Is it possible to "do" Waldorf homeschooling? Or is Waldorf a term that only applies to schools?
Typically, we hear the word "Waldorf" in conjunction with schools. Members affiliated with AWSNA have the right to use the term in their schools' names. Unaffiliated schools (typically public) must follow special rules regarding usage of the term. We may also think of the “first Waldorf school” in Stuttgart when we hear this term. Rudolf Steiner did develop this educational approach to be used in a classroom setting. And folks who have been around homeschooling for any length of time will often hear the comment that “the home is not a school.” I agree. At home, you are not going to get a classroom experience — no matter how beautifully lazured your walls are, how amazing your chalkboard drawing is, how “true to Waldorf” your lesson plans are, how well you have that fairy tale memorized, or any other particular element we tend to associate with Waldorf education. On the other hand, homeschooling offers many advantages that even the best Waldorf school cannot provide. Of course, there will always be trade-offs. Your local Waldorf school probably teaches Eurythmy and a foreign language — which you may or may not be able to provide.
Over the past several years, my approach has been not so much to imitate the Waldorf classroom, but rather to study Steiner directly, focusing on his indications regarding the developmental stages, and then striving to apply those concepts to the home learning environment in a practical manner. This helps one to get away from comparing one’s self to the local Waldorf school — typically a self-defeating endeavor, and yet commonly engaged in by those of us who have spent any time involved with Waldorf schools. Apples cannot be compared with oranges; both are fruit and perhaps sweet, but will look, taste and feel different.
So is a new term desirable? Shall we call ourselves Steiner Stay-at-Homers? Anti-establishment Anthroposophical home educators? Much too cumbersome! The term Waldorf is the most easily recognized, of course, and as long as we don't incorporate or form a board of directors, a loose use of the term amongst home educators will most likely be tolerated. In the strictest sense of the word, however, I don't like to use the term "Waldorf" since the application of Steiner's ideas to a school environment is not something for which I aim.
What many people do not realize is that Rudolf Steiner actually used the term "curriculum" in three different ways. He spoke of the "established curriculum," that which we would call the mainstream approach to education found in most public and private schools. He identified the "ideal curriculum" as that which is informed by a deep understanding -- in his case, an anthroposophical understanding -- of human development. And finally, he spoke to his teachers of what he called "our Waldorf curriculum." He explained that "our Waldorf curriculum" must always bear in mind the "ideal curriculum" while also recognizing the need to answer to the authorities in regard to the "established curriculum." Even in the early part of the 20th Century, Steiner had to contend with inspections by the German educational authorities. He was a practical man, recognizing that implementation of the "ideal curriculum" would not be tolerated by the establishment.
Many of us, especially those with a previous relationship to a Waldorf school, come to this method of homeschooling assuming that the class model is what we must imitate in order to "do Waldorf." However, by understanding Steiner's definition of the three curricula, I would posit that not only is this a false assumption but also one that frequently causes undue stress, frustration and self-doubt. Of course, one can find many useful ideas within the traditional Waldorf classroom which may or may not be applicable to the home learning environment. But more valuable insights may be gained by studying Steiner's work, understanding the phases of human development (as well as the sub-phases and the needs of those phases), and most importantly, by closely observing his own children. Understanding how and why the Waldorf curriculum is designed to meet these developmental stages will also be helpful. Awareness of all of these can then be mindfully brought to your particular home life and the unique needs of your family.
For home educators, simply realizing that the curriculum of Waldorf schools — which are based on the first Waldorf school — are actually founded on a compromise of what Steiner himself considered the "ideal," will hopefully bring a new sense of freedom to those on this path. Since many Waldorf home educators tend to hold themselves to the imagined standards of a Waldorf classroom, understanding the three curricula and the freedom they have to work within the realm of the "ideal curriculum," if they so choose, can provide a liberating shift in perspective.
Sources: Lecture Twelve, September 3, 1919, and Lecture Thirteen, September 4, 1919, Practical Advice to Teachers, Rudolf Steiner.
Sandi Russi has been home educating "Waldorf" style since 2002. She founded Waldorf-Inspired Sacramento Homeschoolers (W.I.S.H.) in 2003 and Wholistic Learning Resources in 2010. Sandi enjoys working with homeschoolers, presenting workshops, writing, and providing resources.
