Rudolf Steiner founded Waldorf education in 1919 based on his philosophy of anthroposophy. The first Waldorf school opened in Stuttgart, Germany to educate workers' children. It was a coeducational, unified 12-year school with minimal state interference. Waldorf education aims to educate the whole child - spirit, soul, and body - through a balanced curriculum integrating art, music, movement, and nature. Teachers nurture each child's development according to their stage of childhood - imitation, imagination, or discrimination.

1. Waldorf School
Aler. Canillas. Cappal

2. Rudolf Steiner
(1861-1925)
Austrian scientist and
philosophical thinker
Developed his own
form of spiritual
science, called
Anthroposophy
Founded Waldorf
Education

3. FIRST WALDORF SCHOOL
 Emil Molt asked Steiner to establish a school for
the children of the workers of his company.
 Steiner agreed but set four conditions.
That the school:
1. Be open to all children
2. Be coeducational
3. Be a unified twelve-year school

4. FIRST WALDORF SCHOOL
4. Will have minimum interference from the
state or from economic sources and the
teachers will have primary control of the
school
 Steiner trained teachers based on child
development.
 September 7, 1919: the “Independent Waldorf
School“ (Die Freie Waldorfschule) opened.

5. Waldorf Education
• Vision: to educate human beings to create a
just and peaceful society.
• Imaginary play is the most important “work”
of the children.
• Comprehensive from preschool level through
high school

6. Waldorf Education
1. Learning is balanced.
Steiner believed in a unit of spirit,
soul, and body, and that good education
restores the balance between feeling,
thinking and willing.

7. Essential Phases of Child Development
• Early Childhood: IMITATION
o The young child mimics everything in the environment
uncritically-not only the sounds of speech, the gestures of
people, but also the attitudes and values of parents and
peers.
• Middle Childhood: IMAGINATION
o As the child moves through these years, the faculty for more
sequential and logical thought begins to unfold.
• Adolescence: TRUTH, DISCRIMATION AND JUDGMENT
o The child begins to experience his or her own thinking.

8. Waldorf Education
2. Art, music, and movement are integral to
everything the child learns.
– Eurethmy
– Knitting
– Creation and illustration
of books
– Roleplays

10. Waldorf Education
3. Learning environment bolsters the confidence of
all children and builds on their innate curiosity.
 Student progress is evaluated through compiling portfolios of
the student’s work and the careful observations of the teacher
throughout each day of each school year.
 The classrooms, and even to some extent whole buildings were
shaped and modeled by the teachers and the school
community, to form a personalized space, aimed at reinforcing
class identity and the teacher and class as a team
 Recreates the home

14. Sample Waldorf classroom layout

15. Waldorf Education
4. So that learning in its fullest sense can occur,
teachers are nurturers as well as instructors.
 Goal: to acquire and build on an in-depth
understanding of each child’s essential being and
character, of his or her strengths and emotional
needs.

16. Waldorf Education
5. Behavior is managed in a creative, non-
coercive manner.
 The curriculum itself supports constructive
behavior because it has been designed to respond
to the needs of children at each development
stage.

17. Waldorf Education
6. Waldorf provides a framework that supports
parents who desire to shield their children from
the excessive stimulation and consumerism that
characterize popular culture.
 Waldorf schools strongly discourage exposing
children to television, videos, and computer games.

18. Sources
• http://www.rudolfsteinerweb.com/Rudolf_Steiner_Biography.ph
• Follari, L.M. (2011). Foundations and best practices in early
childhood education: History, theories, and approaches to
learning. 2nd edition. NJ: Pearson Education.
• Gordon, A.M. & Browne, K.W. (2007). Beginning essentials
in early childhood education. Canada: Thomson Delmar
Learning. Lucas, M.R. & Corpuz, B. (2007). Facilitating
learning: A metacognitive process. Phil: Lorimar Publishing
Inc.
• Ornstein, A.C., & Levine, D. U. (2003). Foundations of
education. 8th edition. U.S.A.: Houghton Mifflin Company.