Waldorf pedagogy teaching. Waldorf pedagogy

Fundamental to preschool Waldorf pedagogy is the position that childhood is a unique period of a person’s life, which faces its own special tasks. This age cannot be approached with the values ​​and goals that are inherent in later stages of child development. It is extremely important to allow those forms, ways of life and activity of children that are characteristic of this particular age to be revealed to the fullest. Therefore, Waldorf pedagogy rejects those forms of work with children and influence on them that seek to “accelerate” development. This applies, first of all, to various programs of intellectual training, early learning of writing and reading, designed to accelerate the development of children. Supporters of Waldorf pedagogy proceed from the position that the development of intelligence should be included in the overall development of the individual - primarily psychosomatic, emotional, social and practical. Basic principles of operation of a Waldorf kindergarten:

creating an atmosphere conducive to development;

education through imitation and example;

cultivation of diverse forms of play activities;

creating a space conducive to the development of free play;

organizing a healthy rhythm of group life;

classes in various types of labor activity (“pedagogy of the hand”) and various arts (painting, music, modeling, eurythmy).

All of the above provisions are not separate parts of the kindergarten “program” or methodological “techniques”, but represent a single organic whole. The life of a group is more reminiscent of the life of a large, friendly family than the work of an “educational institution.” In a short article, we can only dwell on some of the principles of the work of a Waldorf kindergarten.

Creating a favorable atmosphere

Back in 1907, R. Steiner expressed the idea that the main factor in the development of a small child is the love of the adults around him: “The love of a mother, like a hen, hatches the correct formation of the child’s organs.” This love should be sincere, not forced. The child is sensitive “to the expressions on the faces of surrounding adults.” He cannot distance himself from the environment, the effects of which penetrate very deeply, even to the point of influencing metabolism and forming the psychosomatic basis of the personality. Thus, an “atmosphere of love” is a condition for healthy development - physical, emotional, intellectual and personal. The adverse effects of this life period affect, according to Steiner, much later, in the form of a predisposition to certain diseases in an adult. Therefore, the first task of a Waldorf kindergarten is to create a favorable atmosphere in which the child will feel good. The main factor here is the personality of the teacher, who must establish a trusting relationship with his pets. Self-education of the teacher is the moral basis of preschool Waldorf pedagogy. A lot depends on the personality of the teacher, on how he approaches his classes, how he moves, and how he speaks. The teacher must take care of himself and not allow life problems or any habits to negatively affect the atmosphere in the group and the attitude towards children. To create a joyful, calm and creative atmosphere, the organization of space and the decoration of the room are also important.

How does a small child learn?

Although Waldorf pedagogy opposes early targeted learning (for example, reading and arithmetic), this does not mean that a child in a Waldorf kindergarten “learns nothing.” On the contrary, Waldorf teachers argue that it is during early childhood that children learn most intensively. By the age of 3-4 years, a small person acquires a huge amount of diverse experience, knowledge and skills. But he does this not like adults or schoolchildren in class, but in the way that is typical for a preschool child - he learns throughout his life. Interacting with parents, communicating with peers, observing, experiencing, playing, dressing, mastering household items, listening to a fairy tale, swinging on a swing, etc. - the child learns all the time. The processes of life and the processes of learning for a child are closely connected with each other. R. Steiner writes about it this way: “There are two key words that reveal to us the essence of the relationship of a small child to his environment: imitation and example.” Through imitation, the child learns to stand upright and speak. In previous centuries, a child through imitation, i.e. Through direct participation in the lives of adults, he learned everything he needed in life. It happens like this: the child mentally surrenders to everything that he perceives in his environment, in order to then reproduce it in action. Perception, mental bestowal and the activity of the will form a unity, which disappears only later, when a decision forms the basis of the action.

From thought to action

From understanding the role of imitation in the development of a small child, an important pedagogical principle follows: “Everything that we want to achieve in education, we must constantly transfer from the area of ​​thoughts and ideas to the area of ​​deeds and actions. From this comes the entire methodology for running a kindergarten,” wrote the founder of the first Waldorf kindergarten, E. Grunelius. This means that a child in kindergarten should be offered, if possible, a wide variety of activities, imitation of which will contribute to creativity, the development of dexterity, skills, and dexterity. These are handicrafts - spinning, sewing, weaving on small weaving frames made by the children themselves, dyeing wool and fabrics. Children participate in caring for the garden, threshing grain, grinding and baking bread, working with a hammer, cleaning the group, etc. All this activity is never an end in itself, but is woven into the daily life of the group: for example, dolls are made for a puppet show; weaving frames - in order to weave a rug for a dollhouse on them. For various celebrations, they create surroundings, for example, lanterns for the autumn lantern festival or cookies for Christmas, etc. Waldorf teachers try to avoid artificially constructed teaching materials, believing that life itself offers the richest opportunities for development. For example, when a child tries to spin thread for a rug made of warm, living wool with his own hands, both fine motor skills and the tactile activity of his fingers are involved in this work. But besides this, the child understands the general meaning of his work, what this activity is for (a rug for a dollhouse). Thus, the child does not just do finger exercises, but is engaged in a meaningful and useful activity. This method of work has a beneficial effect on the development of the child’s thinking and his interaction with the world. This example shows how in one specific action - spinning thread from wool - several lines of development are combined - sensory, motor, emotional and intellectual. This connection is the most important aspect of the methodology of Waldorf preschool pedagogy. It should be emphasized that children are not required to imitate or participate in activities. An outside observer may not notice any organization of life in the group at all. It seems that the teacher is not doing anything special, and everything happens as if by itself. But this is only an external impression, indicating the high skill of the teacher. Behind the apparent simplicity and naturalness there is a huge amount of external and internal work, and of course experience. The teacher simply begins to do something, relying on the natural curiosity and imitative instinct of children. And she rarely stays alone for more than a minute. The goal of the methodological process is to create opportunities that are thoughtful, in content and planned in time, which, however, leave room for the individual participation of the child, depending on his age, capabilities and personal identity. Thus, a natural individualization of the pedagogical process is achieved - each child participates in the proposed activity in his own way, in accordance with personal characteristics and capabilities.

Organizing a healthy rhythm of group life, repeated daily, is an indispensable condition for harmonious development. According to the theory of R. Steiner, “rhythm is the carrier of health.” The rhythm of the day consists of alternating phases of “inhalation” and “exhalation”. The “exhalation” phase – the free creative development of the child’s powers in play – is replaced by the “inhalation” phase, when children study with a teacher or listen to a fairy tale. Alternating activities form a weekly rhythm: on a certain day of the week children paint with watercolors, on another they practice eurythmy, on the third they have a puppet show. Friday is spring cleaning day. Children get used to it and know in advance what awaits them in the group today. - Simultaneously with living the rhythm of the year, children learn the origins of their national culture. This is facilitated by the daily life of the Waldorf group, and holidays celebrated in the spirit of folk traditions. These holidays are not a demonstration of achievements, but an important part of common life. Children do not prepare any performances specifically for the show. At any celebration, they simply live in the festive action.

Variety of games

Waldorf kindergarten can truly be called a kindergarten of play. All efforts of teachers are aimed at encouraging children to actively play. It is impossible to set the framework of the “program” for the game: every day 1.5 – 2 morning hours are allocated for such “free play”. During “free play”, children play on their own, if possible without a teacher. The content of the game is determined by the children themselves and is sometimes completely unexpected. Playing according to a pre-developed program, according to Waldorf teachers, loses its main meaning and ceases to be a game in the true sense of the word.