This article is copyright 2010 by Sandra Russi and should not be reproduced without written permission from the author.
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschooling. Show all posts
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thomas Jefferson Education . . . and Waldorf???
September 24 and 25, I attended a 2-day seminar on Thomas Jefferson Education, entitled "Face to Face with Greatness."
Why does a self-described Waldorf home educator attend a seminar of a differing philosophy?
In the past several years, I have been exploring and researching other approaches to home education. Sometimes, this begins in a superficial way, but often, it becomes deeper.
What I have found, especially through reading Climbing Parnassus, is that much of what I am drawn to are simply different branches of Classical Education. By tracing the entire history of education from ancient times through Climbing Parnassus, I was able to see what was going on in the world of education, the great debate of the times, when Rudolf Steiner came on the scene. Similar to Charlotte Mason, much of Steiner's work was a response to the "deadening" of classical education. In Steiner's case, however, there was also a sort of bridging between the two camps at the time: those who advocated for classical and those who advocated for an emphasis on technical education. Steiner included both a rich exposure to high level literature, poetry and the arts, as well as an appreciation and application of woodworking and other technical crafts. This had to do with his understanding of the three-fold social order and the realization that the classics are "good" for the laborer, and appreciation of the laborer's work is needed by the professional, in order to create a more harmonious social life for all.
While Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed) seems to be new on the scene, it is actually rooted in the larger body of education, known as Classical Education. Its principles are based on the way our Founding Fathers were educated, which was basically classical. There is also an emphasis on Mentors. Again, this emphasis is not unique to TJed; it is, however, highlighted, as the masses are typically no longer educated through classics or mentors. By definition, the mentor-student relationship is typically a one-on-one experience which allows the student to learn in a more in-depth manner.
So how is TJed alike or different from Waldorf. To begin with, TJed is not so much a method as it is an over-arching view of education. It teaches the parent/educator about the different types of education in the broadest sense: conveyor belt (the method most of us grew up with and that has been adopted in nearly all U.S. schools, public and private); "professional" -- similar to "conveyor" but geared toward the top students for the production of lawyers, doctors and other professionals. Like conveyor belt education, the emphasis is on the end-product: getting a "good" job. Then there is "leadership" education, which TJed calls itself: education that aims at creating great leaders, not unlike the Founding Fathers of our country.
To take it a step further, I would say that one of the points of TJed is that the education transforms the person. Yet, others might argue that any other form of Classical Education has the same emphasis. This may be true. However, no matter what the approach, philosophy or method, there is a constant danger that it becomes dead, or dry for the student and ends up being another form of "conveyor belt" education. Along the way, most parent educators are confronted with the fact that their previous experiences with education may or may not work for their children. They often find themselves imitating some form of conveyor belt education simply because that is what they know and are familiar with.
This can even happen to parents who choose Waldorf as their main inspiration for home education. If they have previously been associated with a Waldorf school, they already have a long list of ideas and expectations in their minds which they tend to constantly compare themselves to. So even if they are not trying to measure up to the local public school, they may constantly being trying to measure up to their local Waldorf school.
So how can a Waldorf homeschooler intertwine the high ideals of TJed with that of Waldorf in a meaningful and productive way? Look for my next article for a practical application of the two philosophies working in harmony, and bringing out the best of each, for a truly free-ing education.
Why does a self-described Waldorf home educator attend a seminar of a differing philosophy?
In the past several years, I have been exploring and researching other approaches to home education. Sometimes, this begins in a superficial way, but often, it becomes deeper.
What I have found, especially through reading Climbing Parnassus, is that much of what I am drawn to are simply different branches of Classical Education. By tracing the entire history of education from ancient times through Climbing Parnassus, I was able to see what was going on in the world of education, the great debate of the times, when Rudolf Steiner came on the scene. Similar to Charlotte Mason, much of Steiner's work was a response to the "deadening" of classical education. In Steiner's case, however, there was also a sort of bridging between the two camps at the time: those who advocated for classical and those who advocated for an emphasis on technical education. Steiner included both a rich exposure to high level literature, poetry and the arts, as well as an appreciation and application of woodworking and other technical crafts. This had to do with his understanding of the three-fold social order and the realization that the classics are "good" for the laborer, and appreciation of the laborer's work is needed by the professional, in order to create a more harmonious social life for all.
While Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed) seems to be new on the scene, it is actually rooted in the larger body of education, known as Classical Education. Its principles are based on the way our Founding Fathers were educated, which was basically classical. There is also an emphasis on Mentors. Again, this emphasis is not unique to TJed; it is, however, highlighted, as the masses are typically no longer educated through classics or mentors. By definition, the mentor-student relationship is typically a one-on-one experience which allows the student to learn in a more in-depth manner.
So how is TJed alike or different from Waldorf. To begin with, TJed is not so much a method as it is an over-arching view of education. It teaches the parent/educator about the different types of education in the broadest sense: conveyor belt (the method most of us grew up with and that has been adopted in nearly all U.S. schools, public and private); "professional" -- similar to "conveyor" but geared toward the top students for the production of lawyers, doctors and other professionals. Like conveyor belt education, the emphasis is on the end-product: getting a "good" job. Then there is "leadership" education, which TJed calls itself: education that aims at creating great leaders, not unlike the Founding Fathers of our country.
To take it a step further, I would say that one of the points of TJed is that the education transforms the person. Yet, others might argue that any other form of Classical Education has the same emphasis. This may be true. However, no matter what the approach, philosophy or method, there is a constant danger that it becomes dead, or dry for the student and ends up being another form of "conveyor belt" education. Along the way, most parent educators are confronted with the fact that their previous experiences with education may or may not work for their children. They often find themselves imitating some form of conveyor belt education simply because that is what they know and are familiar with.
This can even happen to parents who choose Waldorf as their main inspiration for home education. If they have previously been associated with a Waldorf school, they already have a long list of ideas and expectations in their minds which they tend to constantly compare themselves to. So even if they are not trying to measure up to the local public school, they may constantly being trying to measure up to their local Waldorf school.
So how can a Waldorf homeschooler intertwine the high ideals of TJed with that of Waldorf in a meaningful and productive way? Look for my next article for a practical application of the two philosophies working in harmony, and bringing out the best of each, for a truly free-ing education.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
The Lost Tools of Writing -- Intro & Lesson 1
The journey has begun . . . last week we did the Introductory Lesson. All of the kids participated enthusiastically. The Introductory Lesson starts by asking the students to talk, tell about their many problems with writing -- any and all. Well, actually, we did a couple of other things before getting into the lesson: some introductions and we spent a bit of time talking about writing in general. I let them come up with ideas on why writing might be a good skill to learn. I wrote down all of their ideas on the board.
We also spent a bit of time talking about working together and the role of a mentor. I wanted to establish a relationship with the students in that manner, and make sure everyone was "on board."
Then we got down to the problems. Based on ancient Rhetoric, LToW has the instructor list the many problems on 3 separate sheets or boards -- of course, the instructor knows what the 3 main problems are. After the students have exhausted their list, you then have them look at the 3 boards to see if they can determine how the items on each are alike. What you arrive at are the 3 canons of writing: Invention, Arrangement and Elocution (yes, Rhetoric actually has 5 -- be we leave out Memory and Delivery as they belong to speaking).
This week, with Lesson 1, we began with Invention. The program is very incremental, leading the students step-by-step, first helping them to recognize that they make decisions every day and that writing is also a decision-making process. They learned how to turn a question into an "issue" -- essentially a 'yes or no' question. From there, we generated an ANI chart with Affirmative, Negative and Interesting columns. So all of the 'pro' reasons go in the A column, the 'against' in the N column, and anything interesting in the I column. We did this together; then they did it individually, and now they will do it at home on their own.
Next week, we will take the data from the ANI chart and work on the canon of Arrangement.
We also spent a bit of time talking about working together and the role of a mentor. I wanted to establish a relationship with the students in that manner, and make sure everyone was "on board."
Then we got down to the problems. Based on ancient Rhetoric, LToW has the instructor list the many problems on 3 separate sheets or boards -- of course, the instructor knows what the 3 main problems are. After the students have exhausted their list, you then have them look at the 3 boards to see if they can determine how the items on each are alike. What you arrive at are the 3 canons of writing: Invention, Arrangement and Elocution (yes, Rhetoric actually has 5 -- be we leave out Memory and Delivery as they belong to speaking).
