Art of Education Course

About the course

This is a one-year, standalone course, providing a broad grounding in Waldorf education.  Students who complete the course are able to apply for the Art of Teaching course  Those fulfilling the requirements of the course will receive a WESTT certificate in the Art of Education.

Held over 10 weekends and 2 intensive weeks, at Wynstones School in Gloucestershire, this part-time course employs a number of teaching methods:

• Immersive/experiential
• Lectures
• Self-directed learning and home reading/study
• Written assignments (which are marked)
• Artistic/creative assignments
• Group activities and sharing

There is an emphasis on self-development – the growth of the individual and of the group – with the expecation that this will feed into and nourish the wider community.

The Art of Education course is suitable for:

• Teaching assistants and learning support assistants
• Experienced teachers transitioning to a Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired setting
• Those wishing to become class teachers, who will go on to apply for the Art of Teaching course
• Administrators, school managers and other non-teaching staff
• Parents, including those who might wish to become trustees

Requirements

In order to fulfil the requirements of the course, 90% attendance is required.  In addition, key assignments must be completed in a timely manner, and receive a minimum mark of ‘Achieved.’

** Key Assignments are marked and awarded Achieved, Merit or Distinction. Students are given the opportunity to improve on a piece of work where necessary.  Please note:  in order to be able to be accepted onto the Art of Teaching course, students must have attained a mark of Merit or above in all key assignments, and have completed all other work.

Aims and Outcomes

A student completing the Art of Education Course will have:

• A good understanding of the impulse behind the first Waldorf school, and the process of renewal that this impulse is necessarily undergoing
• A good understanding of the place of Waldorf education in the world – historical and political
• A good understanding of the structure and life of a Waldorf School and its accessibility to children – including alternative models
• A broad understanding of the aims of a Waldorf school
• A good understanding of the key stages of child development, ages 1 to 18
• A good understanding of the role of self-development of the individual working with children, including areas such as:
  • Self-reflection
  • Understanding significance of one’s own education
  • Self-knowledge
  • Identifying and working with personal challenges
  • Colleagueship
  • Mentoring and co-mentoring
  • Life-long learning
  • Goethean observation
  • Goethean conversation (active listening)
  • Study
• Experience and understanding of the role of movement and games in Waldorf education
• Experience and appreciation of the nature and role of eurythmy
• Experience and appreciation of the role of music in the Waldorf school
• Experience and appreciation of the role of drawing, painting and modelling in the Waldorf school
• An understanding of the role of festivals, ritual, ceremony and the rhythms of the year
• A growing understanding of the Waldorf curriculum, and how it relates to child development
• A growing understanding of temperaments and their place in Waldorf education
• An initial understanding of the senses and sensory integration
• A good understanding of thinking, feeling and willing, and how this understanding is applied in the Waldorf classroom
• A good understanding of Steiner’s picture of the fourfold human being, and the implications of this picture for working with children
• A familiarity with certain key lectures by Rudolf Steiner, in order to develop a connection to study and life-long learning.

• Working with special education needs (SEN)  in the Waldorf classroom
• The role of teaching assistants and learning support assistants
• School management structures (including the role of trustees)
• Lesson planning – working with sleep and rhythm
• The role of the outdoor classroom
• Storytelling

These areas of learning and study are by no means meant to be exhaustive.  As is the case in the Steiner-Waldorf classroom, our intention is to ‘light fires.’

Admission

Students undertaking the course are normally expected to have an all round education to ‘A’ level standard and the equivalent of GCSE grade ‘C’ in Maths and English. We may make exceptions for applicants who show enthusiasm, commitment and the determination to tackle any areas in their own education that need further development.   (Any student wishing to go on and apply for the Art of Teaching course will need to have demonstrated sufficient proficiency in literacy and numeracy, using standardised online assessment tools).