My first time encounter with a Steiner School student, goes back to 2001, when I had to train a young girl, called Maria (half Japanese- half British), to promote her family's imported products of legendary Clearspring foods. Maria had a super extra-aptitude to learning, yet she was calm, composed and totally unstressed, for a teenager at his first job. I was so impressed and in the beginning I thought it was a matter of character, culture ( due to her dual upbringing), or even coincidental. Then Maria explained to me that in her school, children were not surrounded by plastic objects, only by eco-friendly materials, and that the basic subjects (maths, language, science, geography), were delivered through a unique "creative workshop"- like experience, enriched with experiments, games, social practice and outdoor activities.
I started getting more information on the matter and checking regularly the Steiner-Waldorf institutions, only to realize soon enough the academic accomplishments of the pupils, but also the success on the "Human Factor" : It seems that you get happy kids coming out from a Steiner school, after all, growing up to happy people, no matter life's later difficulties.
What was most surprising, the system to teach a subject in a Steiner school- any subject at all- from grammar to climate- was based on experiential exercises- assignments, leading to projects- an educational technique, very similar to the Bauhaus preliminary design workshops, held by Josef Albers. A huge difference, compared to traditional teaching methods, a huge change, when it comes to results, in motivation, essential productivity, social accommodation, proven self-rewarding excellence and personal development.
[CHECK THEM OUT- A PARENT OR NOT- A DESIGNER OR A TEACHER- AN ATHLETE OR AN ACCOUNTANT- A LEFT-WING OR A TORY -IT IS AN AWAKENING]:
The European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education website:http://www.ecswe.net/ with important details on the European Waldorf Diploma EWD) http://www.ecswe.net/certification/ewd/ and all sorts of updates and news, on the Steiner educational curriculum.
All pictures, are stills from the amazing video:
http://www.ecswe.net/light-in-the-darkness/ >>>> http://vimeo.com/58751788
Light in the Darkness: A New Perspective on the Media in the Waldorf Schools , produced by Prof. Eugene Schwartz.
To hear a lecture given to Waldorf parents on this subject, visit d.pr/a/Fpyk
For more information about Waldorf education, visit millennialchild.com
Many thanks to Shedia Streetpaper, www.shedia.gr , Athens, Greece, which published a full article on "School Democracies", including Steiner School lists and websites, on their September issue!!! (still out in the streets of Athens, if you are around paying us a visit;-)))
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