This week, with Lesson 1, we began with Invention. The program is very incremental, leading the students step-by-step, first helping them to recognize that they make decisions every day and that writing is also a decision-making process. They learned how to turn a question into an "issue" -- essentially a 'yes or no' question. From there, we generated an ANI chart with Affirmative, Negative and Interesting columns. So all of the 'pro' reasons go in the A column, the 'against' in the N column, and anything interesting in the I column. We did this together; then they did it individually, and now they will do it at home on their own.
Next week, we will take the data from the ANI chart and work on the canon of Arrangement.
Monday, August 02, 2010
The Lost Tools of Writing
This fall I will start a new endeavor with my son and a small group of middle-school aged homeschoolers: a writing class based on "The Lost Tools of Writing" from the CiRCE Institute. I am very excited about this program!
I spent the last couple of years researching different programs including IEW, Classical Writing, Classical Composition, Writing Strands and a few other tutorial-based programs.
One of the reasons I am so excited about this program is that it is based in Ancient Rhetoric -- which was my major in college. It addresses all of the major problems that students run into when faced with the task of writing. This is done in a systematic way that is manageable for both teacher and student.
Another strength of the program is that it not only teaches the students to write, but how to think. They are introduced to thinking tools that will improve their writing, and will have the opportunity to express and discuss their ideas while learning to form sound arguments.
Had I learned to write in this way, it would have saved me so much time with all of those college essays. I am confident that even by completing just Level 1, these students will be well-equipped for any writing assignments they undertake in high school or college.
I spent the last couple of years researching different programs including IEW, Classical Writing, Classical Composition, Writing Strands and a few other tutorial-based programs.
One of the reasons I am so excited about this program is that it is based in Ancient Rhetoric -- which was my major in college. It addresses all of the major problems that students run into when faced with the task of writing. This is done in a systematic way that is manageable for both teacher and student.
Another strength of the program is that it not only teaches the students to write, but how to think. They are introduced to thinking tools that will improve their writing, and will have the opportunity to express and discuss their ideas while learning to form sound arguments.
Had I learned to write in this way, it would have saved me so much time with all of those college essays. I am confident that even by completing just Level 1, these students will be well-equipped for any writing assignments they undertake in high school or college.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Announcing Wholistic Learning Resources
I am thrilled to announce the opening of Wholistic Learning Resources!
For many years, I have carried the vision of creating a one-day-a-week program to support Sacramento Area homeschoolers in their quest to educate at home with Waldorf inspiration.
Over the years, the vision has expanded as I learned about other approaches, like Charlotte Mason, Classical Education and unschooling.
To start with, the classes will be "Waldorf-inspired": Eurythmy and Watercolor Painting, led by two wonderful teachers. In the future, we will expand, adding more Waldorf-inspired classes as well as those from other wholistic approaches to education.
Please check out the site! I'd love your feedback.
For many years, I have carried the vision of creating a one-day-a-week program to support Sacramento Area homeschoolers in their quest to educate at home with Waldorf inspiration.
Over the years, the vision has expanded as I learned about other approaches, like Charlotte Mason, Classical Education and unschooling.
To start with, the classes will be "Waldorf-inspired": Eurythmy and Watercolor Painting, led by two wonderful teachers. In the future, we will expand, adding more Waldorf-inspired classes as well as those from other wholistic approaches to education.
Please check out the site! I'd love your feedback.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Waldorf, Home Education and Learning to Work Independently
Today my son is working independently -- and I am very pleased! I can fold laundry, pay bills, make phone calls and whatever other household tasks I need to accomplish without feeling like I am interrupting the flow of our schoolwork.
But it wasn't always like this! I think for many of us, starting out with the idea of pursuing a Waldorf-based home education for our children, we can often be led down a path of more dependence rather than less. Why? Because so many of us (and more so with those who were previously involved with Waldorf schools --like myself!) begin this path striving to very closely emulate what goes on in the Waldorf classroom. Waldorf is a rather teacher-intensive approach to education; the teacher does a LOT of prep work in order to bring the subject matter to the students in a lively, imaginative manner.