Organization of space

In order for free play to develop fully, it is necessary to create, firstly, proper external conditions - organize a special play space and allocate time. Secondly, practical classes should give children as many impulses as possible for active and meaningful games, often imitating the activities and lives of adults. It is important to create an environment with a variety of play materials. The equipment for the play area of ​​the Walfdor kindergarten group includes wooden screens with a shelf in the middle. Thanks to these screens, which are no higher than the height of children, children can divide the space of the room into separate corners, for example, to set up a store or a doctor’s office. Multi-colored scarves of various sizes can be used as walls and roofs.

Waldorf toys

On the wooden shelves located along the wall of the playroom at a level accessible to children, there are a variety of “toys”: logs, wooden blocks, longitudinal sections of birch trunks, simply cuts of branches and trunks of various lengths and thicknesses, cones, acorns, chestnuts, pieces bark and other similar “building material” - a Waldorf version of the usual cubes. But you shouldn’t think that toys, in the usual sense of the word, are completely absent. The hands of pupils, school students, parents and teachers themselves create beautiful dolls, gnomes, animals, elves and other inhabitants of the magical world of childhood. Real cubes are rarely found in playrooms - Waldorf teachers are reluctant to use toys with clear, geometrically defined shapes, which by their very form define ready-made ways to work with them. They also have a bad attitude towards toys and construction sets made of plastic and other artificial materials. Waldorf preschool pedagogy preaches a unique philosophy of toys: children are offered simple toys made from natural materials. They provide the opportunity to complement an item in the game to a complete image, while activating your imagination. Kids can create something unexpected from a simple piece of wood or a scarf. The object becomes what the child’s creative imagination makes of it. Toys, if possible, should be such that they only hint at their possible function and allow them to be used multifunctionally in the game. So, a piece of blue matter can become a lake, a starry sky, a roof near a store or the walls of a cave. “Ordinary” furniture also “takes part” in the games. Children can build a tall tower by stacking several tables and chairs on top of each other and covering them with scarves. There is a princess imprisoned in the tower who needs to be freed. This is how the fairy-tale plot, which was the content of the holiday the day before, comes to life in the game. Children often repeat the same story over many, many days. In addition to free play, the Waldorf kindergarten promotes finger games, traditional folk entertainment, musical-rhythmic and active activities. Drawing, modeling from specially prepared wax (plasticine is not used!) and practicing other types of art occurs on the principle of imitation in the form of play. Every day children are told a fairy tale, which can also be acted out in the form of free play or a puppet show.

Kindergarten group

Waldorf kindergartens accept children from 3.5 to 7 years old. Groups include up to 20 children of different ages. The groups are designed for healthy children. However, in recent years, cases have become more frequent when children with problems are brought to Waldorf kindergartens in the hope that they will be helped there. Very often, parents’ hopes are justified, but only on the condition that the problems with which children come have a pedagogical and not an organic reason. For really sick children there is a special direction - therapeutic pedagogy. The Waldorf kindergarten is open on weekdays. There are full-time and part-time groups. They are led by a certified teacher who has received special training. Experience has shown that children from Waldorf kindergartens quickly and well adapt to school, both regular and specialized. They easily adapt to a group of peers, are creatively active, spontaneous and spontaneous. Studies of the biographies of former graduates of Waldorf schools have shown that they choose a variety of professions and achieve success in life. And this is the most important thing today.

So, let's summarize. If we consider Waldorf pedagogy from a purely positive point of view, we can draw the following conclusions.

Obvious advantages of the Waldorf education system.

The Waldorf group is of different ages, and young children easily and naturally learn here, imitating their elders, to dress, clean up after themselves, draw, and sculpt. Everything is like family. And the teacher plays the role of a mother who does everyday household chores: cooks, cleans, mends children’s clothes, sews dolls, and from time to time joins her pets to play with them, tell them a fairy tale, or help with some difficult task. This makes it much easier for a child to adapt to life in a group than in the authoritarian atmosphere of a regular kindergarten.

In a Waldorf kindergarten, great attention is paid to manual labor: all children, both boys and girls, learn to embroider, carve wood, work on a pottery wheel and even a loom.

Fine arts also play an equally important role. Moreover, these are not drawing lessons in the generally accepted sense, but games with paints, during which children learn to find independent creative solutions, and not copy the template given by the teacher. In this case, only three colors are given: red, yellow and blue, and children must independently create additional colors from the main ones.

There are no special “musical classes” in the Waldorf kindergarten, but every day the group conducts the so-called rhythmic game: a peculiar combination of free movements with music, singing, and poetry recitation. In addition, when telling children a fairy tale, the teacher also accompanies her story by playing some musical instrument: xylophone, flute, lyre. These instruments lie freely in the group, and each child can take it and try to play on their own.

If the kindergarten has its own fenced area, as a rule, they plant a vegetable garden there, where everyone can try to grow not only potatoes and beets or radishes, but even wheat, and then grind it themselves and bake real bread. Ideally, a Waldorf kindergarten should also have a goat or sheep, so that children can learn in practice that milk does not grow in bags on trees.

One of the features of a Waldorf kindergarten is the abundance of holidays. Not only traditional religious holidays (Easter, Maslenitsa, Christmas) are widely celebrated here, but also special ones of our own creation. For example, in early autumn it is the Harvest Festival, carefully grown and collected with one’s own hands, and in November, when the days are so short and uncomfortable, the famous Lantern Festival is held, during which children pick up homemade lanterns with lit candles and, singing, set off to look for a magical kingdom. gnomes Children's birthdays are also celebrated on a special scale: here it is not a formal distribution of candy, but a real holiday, during which poems are read in honor of the birthday boy, songs are sung, and gifts are given to him of his own making.

Controversial moments in Waldorf pedagogy

It would seem that such a kindergarten is an ideal environment for a child’s development. And yet not everything is so simple.

Firstly, no matter what religious denomination you belong to and no matter how you feel about religion in general, we must not forget that anthroposophy, the teaching that underlies Waldorf pedagogy, if not a sect, then, in any case, remains quite rigid an ideological system associated with mysticism, esoteric teachings, and even if this does not directly affect the life of the kindergarten, it still gradually influences the formation of the child’s personality.

Secondly, in a Waldorf kindergarten, children are not taught reading, writing, or the basics of mathematics, and they are not given encyclopedic knowledge about the world. That is, that unique age is missed when a child could easily, playfully, learn to read, write, and count. In addition, without preparation, it will be difficult for a child to enter a regular, non-Waldorf school (and such, as already mentioned, are more likely to be classified as curiosities in our country). Of course, this would be easy to deal with by teaching your child at home or sending him to additional courses. But the fact is that such things are by no means welcome in Waldorf kindergartens, and, having learned that the child is studying somewhere, you will most likely be advised to either stop classes or take the child out of the kindergarten. They will react equally negatively to the fact that you send your child to a music or sports school, or to an art studio. Of course, you don’t have to advertise that you are teaching your child the alphabet or playing the piano, but this way you will doom him to a double life. Imagine how difficult it is for a little person to simultaneously exist in two completely different value systems.

The same applies to other seemingly less significant things. Take toys, for example. In Waldorf kindergartens they are special: homemade dolls made from natural materials, unpainted toys made of wood and clay. Not only the abused and abused Barbie and Pokemon, but even ordinary classic dolls, cars, and construction sets are prohibited here. The child should only play with homemade toys that develop imagination and creativity. A finished factory toy can only become an object for manipulation, but not for creativity, according to Waldorf teachers. Perhaps many parents will agree with this, but it is unlikely that your child’s yard friends will take seriously the idea that chumps and rag “naked ones” are cooler than a radio-controlled car and a dowry doll. This means that the baby will either fall out of the children's (non-kindergarten) society, become an outsider and suffer painfully, or, most likely, will play with ordinary store-bought toys at home, which means he will again be doomed to lead a double life.

