Waldorf Curriculum
What Is It?
Waldorf schools generally follow the curriculum established by Rudolf Steiner for the first Waldorf. Here is a brief overview.
In Waldorf preschools, students are immersed in an atmosphere of myths and legends, with lots of free time for play. Academic studies such as reading, writing, and arithmetic are generally avoided.
Light academic work begins in the first or second grade, but fairy stories, legends, and fables continue to be stressed. In grade three, more or less conventional religious material is covered, especially Old Testament stories. In grade four, the emphasis shifts to Norse myths, with myths from other cultures moving center stage in grade five. When the kids are eleven or so, study is directed to ancient Greece, and a year later, ancient Rome. In general, Waldorf faculties believe children recapitulate the spiritual evolution of humanity, so subjects are studied in a sequence keyed to the students' evolutionary level.
Introduction to life sciences may begin at about the same time as basic reading and writing lessons (about when the etheric body incarnates). But, again, formal study is largely avoided. Instead, students are told romanticized nature stories. Exposure to foreign languages may begin at this time as well, but usually without formal study of vocabulary or grammar. Activities such as watercoloring, knitting, and gardening take up a good deal of time — these are deemed to have esoteric value.
Students in the middle grades are considered unable to think rationally, so class work consists mainly of copying material put on the chalkboard by the teachers. Math study progresses a bit, with memorization of multiplication tables, for instance, and there is some elementary exposure to geography and physics, as well as continued “study” of life sciences. The emphasis on art persists in the middle grades, because of Steiner’s belief that that the arts provide direct communication with spiritual worlds. Students are typically required to perform eurythmy, a form of dance having supposed occult powers. Watercoloring continues, but it is now supplemented by clay sculpting and, eventually, drawing.
A typical Waldorf day begins with a prayer followed by a long “main lesson” — ninety minutes or more devoted to a subject such a botany, geography, or history. The other events of the day are generally keyed to the main lesson. Main lesson subjects change every three weeks or so.
In grades seven and eight, subjects often include Medieval history, the Renaissance, and national history (German kids are told about German history, French kids are told about French history, and so on). As before, subjects are presented briefly, then dropped. Instruction is still largely rote, with an emphasis on stories told by the teachers. Math and the sciences are taken to higher levels than previously, and among art studies there may be new emphasis on creative writing.
Students are not considered capable of abstract reasoning until they are at least fourteen (about when the astral body incarnates). The Waldorf high school curriculum is a bit more conventional than the Waldorf schoolwork of previous years, with some efforts made to foster intellectual capabilities. The students in each high school grade all attend the same main lesson, but after that students may separate, taking various electives. Textbooks may appear for the first time, but their use will generally be limited. Subjects covered in earlier grades will be repeated, still in a cyclical pattern, although in greater depth, and some classes after the main lesson will extend for many weeks. There will continue to be a strong emphasis on arts, crafts, and such projects as gardening.
In the early grades, when academics are strictly downplayed, Waldorf students often lag behind students at other types of schools. Advocates of Waldorf education claim that, by the end of high school, Waldorf students catch up with, or even surpass, students at other schools. There is little evidence to support this claim, however. Academics are generally slighted at all levels of the Waldorf curriculum, as other goals receive primary emphasis. [See "Waldorf Education: goals" in The Brief Waldorf/Steiner Encyclopedia.]
o0O0o
For more information, see