However, when coupled with the home ed environment, especially with a single child, the student usually has a lot more access to his or her teacher. Over the years, this can turn into an overly dependent situation. In contrast, in a Waldorf classroom, the students typically have a fair amount of time to work independently; the student: teacher ratio simply will not allow for that type of easy and constant access to the teacher.
Seeing this coming, over the last year or two, I began looking for ways to move my child away from me as the constant in his education. So for instance, in 6th grade, I let Noah start with a computer program for Spanish. He has been using Rosetta Stone, a well-known good program.
Noah also wanted to learn to type. Now I am a firm believer in the student being able and comfortable with handwriting, but looking forward, I could see the practicality of him being able to type his papers by the time he gets to high school. (Even his best friend who is at our local Waldorf high school has the option of typing his papers.) So we agreed that he would still continue with handwriting, some copywork and some running forms to keep his hands in that approach as well. (I'm also a firm believer that if kids ARE going to use the computer, they should know how to type -- not just hunt and peck.)
Then since I wanted to be sure that his math was aligned with state standards (again, looking ahead to high school -- whether he ends up public, private or still at home), we went ahead and signed up for the ALEKS program. It is completely self-paced and standards-aligned. Noah can also see his progress on a daily basis and choose what area of mathematics he wants to work on for the day.
Science is an area that is not really my strength and we found another program with which Noah can work independently called Intermediate Science by Experiential Education. It is very complete with all the kits needed for the experiments, a Student Log book where the student questions and learns to write lab reports with a very middle-school appropriate set-up, and a Teacher's Manual. And yes, it comes with a CD-Rom with instructions to lead him through the concepts, activities and experiments.
We still do lots of reading, history, literature, writing and more together. He also reads literature and biographies on his own. Overall, I am very pleased with his progression to becoming a more independent learner as he prepares for high school.
But it wasn't always like this! I think for many of us, starting out with the idea of pursuing a Waldorf-based home education for our children, we can often be led down a path of more dependence rather than less. Why? Because so many of us (and more so with those who were previously involved with Waldorf schools --like myself!) begin this path striving to very closely emulate what goes on in the Waldorf classroom. Waldorf is a rather teacher-intensive approach to education; the teacher does a LOT of prep work in order to bring the subject matter to the students in a lively, imaginative manner.
However, when coupled with the home ed environment, especially with a single child, the student usually has a lot more access to his or her teacher. Over the years, this can turn into an overly dependent situation. In contrast, in a Waldorf classroom, the students typically have a fair amount of time to work independently; the student: teacher ratio simply will not allow for that type of easy and constant access to the teacher.
Seeing this coming, over the last year or two, I began looking for ways to move my child away from me as the constant in his education. So for instance, in 6th grade, I let Noah start with a computer program for Spanish. He has been using Rosetta Stone, a well-known good program.
Noah also wanted to learn to type. Now I am a firm believer in the student being able and comfortable with handwriting, but looking forward, I could see the practicality of him being able to type his papers by the time he gets to high school. (Even his best friend who is at our local Waldorf high school has the option of typing his papers.) So we agreed that he would still continue with handwriting, some copywork and some running forms to keep his hands in that approach as well. (I'm also a firm believer that if kids ARE going to use the computer, they should know how to type -- not just hunt and peck.)
Then since I wanted to be sure that his math was aligned with state standards (again, looking ahead to high school -- whether he ends up public, private or still at home), we went ahead and signed up for the ALEKS program. It is completely self-paced and standards-aligned. Noah can also see his progress on a daily basis and choose what area of mathematics he wants to work on for the day.
Science is an area that is not really my strength and we found another program with which Noah can work independently called Intermediate Science by Experiential Education. It is very complete with all the kits needed for the experiments, a Student Log book where the student questions and learns to write lab reports with a very middle-school appropriate set-up, and a Teacher's Manual. And yes, it comes with a CD-Rom with instructions to lead him through the concepts, activities and experiments.
We still do lots of reading, history, literature, writing and more together. He also reads literature and biographies on his own. Overall, I am very pleased with his progression to becoming a more independent learner as he prepares for high school.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Our Advent Spiral
W.I.S.H. (Waldorf-inspired Sacramento Homeschoolers) celebrated its 7th Annual Advent Spiral this past Sunday, December 6 at the
Sacramento Yoga Center. Here are a few pictures from our event.