An equally difficult situation arises with reading. In a Waldorf kindergarten, the teacher tells the children a fairy tale every day, often accompanied by a small puppet show. Children are usually delighted with this. It would seem, what’s bad here? But the fact is that the range of reading in a Waldorf kindergarten, and even in school, is very limited: these are either fairy tales (mostly from the Brothers Grimm), or legends from the lives of medieval knights, or German myths, sometimes excerpts from the Bible. To a literary fairy tale, stories about the lives of children, etc. Waldorf teachers have an extremely negative attitude, for some reason believing that the story about the Kid and Carlson or Nils and the wild geese develops imagination and creativity less than the fairy tale about Snow White and the dwarfs or Sleeping Beauty. That is, despite the seemingly enormous attention to reading, a colossal layer of excellent children's literature remains behind.

How to be?

So, before sending your child to a Waldorf kindergarten, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons. But this does not mean that one should thoughtlessly and forever reject the unique possibilities of Waldorf pedagogy.

It’s not at all difficult to sew amazing Waldorf dolls and toys for your child. All you need is a couple of scraps, a scrap of wool, an hour of free time and a little patience.

Together with your children, learn how to sculpt with clay and wax, spin and weave, carve wood and mix paints.

And how happy your baby will be if you arrange a Waldorf puppet theater on the table for him and his friends. It's not at all difficult to do this.

Roll a cone out of cardboard, very thick fabric, leather or felt: this will be the body of the doll. Wrap a piece of cotton wool, padding polyester or unspun wool in knitwear and insert it into the slot of the cone - that’s the head. Animals can be made from the same wool wound on wire, assembled from cardboard cones and cylinders (their detailed descriptions can be found in books like “Magic Paper”, etc.), or they can simply be molded from plasticine or drawn and cut out. Now, with the help of multi-colored threads, pieces of fabric and fur, we will build wigs and outfits for the dolls, cover the table with a beautiful scarf, and the decorations can be made very simple: a couple of small driftwood is a forest, a beautifully draped shoebox is a fairy-tale castle or a nativity scene in which Christ was born. Despite its apparent simplicity, a tabletop theater performance can be surprisingly beautiful, especially if you spare no foil and glitter for the decorations, and illuminate the “stage” with a live candle light (observing, of course, fire safety rules and not leaving children alone with a lit fire and matches). If one of the children knows how to play the flute, violin, piano or guitar, he can take care of the musical accompaniment. Even the obvious imperfection of the performance will not be able to overshadow the warmth and comfort that live music will give to the performance, and the baby will be proud and happy: after all, it was thanks to his performance that it turned out so beautifully! Act out a Christmas mystery in your theater, stage a beautiful fairy tale: “Sleeping Beauty”, “Thumbelina”, “The Nutcracker”.

Or maybe on a dark and stormy autumn evening you would like to make colorful, cheerful lanterns from milk cartons and go in search of gnome treasures? Just make sure in advance that the luxurious treasure is in the right place: gold chocolate medals, sparklers, crackers and fireworks!

In a word, there is something to borrow from Waldorf pedagogy. But the main thing that it can teach is respect for the child’s personality, a careful attitude towards that beautiful, fleeting and irrevocable time that is called childhood.

Valdorfskaja_doshkolnaja_sistema_vospitanija.txt · Last changes: 2013/09/05 13:02 (external change)

A child is an individual with a certain character and developmental characteristics. Many parents know that their child needs to be taught and guided, but can an ordinary public school cope with these tasks? Not always. An alternative way of learning can be safely called a system such as a Waldorf school. What it is? How does it affect the child's personality? We will try to answer these questions in this article.

Hidden abilities

To some extent, every child is like a piece of plasticine; you can mold anything out of it, putting maximum effort into it. Will plasticine make a figurine out of itself? Of course not - even a child knows the answer to this question. The situation is the same with children. Their talents and abilities depend only to some extent on their genetics, but most of them depend on what we put into them. Perhaps not everyone will agree with these words, but it is on this basis that children develop in an educational institution such as a Waldorf school. What is this wonderful thing where instead of memorizing the multiplication tables, children draw and laugh? It is in a warm and friendly atmosphere that a child performs best.

Moreover, without trying different types of activities, it is extremely difficult to know what the student likes most and what he really has a talent for. These are the classes that the Waldorf school conducts. Moscow is the city where some of the best Steiner schools are concentrated.

First Waldorf school

Such a wonderful education system was created and implemented by the Austrian scientist-philosopher Rudolf Steiner. In addition, it was he who created such a doctrine of spiritual knowledge as anthroposophy. We will talk about this science a little later, but now we will return to the creation of the first Waldorf school. In the spring of 1919, Steiner held a meeting with employees of the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory, at which the problems of teaching and raising children in regular schools were highlighted. The scientist voiced the curriculum of the Waldorf school, which he plans to introduce, and also spoke about anthroposophical teaching and the need for the spiritual development of children. Many parents were interested in his worldview and the prospects for opening a new, alternative educational institution and, of course, they agreed to send their children to such a school. Immediately, Emil Molt (the head of the cigarette factory) bought the premises and began arranging a new school. Since the founder of the new pedagogy was such an educational institution, it is sometimes called: “Waldorf Steiner School”.

Science of the Spirit

This is exactly how many scientific figures characterize the doctrine of anthroposophy. Translated from Greek, “sophia” is wisdom, and “anthropos” is man; accordingly, science studies the characteristics of the development of an individual in the spiritual sphere. This teaching was isolated from Theosophy, and is also based on the knowledge of God and the contemplation of God. The only difference is that anthroposophy is based on German classical philosophy and the teachings of J. Goethe and F. Schiller.

It is believed that this is a mystical science that can help develop magical abilities in a person. Steiner called this area of ​​knowledge “Goetheanism of the 20th century,” and since Goethe was a Freemason for some time, we can safely say that anthroposophy is in one way or another connected with magic and mysticism. It was on the basis of these ideas that the Waldorf school was created. What is this method of self-development and why did Steiner have a huge number of followers?

Unity of three hypostases

In the teachings of anthroposophy, a person is considered not only as a single whole, but also including such components as soul, body and spirit. They, in turn, have their own physical and psychological characteristics: the respiratory system, heart and spirit belong to the sphere of emotions, the nervous system and brain - to the intellectual (soul), metabolism and the musculoskeletal system - this is the body. The science of anthroposophy studies how to harmonize these three spheres with each other: a person must be strong in spirit and body, and also have a noble soul. It is the knowledge of how to achieve this that the Waldorf school provides. What kind of mystical science is this and does it have anything to do with the development of children? The answer to this question can be found by studying the basic principles of anthroposophy in more detail.

Principles of Spiritual Science

First of all, in order for any child to develop, feel comfortable and be able to reach his potential, he needs respect. He should not feel offended or deprived of attention in the educational institution. Anthroposophy studies methods of self-development through creativity and meditation. In different cities and schools, teaching methods may differ slightly, and this mainly depends on the qualifications of the teachers. For example, one Waldorf school in St. Petersburg may focus its educational process on creativity (drawing, singing, dancing, playing musical instruments), while another may focus on mental and spiritual development. One way or another, in any Steiner school, children examine both the creative, work, and mental-spiritual blocks throughout the day.

Particular attention in the pedagogy of the Waldorf school is paid to the study of culture and traditions. In order for a child not to feel lonely, he must understand that there is a whole world around him, very interesting and diverse. Various performances and productions performed by the children themselves help them feel like something more than just a schoolchild. A certain Waldorf school in St. Petersburg can become for a child not just an educational institution, but a second family, where he will feel comfortable and cozy. Such schools are especially popular with children who have no brothers and sisters. They like the friendly atmosphere in the school so much that they are ready to stay at school almost all day. Children really enjoy the warm and friendly atmosphere; they find new friends and like-minded people.

