Re: [xmca] Rudolph Steiner

[mike cole <lchcmike@gmail.com>]

The mixture of ideas and their entanglement over history in these two
related threads in this exchange are very sobering. Reading the abstract of
the Uhrmacher uncommon schooling article (thanks David) makes it clear that
the author eschews making the contacts that come through clearly in Peter's
posting.

So laid back, artsy, democratic education can be the developmental precursor
of vicious rascist fascism. Now there is a thought to contemplate.
mike


On Sat, Jan 9, 2010 at 6:36 AM, David Preiss <ddpreiss@me.com> wrote:

> Hi Andy,
>
> I asked a similar question recently here. Please see this reference:
>
> Oberman, I. & Sloan, D. (2008).  The Waldorf movement from european cradle
> to american crucible, 1919-2008. Edwin Mellen Press.
>
> and the attached paper.
>
>
>
>
>
> As for their effectiveness, at least here in Chile, they seem to be very
> effective protecting children from early consumerism and early
> competitiveness, which seems to be the case in other parts of the world
> according to communications I got from this list, on and off-line.
>
> Again in Chile: since their emphasis is not on traditional skill drilling,
> their effect on standardized measures of learning depends more on the
> capital background of the kids´parents and individual characteristics of the
> children they serve. My own kid goes to a school that adopts some Waldorf
> techniques, and I can attest that it works pretty well as regards the
> prevention of bullying, emotional development and emphasis on the human
> dimension of learning.
>
> If you google them, you will find very emotional pro and anti-Waldorf
> advocates. I assume the positive or negative criticism of the Waldorf
> movement depends on how it has settled in different countries and schools.
> In the USA, there is a concern about how secular they really are, so it
> seems. My own school here in Chile is very secular, although the emphasis on
> fantasy can be judged by some as "religious". In my view, fantasy in early
> childhood is not a bad thing and may help foster an imaginative mind.
> Certainly, Waldorf schools seems to be mostly private and it biases their
> results. I am not aware of public Waldorf schools.
>
> One of the things that I strongly value from a Waldorf education these days
> is that it protects kids from the overachievement mania that is plaguing
> elementary schools and preschool education worldwide because of the misuse
> of academic testing, a topic of concern for many in this list, and from
> pseudocientific applications of neuroscience. This attitude to a humane
> schooling has been as well advanced  by constructivist scholars as well such
> as David Elkind in the USA. I would love to find a school where the humane
> dimension of Waldorf schooling meets a pedagogy inspired in learning science
> and cultural psychology, but this is a non-existing link.
>
> Best,
>
> DP
>
>
> On Jan 9, 2010, at 10:59 AM, Leif Strandberg wrote:
>
>  Hi,
>>
>> I recommend reading of
>>
>> Peter Staudenmaier (Vermont USA) Antroposofi och ekofascism (I only have
>> the Swedish version, perhaps the English title is "Antrophosofy and
>> Ekofascism"
>>
>> We have a lot of Waldorf schools in Sweden, and there are some interesting
>>  estetichal features in their pedagogy, But their philosophical backrground
>> (Steiner) is not as "green" as they say - more of a brown nuance
>>
>> Leif Strandberg
>>
>>
>> 9 jan 2010 kl. 12.46 skrev Andy Blunden:
>>
>>  I have been researching Goethe and his scientific ideas, and after a long
>>> time I came across a book which tells in detail of how his ideas originated
>>> and explains them very clearly and convincingly. The point I am interested
>>> in of course is the Urphaenomen, a.k.a., unit of analysis, and as Goethe and
>>> Davydov both insist, a unit of analysis which is given to the senses.
>>>
>>> The author of the book is *Rudolph Steiner*, the same Rudolph Steiner who
>>> started up Steiner Schools. I can get an idea of his life and work from
>>> Wikipedia and so on, and it certainly is way off the mainstream, if I could
>>> put it that way. However, I would  be interested in a brief response from
>>> xmca-ers on the success or otherwise of his schools.
>>>
>>> Andy
>>> --
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Hegel Summer School
>>> http://www.ethicalpolitics.org/seminars/hss10.htm
>>> Hegel, Goethe and the Planet: 13 February 2010.
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> xmca mailing list
>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>>
>>
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>
> David Preiss
>  http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/
>
>
>
>
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>
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