Developing the artistry of the teacher in Steiner/Waldorf Education (Part I)

Abstract

This article examines different concepts underlying Steiner/Waldorf teacher education and how they are put into practice. It explains how teaching understood as an art can be seen as a leitmotif going through an entire course of studies. It elucidates the central role which pedagogical anthropology plays in Steiner/Waldorf teacher education and the specific contribution of Rudolf Steiner’s understanding of Anthroposophy in this context. The prominent role which the study and practice of different arts plays in Steiner/Waldorf teacher education programs is explained and the reasons for the inclusion of artistic practice in teacher education are discussed. The understanding in Steiner/Waldorf teacher education programs of how teacher education is then transformed into a teacher’s classroom practice is examined including its role in providing a basis for a teacher’s pedagogical intuitions.

Keywords

• Steiner/Waldorf teacher education
• Teaching as an art
• Arts in teacher education
• pedagogical anthropology
• Anthroposophy
• holistic child development