Nature as part of man

Steiner's pedagogy places special emphasis on the environment. If a child does not learn to feel one with nature, he will never be able to discover his full potential. As a rule, an educational institution is located closer to nature: to clean forest air, near a river, not far from the mountains. The school itself doesn’t look much like a classroom; it’s more like a cozy home where you can gather as a new family (class), engage in creativity and spiritual development. Even the furniture in modern Waldorf schools, as a rule, does not contain plastic or toxic substances - everything is only natural.

Grading system

Studying at a Waldorf school is very different from lessons at a regular school. A completely different program develops in children an interest in learning that is not supported by competition. There are no worst or best, each child is unique and talented in his own way. He is not graded or reprimanded for not knowing anything. In addition, a distinctive feature of such an educational institution is the attitude of teachers towards tips. If in a public school they scold you for giving hints and cheating, here they call it help and even welcome it. Under no circumstances should a child feel alone in moments of failure. On the contrary, at such moments the whole class and teachers provide him with support, help, and explain what the child did not understand. Students develop a strong confidence that they are not alone in this huge world, that there are always people who will come to the rescue, and moreover, this child will also be happy to help someone.

Training program

Naturally, the program at the Steiner school has a huge number of differences from an ordinary public school. All this is explained by the fact that in such educational institutions there is a completely different bias and goals pursued by teachers. Children are not forced to memorize anything - this is the main credo of such a teaching method as Waldorf pedagogy. The pros and cons of this school are discussed by many scientists, but no one comes to a common opinion. This is because this pedagogy has huge differences that contradict the regular school curriculum. For example, in grades 1-2, children are not taught reading and writing. For two years, children are taught letters and numbers in a playful way.

In lessons, as a rule, children learn drawing, sewing, knitting, gardening, and foreign languages. Complex exact sciences, such as mathematics, are studied in elementary school only in a playful way: children, holding hands, dance in circles, move vertically, diagonally, in a square, in a rectangle. “Having felt these figures for themselves,” it is not difficult for students in the future to draw them, divide them in half, find the perimeter and area.

Holidays and concerts

Waldorf schools pay a lot of attention to holidays and concerts. For each event, children together with teachers prepare performances, sew the costumes themselves, and decorate the concert hall. This brings the children together very much and gives them the opportunity to express themselves. For a shy child, performing on stage is an opportunity to become more relaxed and at ease. Most often, parents and close relatives are invited to such holidays as guests. The child, feeling supported, performs on stage even more confidently. It is the Waldorf school, which has only positive reviews from parents, that has a beneficial effect on children, developing in them the most unexpected talents.

Waldorf kindergarten

Steiner's pedagogy became so popular in Europe and Asia that there was a need to create preschool institutions based on this teaching. After a regular kindergarten, a child who is sent to study at a Waldorf school has a hard time. The teaching model that he saw in kindergarten is completely contrary to the new school: in a regular preschool, children are already being taught seriousness, perseverance, letters and numbers. A Waldorf kindergarten is an educational institution for preschoolers based on Steiner pedagogy. Here children learn about the world while playing, make crafts, play daughter-mother, go to the store, or go to the hospital. Various natural materials are used for crafts: pebbles, leaves, cones, acorns. The toys in such kindergartens are also only wooden or rag.

Approaches and methods

The main problem of ordinary public schools is the issue of rudeness and cruelty of schoolchildren. Disrespect for adults, reluctance to learn - these are the difficulties of many parents, which they are unable to cope with. School teachers in public schools also have a hard time.

Only a friendly and warm atmosphere can really contribute well to the learning process and personal development. The game process in which children learn, develop, and get to know the world contributes to the development of fine motor skills and speech. The Waldorf school has all these features. Moscow is a city in which a huge number of such schools are concentrated, but what is most interesting is that they are not subordinate to the city department of education and science. Unlike ordinary educational institutions, such schools do not have centralized administrative control, which means they are not connected to each other and do not report to anyone. Steiner schools, as a rule, do not have directors; they are governed by a board consisting of teachers and parents.

Any Waldorf school, whose tuition fees tend to zero in European countries, develops spirituality and talents in children. Even the pencil case that the child comes to class with is made by him and his parents himself.

Of course, adherents of strict discipline will definitely not like such a school. Children have practically no boundaries. If for some reason the child does not like the lesson or he already knows how to do it, he can calmly leave the lesson. Parents participate in almost the entire educational process in their children’s lives: they help organize holidays, do various crafts with them at home, and even conduct lessons. At parent meetings, it is discussed who can do what well, and a schedule is drawn up. And so, for example, on Monday one of the mothers tells the children the technique of weaving beadwork, and on Tuesday the father of one of the students teaches them how to make wooden boats. Every child, regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl, attends all classes and learns along with everyone else. Who said, for example, that a boy cannot knit or embroider, and a girl should not work with wood? These are just prejudices that do not exist in such an educational institution as a Waldorf school. Addresses and contacts of schools with Steiner pedagogy can be found on their personal websites. In addition, as a rule, Waldorf educational institutions hold an open day every year. You can attend this event, meet teachers and parents, observe the educational process and decide for yourself whether such a school is suitable for your child.

The more society criticizes the education that has developed in Russian kindergartens and schools, the more actively parents become interested in alternative pedagogical systems, including Waldorf pedagogy.

The slogans of this methodology are attractive: it is not the child who must adapt to the school, but the school to the child; priority development of children’s abilities, rather than subject knowledge, skills, abilities; non-judgmental learning, building an individual educational route for each student, rather than mass education; highly professional teachers who love schoolchildren and their work, and not indifferent “translators” of textbooks. Of course, such features of the Waldorf system sound tempting to many parents.

The need to personally choose which kindergarten or school to send a child to, where it will be better for him, sooner or later forces parents to collect and analyze the available information about Waldorf pedagogy, so as not to get into trouble and not spoil the fate of their own child.

The system-vector psychology of Yuri Burlan will help us understand what Waldorf pedagogy brings - benefit or harm.

About the origins

In 1907, Rudolf Steiner, a philosopher and educator, wrote the book “The Education of the Child,” which served as the foundation for the founding of the first school. A school that opened in 1919 in Germany at the request of E. Molt, owner of the Waldorf Astoria cigarette factory. The name of the factory, in fact, served as the source of a modern trademark intended for use in conjunction with the educational method - “Waldorf pedagogy”.

Initially, the school was designed for the children of factory workers, with the goal of socializing them, as well as educating a free person, but since there was no selection based on the material and social characteristics of students, children from different walks of life studied together. The novelty of Rudolf Steiner's pedagogy was based on anthroposophy (human knowledge). Its principles formed the basis of the Waldorf system.

The successes of the first Waldorf school and its pedagogical principles inspired the creation of new schools in Germany, the USA, Norway, Austria, and Great Britain.

The Nazis' rise to power in 1933 led to the closure of most Waldorf schools in Europe, and they were reopened only after the end of World War II. Thus began a new round of dissemination of Waldorf pedagogy throughout the world. Today, a Waldorf school or kindergarten can be found in almost every major city.

About the founder of the Waldorf school

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) is considered by Waldorf teachers to be an example of what an ideal teacher should be, both in the ordinary and in the spiritual sense. In his 20 books and about 6 thousand lectures, he touched on religion, philosophy, economics, agriculture, medicine, and art.

Steiner founded anthroposophy - a type of teaching about the unity of the human soul with the deity, which aims to reveal human abilities through special exercises. The main task of anthroposophical pedagogy is to preserve childhood in the child. Let us consider how exactly these tasks are solved in the Waldorf methodology and what it is - Waldorf pedagogy.

Features of Waldorf pedagogy

Educational institutions practicing Waldorf pedagogy differ from standard state ones: there is no noise, no crowding, the equipment is mainly made of natural materials, the walls are painted in certain colors, depending on the age of the children, there is an atmosphere of creativity, goodwill, there are no usual textbooks, bells, notebooks , marks. Many parents consider this a serious advantage of Waldorf schools and kindergartens.

