WALDORF EDUCATION

The Tauranga Rudolf Steiner School is part of a rapidly growing international community of schools that embrace
Waldorf education. These schools share a common philosophy, a methodological approach, and a basic curriculum.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

We are committed to academic excellence and offer our students a rigorous classical education in preparation for
secondary and tertiary education. We also recognise that every child needs the balance provided by strong healthy development in the life of the will - the ability to get things done - and in the life of feeling , including the emotions, aesthetics, and social conscience. Waldorf education is designed to address the whole child:
head, heart, and hands. It stimulates the mind with the full spectrum of academic subjects. It nurtures healthy emotional development by conveying knowledge experientially as well as academically . And it works with the hands every day,
both within the academic subject areas and in artistic, musical, handwork and craft activities.

EACH WALDORF SCHOOL IS UNIQUE

The Tauranga Rudolf Steiner School shares Waldorf methods and beliefs with more than 700 schools in 40 countries
around the world. BUT each Waldorf School is UNIQUE. Our school draws its vibrancy and character from its setting in
16 aces of farmland on the outskirts of Welcome Bay in Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty , New Zealand. This rural backdrop allows for a tranquil setting for the children at school and as one of the teachers explained the land can also provide everything required for their science lessons. From an early age in playgroups, the children walk the land along the wetland area where there are ducks, pukekos, the occasional heron, horses, and up to the wild bamboo forest where there is a rope swing and plenty of interesting discoveries to be made. In Kindergarten, the children continue to interact with the wider wild area of the school. And in school of course, the bamboo forest is used to provide materials for hut building, flax from Gary's Grove is used for craft activities, blackberries are collected in spring from the stream banks and botany and science lessons are sometimes undertaken out in the wild.

FROM DIVERSITY COMES RESPECT

Our students come from widely varied cultural and economic backgrounds and our parent body is a broad mix of nationalities, interests and lifestyles. We are a small school , where all community members learn to know, respect and value one another. The close human relationships at our school help students develop a strong sense of themselves and an awareness of others. As a co-educational school, we believe that a balance of male and female energy creates the best environment for learning, as girls and boys support each other, learn from each other and enjoy each other's company. Aesthetics are a key element of the Waldorf curriculum and we take special care to ensure that the classrooms are
beautiful places.

WALDORF EDUCATION AND CURRICULUM

The heart of Waldorf philosophy is the belief that education is an artistic process. Whether the subject is arithmetic or history or physics the presentation must LIVE - IT MUST SPEAK TO THE CHILD'S EXPERIENCE. To educate the whole child, the heart and will must be reached as well as the mind.

First in the Waldorf method comes the encounter: then encounter becomes experience; and out of experience the concept crystalizes . Encounter, experience, concept - perception, feeling , idea : these are the three steps in every genuine learning process.

Geometry is first encountered as motion. The child in Class One literally runs the forms of a triangle, circle, square or pentagon in space. The child knows with the entire body how different the turn of a right angle is from the 60 degrees of an equilateral triangle. Keeping equal distance from the centre at every point on the circumference of a circle requires willpower, attention, and control: it is the experience through the body that says "circle" to the six year old mind.

The learning of geometry is taken up at a new level in Class 5 & 6 when exact and beautiful constructions are developed and drawn with coloured pencils. What was originally an encounter with geometric forms through the child's body and will is now transformed into an experience of the same geometric laws at work in the sphere of the aesthetic.

As the adolescent awakens to his or her own intelligence, geometry is studied again, with geometric laws now experienced intellectually. The concepts that are the final fruit of a long process of learning are not abstract and dry however. What was first encountered through the body as a perceptual whole , then experienced with artistic appreciation, resounds in the high school years as a logical concept.

MULTIFACETED LEARNING BASED ON THE CHILD'S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

KINDERGARTEN

The structure of the Waldorf/Steiner Education movement with its multifaceted learning through doing, feeling and thinking allows the child to do what he or she is designed to do at each age.