Setting up the spiral. 3-5 Adults and/or 'big kids' are needed. Someone needs to collect the boughs; get some big sheets or painters' drop cloths to cover the floor (for easy clean-up). Carved wooden animals and/or large shells, crystals, etc., add a nice touch. Get some golden stars from your local craft store to put along the path where the children will set the candles. A large stump in the middle is nice for the center candle.
We moved the yoga mats, etc., out of the corner to make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing.
These "after pictures" were taken after all the children and their parents had left. You don't want cameras flashing at such an event!
Below is a close-up of one of the animals that 2 children chose to put their candles near. Someone will need to purchase enough apples and white candles for the event. The 4" 'emergency' candles sold at hardware and drug stores work well. Just carve enough out of the core section to hold the candle tightly.
Here is a beautiful large shell. This child didn't quite get the apple on the star. The stars help to collect any dripping wax. Try to place them near the beautiful shells, crystals and animals so that when the room lights up they can be seen!
Sacramento Yoga Center. Here are a few pictures from our event.
Setting up the spiral. 3-5 Adults and/or 'big kids' are needed. Someone needs to collect the boughs; get some big sheets or painters' drop cloths to cover the floor (for easy clean-up). Carved wooden animals and/or large shells, crystals, etc., add a nice touch. Get some golden stars from your local craft store to put along the path where the children will set the candles. A large stump in the middle is nice for the center candle.
We moved the yoga mats, etc., out of the corner to make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing.
These "after pictures" were taken after all the children and their parents had left. You don't want cameras flashing at such an event!
Below is a close-up of one of the animals that 2 children chose to put their candles near. Someone will need to purchase enough apples and white candles for the event. The 4" 'emergency' candles sold at hardware and drug stores work well. Just carve enough out of the core section to hold the candle tightly.
Here is a beautiful large shell. This child didn't quite get the apple on the star. The stars help to collect any dripping wax. Try to place them near the beautiful shells, crystals and animals so that when the room lights up they can be seen!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Update/Dealing with Challenging Times
Overall, 6th grade is going well. I am finding that the format we are using this year is supporting us well, especially since it has been a challenging year for us. Like so many others across the country, we have had our share of financial difficulties and stressors! Happy to say, however, that we seem to be over the bulk of those challenges although there is more work to do.
For others out there going through stressful times, I encourage you to find ways to simplify your schedule, your life, your home education. Do NOT give up! Our children learn SO much from us by watching us go through challenging times and seeing how we cope with it. These are the REAL lessons that will stick with them through their entire lives.
Waldorf ideas have definitely been a blessing to us. However, with the more intense academics of Grade 6, moving toward a more Charlotte Mason-style of scheduling has eased the burden tremendously. Also, using supportive materials like the writing program from IEW has lightened the load. We also ended up dropping Making Math Meaningful (the Waldorf Middle School math curriculum) and switched to Math-U-See, just about completing the Epsilon book. This was a lot of review for my son, but also a firm "grounding" in some basics. Having just switched back to MMM, we will most likely complete the year using both programs, moving to Zeta of MUS as a support when more direct instruction is needed. Again, easing the workload for mom has been key! MUS has a wonderful instructor via DVD which has been a tremendous help.
For others out there going through stressful times, I encourage you to find ways to simplify your schedule, your life, your home education. Do NOT give up! Our children learn SO much from us by watching us go through challenging times and seeing how we cope with it. These are the REAL lessons that will stick with them through their entire lives.
Waldorf ideas have definitely been a blessing to us. However, with the more intense academics of Grade 6, moving toward a more Charlotte Mason-style of scheduling has eased the burden tremendously. Also, using supportive materials like the writing program from IEW has lightened the load. We also ended up dropping Making Math Meaningful (the Waldorf Middle School math curriculum) and switched to Math-U-See, just about completing the Epsilon book. This was a lot of review for my son, but also a firm "grounding" in some basics. Having just switched back to MMM, we will most likely complete the year using both programs, moving to Zeta of MUS as a support when more direct instruction is needed. Again, easing the workload for mom has been key! MUS has a wonderful instructor via DVD which has been a tremendous help.
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