At the center of the pedagogical process is the child, with his individual characteristics. He is given every opportunity to develop his abilities at his own pace. There are no concepts of “norm” or “advancement of development”. Within the framework of Waldorf pedagogy, it is believed that it is wrong to set general evaluation criteria, because each child has his own unique talents.

The Waldorf pedagogical system “kindergarten – school” works according to the following fundamental principles:

1. Priority for the spiritual development of children. The Waldorf method strives to appeal primarily to the highest human qualities and properties that have been developed by civilization and culture.

2. Educational material is studied in epochs (blocks) lasting 3-4 weeks, which allows the child to “get used to it.”

3. Each day is divided into three parts: spiritual, emotional, creative and practical.

4. When presenting educational material, the level of development of each child and the stage of development of historical society are taken into account (for example, during puberty, children go through the era of the Middle Ages, with an emphasis on the masculinity of knights and the femininity of ladies).

5. The main pedagogical method is the method of “spiritual economy”, which consists in the fact that teachers, in the process of teaching, develop those activities in the child that he can master without internal resistance of the body. Thus, before puberty, they work with children’s imaginative thinking and feelings, and only after puberty, concepts aimed at developing abstract thinking are included in the educational material.

6. Visual learning is used after children reach the age of 12, since it is believed that before this moment the formation of concepts is unnatural for the child’s nature. When interacting with younger children, the Waldorf teacher relies more on the child’s imaginative thinking and creative approach.

7. During lessons, teachers use emotional memory and use the “method of learning accompanied by feelings” up to 12 years of age. A natural, natural method based on the student’s personal attitude to the material being studied: interesting - not interesting, happy - sad, etc. For example, a sense of rhythm is considered an essential need of a child before puberty, so children learn the multiplication table to the rhythm of clapping and stamping their feet.

8. The child’s interest is the core of the educational process. If at the age of 9 children like to play and move actively, then the learning process is based on games, imitation, and fairy tales.

9. The subject taught is eurythmy, a form of art developed by Steiner aimed at developing the child’s imagination and feelings.

10. The rhythmic daily routine is strictly observed.

11. The principles of harmonization of mental life (balance of the child’s will, feelings, thinking) and harmonization of the social environment (creation of a healthy social environment where no one and nothing suppresses the student’s individuality) are applied.

12. A Waldorf teacher must engage in self-improvement and be able to control his emotions and behavior.

So, Waldorf pedagogy is based on an individual approach to the child, creates comfortable conditions for the development of his abilities, spiritual growth, and places high demands on the teacher’s personality. For this purpose, special pedagogical methods are used, a rhythmic daily routine, a cyclical curriculum, a non-evaluative learning system, and the absence of competition - the child evaluates himself and his achievements.

"Trump cards" of Waldorf pedagogy

If most methods of early development of children cover only preschool age (and then parents who sent their child to such a kindergarten are faced with a painful choice of which school to send him to), then the Waldorf method is a unified “kindergarten-school” system.

In a Waldorf kindergarten, teachers do their best to preserve the life-giving breath of childhood in children, so there is no talk of early learning to read, write, count, or develop memory. The priority is the physical and creative development of the child, education based on imitation and example.

At the age of 7, education in a Waldorf school begins and lasts 10-11 years - just like in a traditional Russian school. However, the educational process is significantly different: a lesson lasts 1.5-2 hours, there is no “cramming” of textbooks, grades, homework, tests, or exams.

Much attention is paid to the study of art, manual labor, and staging performances. From the first to the seventh grade, all classes are taught by one teacher, so there is no reason for unnecessary stress for students when moving from primary school to secondary school. Thanks to this, the emotional connections between the Waldorf teacher and children become stronger.

The school's curriculum is based on an individual approach, adheres to a leisurely pace of learning, and aims to develop in students emotional maturity, creativity, responsibility, common sense, that is, to educate a free person who knows how to act and be responsible for his actions.

The Waldorf school is called a “school in the interests of the child,” a humane school where the basis is not the transfer of knowledge, but the education of a harmoniously developed personality.

Some statistics

Waldorf education today constitutes one of the world's largest independent educational systems, as it is practiced in approximately 60 countries, in more than 950 schools, and 1,400 kindergartens.

In our country, Waldorf schools appeared in 1992, and if initially a Waldorf school was created for children of workers and the lower social classes, then in Russia the founders of Waldorf kindergartens and schools were wealthy parents with higher education, who were responsible for the upbringing and education of their children.

The spread of Waldorf pedagogy is facilitated by its almost century-long existence and widespread use in developed countries of the world. This gives the founders of Waldorf educational institutions hope that the tasks facing educators are being met.

Criticism of Waldorf pedagogy

Since the founding of the first school by Rudolf Steiner, controversy surrounding it has not subsided. The cornerstone for criticism is the teaching of anthroposophy itself.

Esoteric ideas about the world are imposed on children; from kindergarten on, they hear stories from the teacher about angels, brownies, witches, and so on. At school, during the school day, children say prayers to Mother Earth. Specific holidays are celebrated and Steiner's phrases are quoted. An educational institution becomes a kind of closed world, far from reality, where there is no place for computers, television, and preference is given to everything natural.

Toys in kindergarten are made by teachers, parents, and children themselves from wood or clay, that is, natural materials; children are strictly prohibited from playing with Pokemon or Transformers.

Educators and teachers of Waldorf schools are anthroposophists themselves and involve parents in reading Steiner’s works, compulsory participation in school events, often coming home to their students, and monitoring that the atmosphere at home does not differ from the atmosphere at school. For a child, a teacher is the highest authority and role model. All this gives grounds for opponents of the Waldorf school to call it a “sect.”

The main reasons why parents send their children to a Waldorf school are: their desire to raise an extraordinary personality, to give the child an unusual education, the absence of the concept of “developmental delay” in the school, etc. Parents are also attracted to small groups (classes), an individual approach, “spirituality”, the friendly atmosphere of Waldorf institutions.

Unlike most state traditional educational institutions, here they willingly make contact with parents, are open to communication, offer to attend lessons, concerts, and demonstrate the creative works of students. In this way, the Waldorf learning process attracts those parents who want to be active participants in the process.

Many parents are disappointed in Waldorf pedagogy due to the fact that non-traditional education does not fit into the framework of accepted standards - it is difficult for a graduate of a Waldorf school to study in other schools; at a university there are different contents of educational programs, characteristics instead of grades.

For some children, the authority of the teacher turns into dictatorship, original teaching methods - memorizing poems, foreign words without understanding, eurythmy - smooth movements to music - become a real punishment, like knitting and playing musical instruments.

When asked by parents about the difficulties of a child’s transition from a Waldorf school to a regular school, the answer is given: “A smart child will study everywhere.”

Let's try to systematically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the Waldorf method.

System conclusion

In Waldorf pedagogy one cannot help but be impressed by the fact that the child is placed at the head of the educational process. Rudolf Steiner absolutely correctly understood the danger of early development of intelligence at the expense of the development of a child’s social skills. , and then the intellectual load.

Another thing is that the development of feelings in a child should be dealt with not until the age of 12, but until the age of 6-7, when the time comes to learn writing, reading, counting, and the development of abstract thinking. At the age of 12-15, a modern child has already gone through puberty, which means that parents have little time to develop their natural inclinations, and it is too late to start at 12 years old.

In addition, today the living conditions of people have changed significantly, the development of science has stepped far forward, and the presence of one teacher from the first to the seventh grade, who teaches all academic disciplines, is unlikely to contribute to a high level of knowledge among students.

