What is Waldorf?
Waldorf is an educational philosophy based on the child development theories of Rudolf Steiner. It values the stages of childhood development, greater interaction between child and teacher, and the integration of the arts into a rigorous academic program. This educational philosophy stresses the importance of teaching the ‘whole child’ and is interested in the academic, social, emotional, and physical growth of each child.
Some unique components of Waldorf education include:
Main lesson blocks: The first two hours of the school day are devoted to the main lesson. This refers to an intensive study of a specific subject that lasts for three to four weeks. Find each grade’s main lesson block plans here (coming soon).
Main lesson books: Rather than reading from textbooks, students develop their own books, called main lesson books. These books serve as a portfolio of what they have learned about the subject that they are studying in their main lesson block. See examples of main lesson books here (coming soon).
Teacher looping: In Waldorf education, the teacher “loops” with the class. In other words, the teacher stays with the class from year to year. At Birchtree, your child will have one teacher for kindergarten, one teacher from 1st-5th grade, and one teacher from 6th-8th grade.
Rich curriculum: In addition to rigorous academic study, Waldorf curriculum includes foreign language, music, movement, handwork, woodwork, and environmental education.
Values: Values taught in Waldorf education include creativity, respect, tolerance, accountability, ecological awareness, problem solving, and lifelong learning. Each class, moving through the years together, will be a learning community for respect and understanding of different individual academic and social gifts and challenges, as well as for varied social and cultural backgrounds.
Rhythm: Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly rhythms are an important part of Waldorf education. Daily and weekly routines are paramount to Waldorf education. Attention to the seasons and a celebration of seasonal festivals is also an important part of a Waldorf-inspired education.
Teaching Through Narrative: The use of narrative gives pupils a conceptual framework within which they can orientate themselves and understand their experiences. Younger pupils listen to stories told by a teacher in his/her own words, not read from a book. Teachers inspire pupils to identify with characters in stories and develop linguistic and listening skills. History is taught initially through narrative and stories from a wide range of sources: fairy and folk tale, legend, fable, parables, mythology, and literature. Teachers share content in oral form, not through written textbooks, especially in the earlier grades. Teachers use biography to strengthen pupil identification with people who made a difference.
Media: Waldorf education uses stories to teach academics in order to engage the imaginations of students. It is suggested that a child’s exposure to media images, video games, movies, TV, computers, etc. is limited in order to avoid interrupting and distracting a child from their own creativity and imagination.
Assessment: In lieu of traditional grades, students are assessed on the basis of work recorded into a main lesson book (portfolio) using Waldorf-inspired rubrics. Parents receive end-of-year narrative reports that provide information about the progress of their students. Parents also have the opportunity to attend family nights, assemblies, conferences, and concerts observe their child’s learning. At Birchtree, students also participate in state-mandated testing.
