontal form of management. Part of the course will explore the ideals and practicalities of running a Waldorf school. We will also consider the form and purpose of different school meetings, including Parents’ Evenings.

Features of the Course

Child Development

Key features of the ‘seven year phases’
Growing down: waking up
Interconnections between physical and psychological development
Thinking, feeling and willing
Sympathy and antipathy
The importance of the senses
'Constitutional types'
Child observation and Study

Since the art of education aims to correspond with the needs of the developing child, these themes will feature through out the course in numerous ways and will often form a major part of the content of taught sessions.

You will be given a variety of tasks to complete involving oral, written and artistic work. Through written assignments we will expect you to demonstrate your understanding of the Waldorf curriculum in relation to child development.

Education as an Art

Curriculum studies
Methods and practice in Steiner Waldorf education
Developing imagination and empathy through 'embedded knowledge'
Lesson forming
Authority, discipline, teacher awareness and skill in the classroom
Assessment and record keeping

The course will cover a range of themes by focusing primarily on the characteristic qualities and motifs of each successive year through the class teacher period, Classes 1 – 8. (Ages 6/7 – 13/14 years.)

You will be given a range of related tasks and your understanding of these themes will be assessed through your completion of oral, written and artistic assignments.

You will be required to complete six weeks of teaching practice in a Steiner Waldorf setting, usually in two blocks of three weeks. This can be undertaken at a time to suit you and, if necessary, after finishing the taught aspects of the course. Applicants are normally expected to have previous experience of working in education and to be currently working in an educational setting. Those who are new to teaching will be helped to gain additional experience through assisting for a minimum of a half day per week in a Steiner Waldorf school.

Teaching Practice