If earlier there were more people with only lower vectors and their development in the Waldorf school was carried out quite well, then in the modern city the concentration of children with sound, vision and other upper vectors is extremely high, and very little attention is paid to their development in the Waldorf school. This is where you just need to “put it into your head.”

It is difficult to disagree with the postulate of the importance of developing his abilities for a student’s success in life. But the creator of the Waldorf pedagogical system did not differentiate children according to their properties. Finding an individual approach to the child is the task of the teacher, but at the same time he relies on his experience, Steiner’s esoteric knowledge, intuition - that is, he does not have in his hands effective and accurate tools that allow him to accurately identify the student’s abilities, and therefore create optimal conditions for them disclosures.

Children are offered creativity, dancing, music, which does not allow them all to realize their natural potential. For example, there are anal-muscular children whose congenital characteristics do not at all lie in the plane of development of flexibility and grace.

Creating greenhouse living conditions for a child at school and at home does little to promote his success in real life. The child should be at the forefront only to a certain extent - it is important to allow his vectorial properties to develop. But there is no need to run around him. A child is a child, and he should have an incentive to become an adult.

In 1919, when Rudolf Steiner created his first anthroposophical school, this was understandable and historically justified - Germany was suppressed and humiliated by the shameful Treaty of Versailles, so a mood of escapism dominated in German society.

Today, the main reproach against the Waldorf school is that it is far from life, because children learn, first of all, for life, for interaction in a society where there will be no guardians and nannies. It is obvious that behind the isolation of Waldorf schools, their religious specificity, as well as the craving for natural materials and wood, there are traditional values ​​of the anal vector. However, an artificial delay in the past prevents children from becoming full-fledged members of modern society. Thus, a child who does not have access to a computer will obviously lag behind his peers who have the opportunity to develop with the help of the latest technological advances.

Steiner’s idea that education should influence the child’s soul, thoughts, feelings, and will without understanding these very thoughts and feelings turns into an unfounded theory, which Steiner, for lack of anything better, supplied with esoteric calculations invented by himself. Waldorf school teachers, not knowing the innate properties of children, act by touch.

The most important principle of raising and educating children - the formation of their deficiencies, the need to learn something - is not used. The child develops along his own educational path, learns what comes easily to him, meanwhile he does not learn to make efforts to develop his abilities. The task of adults is to raise a child, including through overcoming obstacles and difficulties, creating for him not greenhouse conditions, but those that work for his development. Unfortunately, the Waldorf educational process does not provide for this.

The lack of a spirit of competition, competition in a Waldorf school, and material incentives (grades, for example) negatively affect educational results and personal achievements of children with the skin vector, who receive great pleasure from victory and leadership. It is unlikely that a urethral child, a little leader, will get along in a Waldorf school; he will not be able to be in an environment where the teacher’s authority dominates him.

The Waldorf school is suitable for children with and vectors - obedient, loving to do everything in a certain order, diligent. Will be impressed by discipline, a clear daily routine, exercises, dancing, sports. here there will be lack of opportunities for the development of their special abstract intelligence.

In Waldorf kindergartens, teachers love to read, tell children fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm and various stories about evil spirits - this has a detrimental effect on the psyche of visual children: fearful and impressionable from childhood, they then begin to see, for example, angels near their cribs, then Bluebeard... Their innate properties do not develop - from fear to compassion and love.

So, parents, before realizing their natural desire to provide their child with the discovery of hidden abilities, to give an unusual education, they need to understand what vector set their child has, and then seriously think about whether it is worth getting involved with the Waldorf pedagogical system.

The article was written based on training materials “ System-vector psychology»

Good day, dear readers! I write inspired and puzzled at the same time. Today I was lucky enough to read one amazing review about a Waldorf school. I think I heard something about her before, but what I found out today shocked me!

The education system in such an institution is very different from the usual training program. Moreover, it turned out that there are also kindergartens with the same name. And they are also different from ordinary children's institutions. What principles does the Waldorf school adhere to, what is it? Let's find out!

Most parents are of the opinion that the school should keep the child in line. It’s exactly the same as what schools should teach. And this is quite normal, because this is an established judgment.

I've read a lot about the Walfdor school ( Steiner technique). I asked people who had at least some connection to her. What's the difference? It turns out that in this school education is based on the principle of “desire”. The child is not forced to sit over textbooks, but is given the opportunity to choose.

It turns out that the main difference between a Waldorf school and a general education school is that it is aimed at developing the creative side of the child.

You won't see any TVs or computers in this school. Children here don't use phones. All toys are made from natural ingredients. Children have been making incredible crafts with their own hands since first grade. By the way, it is the natural composition of toys that makes the Waldorf school similar to the Montessori method. But that’s not about that now.

Many parents noted that there is something esoteric about this school. Something magical, impossible, amazing. And this “something” attracts children to go to school every day. Unexpected, right?

But everything is not so wonderful. Is it true? I decided that there are still some pitfalls in this education system. And she turned out to be right. Let's look at the pros and cons of the Steiner technique.

2. Advantages of the school

“Don’t take away your child’s childhood” - have you heard this phrase? The Waldorf school is all in favor.

That is why the school has many of its own features that are so attractive to parents and children:

1. The main emphasis in the first grades of education is on the development of the child’s personality. The children in this school are the center of the universe. Each of them has their own opinion and the right to express it. The teacher, in turn, tries to support the child as much as possible and realize his thought/idea/desire. The main thing is that it does not harm others.
2. Two foreign languages ​​are usually studied at school. Moreover, training begins from the first grades.
3. The school pays great attention to creativity. Children not only draw and sing (as is customary in regular schools), but also play musical instruments, learn eurythmy (the art of artistic movement), dance, and attend theater classes.
4. No homework.
5. The holiday is sacred. Easter, Christmas, New Year, Maslenitsa and other holidays are celebrated on a grand scale! Skits are prepared, children learn poems and songs, and make gifts for each other with their own hands. Particular attention to birthdays. Instead of the usual distribution of sweets at the beginning of the lesson, there is a whole celebration here. The whole class prepares gifts for the birthday boy, reads poems to him, and gives cards.
6. Everyone is united at school. There is no spirit of competition. There is no place for envy or malice here. There are no leaders and no outcasts. Thanks to this, the class turns into one cohesive team.

Many parents note that children raised in this school are open and good-natured people.

3. Disadvantages of the school

There are several nuances about this school that are not entirely clear to me. For example, children are not graded on their knowledge. Instead, a “characteristic notebook” is created for each child. On the one hand - great. The child is not “chasing” an A. Knowledge that is not acquired “by evaluation” remains in the head much longer. But on the other hand, it is so difficult to evaluate academic performance.

There are other “shortcomings”:

1. Difficulties with transferring to another school. This is understandable, try, convert the student’s characteristics into a five-point system.
2. Studying at school can last 12 years, while in a regular school you can go to college after 9th grade or study for a total of 11 years.
3. There is no strong emphasis on the exact sciences, so often graduates of such a school are humanists.
4. There are free Waldorf schools, but more often they are private, which means they have to pay.
5. Comparison with a sect. Some parents note that the atmosphere that reigns at school is too idealized and takes the child away from reality.

Children are not taught reading until the second grade. However, many lessons familiar to secondary schools are introduced here later than usual.

4. School “rules”

This school has its own “raisin”, which makes it special.

