Waldorf pedagogy

Did you know that there are parents who don't identify with their children's teaching methods, even if they don't know exactly why? Whether this is your case or not, it's worth understanding that certain pedagogical approaches are followed by some schools or educational teams and that these determine how your child will learn and develop the pillars of their education. Today we're going to delve into the world of Waldorf pedagogy , one of the most popular in Portugal.

Created by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, this pedagogy is based on the principle that children should make maximum use of their motor skills (playing, running, jumping) and combine this more physical side with creativity, intellect, or even spirituality.

The first school to apply this pedagogy emerged in 1919 in Germany, with the purpose of conveying to children the importance of social intelligence as a tool to facilitate their integration with others. In a Waldorf environment, as a rule, children express their way of thinking and what they feel, and this constant, two-way communication is encouraged.

Let's delve into the specifics of this teaching method to better understand its characteristics.

5 Fundamental Principles of Waldorf Education

This method has some unique features that differentiate it from other similar methods. Although each of the following has many inherent topics, these are the fundamental principles:

1. The school advocates for educating children according to a specific age range . In other words, in a Waldorf school you will not find mixed-age classrooms;
2. Waldorf pedagogy is based on development in 7-year periods , and the first period focuses on opening the child to the outside world through play, sensory activities, and plenty of contact with nature;
3. Anthroposophy , a concept introduced here by the father of this methodology, refers precisely to the importance of the correlation between the areas of human life and nature , and is widely explored in Waldorf education, being one of its main pillars.
4. Literacy instruction begins around age 7 , which is slightly later than assumed by other similar pedagogies, and follows its own curriculum.
5. The training is accompanied by a teacher who plays an active and proactive role in the children's activities , focusing on promoting imagination and fantasy .

In summary, we observed that children, generally up to the age of 7, grow up with peers of the same age in an environment that is very connected to nature and where creative freedom is practically unlimited.

How does it work in practice?

The application of pedagogy in the classroom translates into strengthening bonds through play , especially in preschool. The strategies involve providing, in the classroom environment, a kind of extension of the children's own homes , creating corners or spaces that resemble the home environment, such as a kitchen corner or a reading room.

When they are not in the classroom, they are in nature, giving free rein to their fantasies and learning about the world through their interaction with the environment.

As we have already seen, this pedagogy allows children to reveal their most artistic side . What matters is stimulating reasoning and emphasizing creativity, rather than analyzing the result of what it produces.

The importance of the educational team.

Unlike its closest similar pedagogy, Montessori, in Waldorf education teachers have an interventionist role . They assist and participate in the activities, develop the specific curriculum, and guide the work.

Teachers, educators, and assistants who teach in an institution with this pedagogy must be 100% aligned with it. A teacher/educator must have specialized training and follow their students or group as much as possible while they remain in the same school. As we have seen, the cycles are 7 years long, and ideally, a teacher begins and ends a cycle with the same group.

According to the values ​​inherent in this pedagogy, it becomes crucial to deal with each child individually and meet their needs, which can only be done when the group is known.

According to this method, traditional test-based assessment is counterproductive. At a more advanced stage (from the first cycle onwards), there is regular assessment, essentially through oral communication. There should not be a specific manual or workbook, but a collaborative construction of content that emerges daily, which is more of a record of progressive learning.

There is the well-known report called the Waldorf Report Card, which explains how the child reacted to the content taught and what their difficulties and strengths were throughout the process. Therefore, the concept of failing a child or not attending classes is not applicable here, since each child has their own pace of growth and learning.

Waldorf Schools in Portugal

Currently, schools based on Waldorf pedagogy form a constantly growing independent network, with more than 1100 schools spread throughout the world. This pedagogy is cited by UNESCO as an effective method for responding to modern educational challenges, especially effective in mitigating large social inequalities. In Portugal, some of the main institutions are:

·         North : Mimo Girassol, Externato Paulo VI, Escola da Ponte, Mundo Somos Nós or Casa do Sol

·         Center : Forest House, Harp and Monte Garden School, António Arroio School or Terra School.

·         South : Waldorf International Kindergarten or Waldorf School at Oliveira.

For an even more enlightening perspective on this topic, read this interview with an early childhood education teacher who works according to this pedagogy.