Young children should explore their physical world through movement, the senses, imagination and play. Young children until the age 6 or 7 learn by doing and hence Steiner Kindergartens and Playgroups are structured to allow this to happen. Learning essentially happens through free play in a carefully prepared environment which provides an abundance of natural materials giving the imagination and senses of the child the space to play. The young child's imagination is given free rein but care is taken not to overstimulate the senses. Today's child often has too much sensory input . He is often overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds to which he is subjected and this often leads to sensory integration difficulties or "tuning out" as he struggles to make sense of it all.

PRIMARY

At the age of 6-7 the children are ready for the next phase of more formal schooling. By now they will have developed the visual skills needed to begin reading (all children at the age of 5 years are slightly long sighted and have to struggle to focus on the printed page!) The child's language has been fostered with a wealth of stories in kindergarten. The neurological pathways in the brain should be sufficiently matured for more formal learning to be easy and enjoyable. Children of this age are also developing a much more complex feeling life and respond best when taught in an artistic and rhythmical way which answers this need. Hence the child in primary school is taught through a matrix of artistic endeavours, including painting , drawing, handwork, music and movement which allows the emotional life of the child to flower. Obviously the necessary skills and education objectives by the New Zealand National Curriculum are worked towards within this setting with excellent results. At the Tauranga Rudolf Steiner School we have our own customised curriculum documents compiled by Raw Education which blend the National Curriculum with the Steiner curriculum overview.

SECONDARY/ADOLESCENCE

Finally, the third seven year phase is from 14 - 21 when the adolescent, having developed the necessary emotional framework earlier is empowered to use his thinking faculties to the full in debate, intellectual enquiry and conceptual thinking.

Our vision in Tauranga is to progress towards a secondary school on site . This will happen in its own time after a
period of consolidation at the end of 2005 when we reach the end of intermediate for our founding students who will
then be aged 12-13.

EMPOWERMENT

The aim is to empower the child towards adulthood balanced in his thinking, feeling, and ability to act. Steiner says as educators we should endeavour to "Receive the child in reverence, educate him with love, and let him go forth in freedom."

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is unique about Waldorf education?

Academics are de-emphasised in the early years of schooling. There is no academic content in the Waldorf kindergarten experience ( although there is a good deal of cultivation of pre-academic skills)
and there is minimal academics in Class 1. The letters of the alphabet are introduced carefully in Class 1 and 2.

During the primary years, students have a class teacher who ideally stays with them for the 8 years of primary.
In practice these days, this length of time with one teacher is unusual but it is common for children to
have the same teacher for 4 - 5 years.

Certain activities considered "extras" at state schools are central to Waldorf Schools : art, music, gardening and
foreign languages to name a few. In the younger classes, all subjects are introduced through artistic mediums
because children respond better to this medium than dry lecturing or rote learning.
All children play the recorder and learn to knit.

There are no "textbooks" from Class 1-5. The children compile their own main lesson books
which they fill in during the course of the year and these "textbooks" record their experiences
and what they have learned.

Main lesson and block scheduling. Curriculum material, whether it is Geometry or Norse myths is introduced
in the Main lesson time from 9-11a.m. when children are fresh and will last for two to three weeks.
This allows the child concentrated time to absorb and digest new material. After morning break,
time is allowed for practice lessons where repetitive activity and skills take place.

Learning in a Waldorf school is essentially a non competitive activity. No grades are given at elementary level .
The teacher however, will write a detailed evaluation of the child towards the end of each year
which is communicated to the parents. School wide testing of reading and maths skills is undertaken at age 9 and 11
for appraisal purposes.
The use of electronic media, particularly television , by young children is strongly discouraged in Waldorf Schools.

Why should I send my child to a Waldorf School?

Waldorf Schools protect and honour the wonder of childhood. Every effort is made to ensure a safe, secure and nurturing environment for the children to grow and learn in , protected from the harmful influences of the broader society.
Waldorf education has a consistent philosophy of child development underlying the curriculum.
All subjects are introduced in an age-appropriate fashion. Waldorf schools produce graduates who are academically advantaged with respect to their State school counterparts and they consistently gain admission to top universities.