And these are the principles of Waldorf pedagogy:

1. It is not customary to say “no” to a child here. A child can do anything! Within reason, of course. He will not be allowed to hit another student, destroy classrooms, etc. But, more often than not, this does not happen here. The children are very close friends with each other.
2. “No” to premature intellectual development. Everything should take its course. The teachers of this school believe that a child in primary school is not yet ready to study difficult sciences. They don’t insist on this. Usually it is not until the fourth grade that real learning begins. However, they say that it is by the fourth grade that the development of children in a Waldorf school levels out and is no longer different from children from a general education institution.
3. The teacher is an authority. Moreover, one teacher leads his class from the very beginning to the end. For the first eight grades, it is he who will teach the children all disciplines, and only after the ninth grade do other teachers appear. Children, by the way, love it.
4. The first lesson is the main lesson. The morning of the children of this school begins with an important subject: mathematics, Russian, and so on. After this, emphasis is usually placed on the child’s creative development.
5. No ratings. And this motivates the children. No one is trying to evaluate them. No one gives a “two”, which is why the child does not develop a feeling of worthlessness.
6. Special atmosphere. It's like there's magic in the school. The class is like one big family. Parents can attend all holidays and take an active part in them, along with children and teachers.
7. Absence of director. All school issues are resolved by the council, whose participants are teachers, parents, and educators.

6. Future perspective

If you believe the reviews, most children pass the exams absolutely calmly, although, as I wrote above, there is no emphasis on the child’s intellectual development.

Graduates easily enter higher education institutions. But more often it is a creative or humanitarian profession. The professions chosen by the students are their favorite ones. They visit universities with pleasure.

It was also noticed that children from these schools are open, happy, good-natured, creative and imaginative. They easily find a language with people of different worldviews and are excellent at working in a team.

In any case, only the parent can decide whether a given school is suitable for his child or not. For example, I am very inspired by the idea that this school has its own harmony. It's great when a child is raised and educated in a magical place. And what is very attractive is the fact that the school turns any holiday into a fairy tale, where each student is a very important and necessary character. However, more detailed information can be found on the Waldorf school website.

You can watch a detailed video about the Waldorf school here:

The Waldorf education system is based on the principles of attention, respect and care for the child’s childhood. This the system strives to develop the creativity of all students and strengthen their self-esteem. Within the walls of children's institutions with the Waldorf education system there is always an atmosphere of warmth, friendliness and tranquility. Children are eager to attend Waldorf schools and kindergartens. Currently, there are about 2,500 operating preschool and school institutions around the world that fulfill the main tasks of the Waldorf education system.

History of Waldorf pedagogy

Waldorf system education was created at the beginning of the twentieth century in the south Germany. The impetus for its emergence was a period of instability in the field of education. Employees of the Waldorf Astoria tobacco company were concerned that their children were not receiving adequate pedagogical attention while attending educational institutions. The entire learning process was aimed only at constant memorization of the material. As a result of such training, students could not develop creative abilities and cognitive activity. The complaints of the employees of this company became known to its owner, Emil Molta, who was not afraid of change and always sought to find a rational way out of the existing social difficulties. Emil Molta dreamed of creating a new type of school, the program of which fully corresponded to the age characteristics of the child and was distinguished by a humane attitude towards the younger generation. The innovator made this request to the teacher Rudolf Steiner. Molt’s appeal to this particular teacher was not accidental. Rudolf Steiner was active in teaching and had extensive private teaching experience.

It should be noted that Rudolf Steiner gave frequent lessons to the son of a Viennese merchant who suffered from migraines, behavioral disorders and hydrocephalus. Many teachers and doctors were sure that the boy was completely hopeless and would not be able to develop normally. But Steiner developed a special program for the boy and worked with him systematically for two years. As a result, his student “caught up” with his peers and soon received a higher medical education.

Rudolf Steiner accepted Emil Molt's proposal and developed the first Waldorf school curriculum, which was approved in 1919 by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The new school, under Molt's direction, was built within a year. On September 1, Waldorf school teachers accepted 256 students and opened 8 classes. In this institution, 191 students had parents who worked in a tobacco factory. After some time, the school began to accept children from various walks of life.

Today there are a large number of Waldorf students in the world. In the Waldorf system there are no strict methods for teaching a child. The whole technique is aimed at developing the child’s inner world, namely his creative abilities, imagination and intuition. Children are instilled with a love of spirituality and folk culture.

Basic principles and directions of work of Waldorf pedagogy

Supporters of Waldorf pedagogy We are confident that childhood is a unique and unrepeatable period in a person’s life, which requires the fulfillment of special tasks and goals. At the same time, it is important not to accelerate the child’s development, but to reveal and nurture the child’s abilities that are characteristic of this particular age. In this regard, adherents of the Waldorf education system are in no hurry to immediately teach children writing and reading, as well as have a negative attitude towards the use of various intellectual training programs. Waldorf pedagogy involves the natural development of the child’s personality and his natural abilities.

Preschools using basics of Waldorf pedagogy, in the process of work the following are used principles:

• creating a comfortable and favorable atmosphere for development;
• through personal example and imitation;
• use of multifunctional games;
• creating an atmosphere that promotes the development of gaming activities;
• organizing the correct rhythm of the group;
• use of diverse work activities and basic art skills.

All of the above provisions in a Waldorf-type preschool cannot exist separately from each other. They organically intertwine with each other and represent the harmonious life of a friendly family, and not the usual work of a traditional preschool institution. Let's look at some of the principles of Waldorf pedagogy in more detail.

Creating a comfortable and favorable atmosphere for development

R. Steiner suggested back in 1907 that the main driving factor for the development of a child is maternal love and the attention of others towards him. At the same time, love must be sincere, since children are very receptive and intuitively feel love according to the condition. Thus, creating an atmosphere of love is the main condition for the correct physical, emotional and intellectual development of the child. Waldorf preschools strive to create a supportive atmosphere that is close to home. Particular attention is paid to the personality of the teacher, who must love children, be a creative and bright personality, and also be able to establish trusting relationships with his students and their parents.

To create the necessary environment conducive to the active development of a child, artistic design and proper organization of space are important.

Education through personal example and imitation

Children under 4 years of age are able to absorb a large amount of varied information. But they do this not through textbooks or lessons, but through constant interaction with the adults around him, constant communication with peers, playing with various objects, listening to interesting stories, etc. Hence, the child’s learning process is interconnected with his active life position. At the same time, there are two main ways of understanding the world - imitation and example. In Waldorf institutions, children are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities, imitation of which develops their creative thinking, logic, fine motor skills, attention, and other abilities and skills. This could be handicrafts, wool dyeing, toy making, weaving, etc. Kids take an active part in baking dough products, care for plants, make various crafts from natural materials, restore order in the group, etc.

However, children are not forced to take part in the above activities. The teacher begins to engage in some exciting activity, and the kids gradually become involved in the creative process, thanks to cognitive activity and natural curiosity. Each child takes part in common activities based on individual characteristics and their own capabilities.

The correct rhythm of activity is a source of harmony

Activity in Waldorf-type children's institutions varied and rhythmic. For example, on Monday it is planned to organize classes in modeling, and on Tuesday - painting with watercolors. Kids get used to consistency and already know what will await them on one day or another.

Use of multifunctional games.

The leading activity of a child is play. In this regard, Waldorf children's institutions encourage children to engage in active play activities. Wherein the game is free, and the baby chooses the type of activity that is interesting to him at the moment. Teachers do not use games according to a pre-planned program, since the meaning and functions of gaming activities are lost.

It should be noted that children in Waldorf educational institutions play with simple toys made from natural materials. Often, didactic material for classes is made by the hands of educators and their students. For this, cones, chestnuts, logs, acorns, hay and other natural materials are used. Teachers avoid toys with regular geometric shapes or with a fully formed image. The child must learn to fantasize and develop creative thinking to independently complement the image. For example, Waldorf dolls lack eyes, nose, and mouth. The appearance of the doll is not imposed on the baby. He uses his own imagination and invents his own doll, which is not like the others. Also, the didactic material is multifunctional. For example, a piece of blue fabric can turn into the sea, starry sky or an elegant dress for a doll.

