Summary Of The Tenets Of Waldorf Curriculum

A child development is influenced in many ways such as their background, health and environment. These factors will have an impact on the child’s different areas of development.

Each and every child develops at a different rate to other children, no two are the same.

Factors such as gender and income affect development in numerous ways. Biological and environmental influences are not limited to those discussed, however these influences are the most commonly seen. While these influences frequently affect development and can be directly related, they do not always result in a developmental delay or handicap. Infant and toddler development are influenced by a wide variety of things and can be affected by any number of those factors. Both biological and environmental factors interact frequently, sometimes directly linking one to

All babies and young children can show different rates of development. It is often linked to experiences during conception, pregnancy and childbirth.

Children gain skills and abilities as they grow,the changes in their capabilities and personalaties develop with age. There are many factors which distinguish each child such as diet, stimulation, environment,medical conditions,and illness. But most children generally develop at a similar rate.There are four key area of developmet which are; physical, social and emotional,cognitive(intellectual), and language developmet. Younger children between birth and five generally develop at much more rapid rate in comparison to older children. Growth and development begins at the moment of conception and continues until much later in life. Below i have listed the sequences and rate at which children develop.

As early years practitioners we have to understand the rate of development, as it will be influenced by 2 factors; environmental factors and the biological factors. There are 3 types of changes: biological, psychological and emotional. All these are holistic and interdependent. The slow or faulty development of one may affect the others.

The rate of development is the speed in which things take place. The rate of development from birth is rapid due to the brain development, it slows down and then increases again with further changes taking place in the brain when they hit the teenage years. The rate of development can vary in each ie: some children may start walking at the age of 10 months and others 13 months.

The result was a child-centered approach to learning still used in Waldorf academic schools today. While teachers guide students and help steer their education,

In 1919, the very first Waldorf School was built in Stuttgart, Germany. In fact, the philosophy of Waldorf education has a massive impact throughout Europe. It has also influenced a number of public schools in this part of the world. Currently, there are more than 1000 Waldorf schools worldwide, and these are found in about 60 countries. Some charter schools, homeschools and academy also follow the theory of learning

Over the years, I have had the pleasure to work in many early childhood facilities that incorporated the Waldorf and Montessori philosophy of learning. I saw the benefits of this type of learning and how it can open the world for a child. The world is changing and because of these changes our children are learning differently. We are asking our children to do more and giving them less time to enjoy their childhood. They are using less of their imagination which is truly tragic, because without a good imagination, we lose innovation and creativity. Waldorf education is one that provides a developmental appropriate and academic approach to learning. It allows a child to become long-lasting learners. If I were to walk into a Waldorf classroom

During my interview with Ms. Jenkins, a preschool teacher in a Head Start classroom explained that her students were between the age of 4 and 5. Soon after I asked Ms. Jenkins which of the developmental theories does her classroom practices reflect? Her response was “According to Jean Piaget’s theory on early childhood briefly states that not all children of the same age will have acquired the same level of development. The appropriate practice I implement to first assess each child then based on the information I am able to identify the manner in which to create differentiated instructions for each of the activities. I also do a lot of one to one and peer group activities based on the children’s interest throughout

It’s important that you take in consideration of the child’s physical, emotional, social, linguistic, aesthetic, and cognitive developmental areas. It’s important to make sure that you have all these areas in mind when making the curriculum because curriculum is already builds up what the children already know. By doing this and making sure that its correct, you should be able to consolidate their learning and to foster their acquisition of new concepts and

Progressive approaches to early childhood education from Europe use physical activity throughout the school day to help shape intelligent and creative children. These approaches are the Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio Emilia which are seen as “strong educational alternatives to traditional education and as sources of inspiration for progressive educational reform” (Edwards, 2002, p. 2). Waldorf education created by Rudolf Steiner focuses on the unity of spirit, soul and body. Outdoor activity is integrated into the curriculum through nature walks, working in gardens, and extended playtime. “Through

As identified earlier, Waldorf education emphasizes developmental learning. Children are not introduced to formal learning until elementary class at age 6-7. Pre-school pedagogy emphasizes imagination and imitation of practical activities. The imitation approach aims at informing the child of the notion that the world is a perfect place (Ullrich, 2014). Thus, the educational approach emphasizes holistic conduct, character, and personality among the teacher and the environment. Pre-school children are discouraged from using technology until elementary with the belief that it conflicts with the developmental process of a child (Woods and Glenys, 2006). At this developmental stage, children are using their power of imagination to learn and technology such as Television can expose them to unhealthy content. Besides formal learning, early stages of elementary curriculum continue to nurture imagination. Formal learning involves reading, writing, artwork, and handwork. The academic subjects in elementary grades are introduced through storytelling.

Montessori education curriculum is based on the philosophy of continuous development, love, caring and uniqueness. In the Montessori classroom, every child is provided with unique opportunities to develop both moral and cognitive skills in areas that motivate students (Isaacs, 2015). For example, if a child loves construction, the teacher may provide construction materials such as small boxes, tapes and superglue that is necessary for assembling the boxes together. This makes learning both interactive and enjoyable. The role of significant adults such as teachers is to provide guidance on what the child should do to realize his/her goals (Isaacs, 2015). For example, if the child is defeated on how to assemble the boxes, the teacher should guide the child until the child has fully mastered the task.