Waldorf education is deeply bound up with the oral tradition with the kindergarten teacher telling the children fairy tales
thoughout kindergarten and Class 1. This oral approach is used right though Waldorf education and oral mastery
is seen as the foundation of literacy. Reading instruction is deferred. Instead writing is taught first. During Class 1 the children explore, how the alphabet came about, discovering as the ancients did, how each letter's form evolved out of a pictograph. Writing thus evolves out of the children's art, and their ability to read likewise evolves as a natural and, indeed, comparatively effortless stage of their mastery of language.

Why is TV watching discouraged?

The child's imagination is seen as central to the healthy development of the individual and this faculty is undermined by TVwatching, not only because of the medium itself which requires children to sit still for long periods which is unnatural for them but also because of the content of many programmes. Computer use by young children is also discouraged. Children are rather encouraged discover their own world through play.

mary classes usually takes place without significant difficulties. In the lower classes however, particularly between Class 1 and Class 3can be a problem because of the differences in the pacing of the various curriculi. A Class 2 child from a State School will be ahead in reading compared to the Waldorf child but the reverse will be the case in arithmetic.

Are Waldorf Schools religious?

In the sense of subscribing to the beliefs of a particular religious denomination or sect, no. Waldorf Schools , however, tend to be spiritually oriented and are based out of a generally Christian perspective. The historic festivals of Christianity, and of other major religions as well, are observed in the classrooms and in school assemblies. Classes in religious doctrine, however are not part of the Waldorf curriculum and children of all religious backgrounds attend Waldorf Schools. Spiritual guidance is aimed at awakening the child's natural reverence for the wonder and beauty of life.

How does Waldorf education deal with kids that don't get it academically?

In our school in Tauranga we have an Extra Lesson Specialist who the child is referred to for assessment and a programme to help with particular difficulties the child is experiencing. Further the College of Teachers at the school will undertake
child studies of particular children who are not progressing as expected and during these studies the combined experience and attention of all the teachers is brought to bear on the "riddle of the child"and the class teacher is supported in obtaining the most effective means to progress the child's learning.

Rosemary Murphy , the Extra Lesson teacher for the Tauranga Rudolf Steiner School is one of 12 New Zealand trained graduate specialists in Extra Lesson, which is a systemised one to one intervention programme focusing on developmental movement therapy for children with learning difficulties. She works primarily to remedy the causes of the difficulties rather than just working on the symptoms. If children do not have the neurological equipment ,acquiring the basic cognitive skills of reading and writing will be a long and difficult struggle often leading to permanent damage to self esteem.

What is Eurythmy?

Eurythmy is a dance-like art form in which music or speech are expressed in bodily movement. Specific movements correspond to particular notes or sounds. It has also been called "visible speech" or "visible song". Eurythmy is part of the curriculum in all Waldorf schools and children respond to its simple rhythms and exercises which help them strengthen and harmonise their body and their life forces. Older students will later work out elaborate eurythmic representations of poetry, drama and music. It enhances co-ordination and strengthens the ability to listen . When children experience themselves like an orchestra and have to keep a clear relationship in space with each other, a social strengthening results.

What is the annual cost of tuition in a New Zealand Waldorf School?

This varies depending upon whether it is an independent Waldorf school or an integrated Waldorf school with some assistance from the State. Our school is an independent school and pledges are just NZ$4000 per year for a school child.

Why are there so many Festivals at the school?

The festivals connect the children, teachers and parents with the rhythms of nature and the cosmos. Celebrating
the seasons in the form of the festivals is a joyful experience that involves the whole school, from the rhythm of the spring maypole dance accompanied by festive music , to the candlelight and fire of the winter lantern festival. The children look forward each season to the festival which generally marks the end of the term. The simple rhythm of observing the changes in the natural world kindles the child's inner soul life.

How do I know that my child is receiving adequate preparation for the outside world and its competitive benchmarks?

Our school has a comprehensive appraisal system both internal and external of the class teachers and coupled with the yearly in depth parent teacher meeting and child evaluation and the class wide testing schedule at given points in their progress through the school, there is a thorough system in place for ensuring that children's progress is adequately monitored.