In addition, pupils of Waldorf children's institutions enjoy use various finger games, active and musical activities. Children also love to sculpt, draw, study folk pastimes, organize theatrical performances, etc. It should be noted that plasticine is not used for modeling. In this process it is specially used prepared wax.

How everyday life and holidays go in a Waldorf preschool

If this is your first time visiting a Waldorf-themed kindergarten, you will be pleasantly surprised warm and creative atmosphere in him. Teachers always look forward to their students with joy and impatience. When a child enters the group, a bell hanging above the door sounds. The teacher personally meets each child. At the same time, be sure to shake his hand and smile warmly, which means: “Come in, baby, everyone is waiting for you and happy to see you!”

The morning in a Waldorf kindergarten begins with non-standard exercises. Children to different rhythms moving actively, singing songs, read funny poems.

Further guys take part in a free game. They do things that are interesting to them at the moment: they lay out paths from sticks, design clothes for dolls, prepare dough for pies, put cones and acorns in baskets, build towers from chairs, etc.

At this time, teachers also do not sit idle. They do various “household” things, and the children, becoming interested in their type of activity, begin to join them. Begins the process of natural imitation, which is so important for the development of the baby’s abilities. Teachers and children sew dolls, weave baskets, make compositions from dry leaves, make various crafts from pine cones, paint pebbles, etc.

Wherein teachers don't say the word "no" to their pupils and support any initiative of the child. There are only three situations in which a teacher can refuse:

• if the child’s actions may be for his health and life;
• if the baby’s actions cause harm to other children;
• if in the process of vigorous activity damage to things may be caused (for example, you cannot draw on furniture or walls).

When the free play period ends, the cleaning toys together and the children start breakfast. For meals, clay dishes, homemade tablecloths and napkins made from natural fabrics are used. Children sit at a large common table.

Then the children switch to musically rhythmic games, organized at an intense pace. Next, the kids go for a walk, where they play outdoor games, feed birds, build sand castles, care for flowers, do gardening, etc.

After walks in the open air, the teacher tells the kids an interesting fairy tale or demonstrates its plot with the help of made dolls. The teacher “plays” one piece within one week. Thanks to this, children know every word in it and completely “get used to” its plot.

After lunch comes quiet time. Children relax in cozy beds made of natural wood and covered with handmade patchwork blankets.

After bedtime, there is an afternoon snack and active activities with the kids: finger games, playing musical instruments, singing, sign games, etc. Then the teachers offer the kids outdoor games or waiting games.

Every day at a Waldorf preschool is filled with interesting games and activities that promote natural development of child's talent. There are no gray and boring everyday life in these institutions.

It should be noted that teaching material is presented by teachers in blocks. A whole day is dedicated to one block. At the same time, they highlight creative and practical direction, mental and spiritual. The rhythm of the day is set by the block currently being studied. The main emphasis of the Waldorf system is on aesthetic and artistic direction of studies.

Children's groups in the Waldorf garden mixed ages. Kids interact closely not only with their peers, but also with older friends. They actively imitate them in the process of performing various tasks, and also quickly learn to dress independently and clean up after themselves.

Holidays in these child care institutions are an integral part common life of children and their teachers. These are events where children, teachers and parents are both hosts and guests of the celebration. They decorate the hall together, bake treats in the group, learn songs, dance moves and poems. Teachers do not have a pre-written script for the holiday, and children are not forced to act according to a prepared plan. During the holidays there is always an atmosphere of home warmth and love.

In addition to traditional calendar and folk holidays, there are special events: Harvest Day, Festival of Courage or Festival of Lanterns. It passes especially brightly holiday - Birthday. A child and his parents come to the group, where he tells the most interesting and fun events from his life. Then the kids and teachers congratulate the birthday boy with a small concert, play outdoor games, dance in circles and, of course, treat himself to homemade cakes.

Pros and cons of Waldorf kindergarten

These educational institutions differ from other preschool institutions in some specific prohibitions:

1. Prohibition on early education up to 7 years of age. The child is not burdened with intellectual training. He must comprehend the world around him only through experience and remain in his own for as long as possible. figuratively abstract world.
2. Ban on media. Movies and various programs broadcast on television are a source of negative information for a small child. It destroys the baby’s inner world, and he becomes highly dependent on them.
3. Prohibition on evaluating a child’s actions. If a child performs any tasks just to receive a positive assessment of his own actions from an adult, then he is deprived of the opportunity to act naturally and naturally.

The use of the Waldorf system in kindergarten has its pros and cons. The advantages include the following points:

• respect for the child’s personality and his choice;
• lack of assessment of the child’s actions and coercion;
• education through imitation and personal example of educators;
• learning new skills and abilities occurs naturally and in a trusting environment;
• creating free space for the child’s creative development;
• organization of a special rhythm in groups;
• the children's group includes children of different ages;
• formation of the baby’s aesthetic abilities and development of his emotional sphere;
• In the course of work, the child’s volitional qualities are formed.

On to the cons Waldorf system can be attributed the following points:

• Waldorf preschool teachers do not teach children the basics of writing and counting, so it will be difficult for them to study in a traditional school;
• the themes of the works that Waldorf educators offer for retelling to children are limited;
• It is recommended that children do not read books, but rather retell the plot of a fairy tale or story;
• Waldorf pedagogy is based on anthroposophy, which is not supported by the traditional church;
• the complex process of adaptation of a child with peers attending a classical kindergarten.

Features of the Waldorf school

After graduating from a Waldorf kindergarten, children go to school, which also uses the principles of Waldorf pedagogy.

Start training children at Waldorf school from the age of seven. The training process lasts for eleven years. The main teacher during the eight years of study is the class teacher, who acts as a mentor and friend for the children.

Primary Waldorf focuses little time to study academic subjects. Over the course of two years, children are introduced to letters and taught the basics of reading. The rules of writing letters and counting are also studied in a playful way.

Special attention The Waldorf education system in primary school focuses on learning foreign languages, playing the flute, eurythmy and the basics of needlework. Classes are held in a playful way. To better understand the material, children use poems, songs, riddles, etc.

For use in the classroom and at home in elementary school traditional textbooks are not used. High school students can use educational literature as a supplement to studying core subjects.

In Waldorf schools it is common holidays are organized dedicated to special occasions, religious events or natural phenomena. Teachers, children and their parents take an active part in these events. Schoolchildren learn various songs and poems, play musical instruments, stage plays and dances, and create stage costumes and gifts with their own hands.

At the end of each semester, children and their class teacher sum up their learning activities. An exhibition of achievements is being organized students of a Waldorf school, which demonstrates dolls sewn during handicraft lessons, dishes sculpted from clay, crafts made from natural materials, etc.

The learning process in Waldorf schools does not involve grading and is not adversarial in nature. After the end of the school year, the teacher for each student, based on the results of his activities and activity, draws up a detailed characterization report. If a child goes to continue studying at another educational institution, the teacher issues final grades.

Waldorf schools differ from classical educational schools in the following ways:

• the curriculum is drawn up taking into account age characteristics;
• the classroom teacher leads children from first to seventh grade;
• approval of the main theme of the year for each of the classes;
• artistic and aesthetic focus of education for children from grades 1 to 11;
• abolition of the grading system up to grade 7;
• one child's learning achievements are not compared with another student's;
• artistically organized school space;
• An individual development and learning plan is developed for each student, taking into account his individual characteristics;
• children gain knowledge through group dialogues, research activities and practical exercises;
• taught using the method of immersion in a language environment;
• in the lessons there is a constant change of actions, focused on rhythms;
• The school theater is constantly operating, allowing children to show creativity and better develop communication skills;
• parents take an active part in the life of the school and children;

The Waldorf school is recognized as a humane school, in which the child’s opinion and interests are respected, and control, evaluation and constant comparison are not used in the educational process. Graduates of these educational institutions are full-fledged, free and independent individuals.