Waldorf Pedagogy: concept, description, basic principles

Education in any historical period is the most important institution of society, therefore any new methods and technologies in this sphere fall under the close attention of both specialists and ordinary citizens. This approach finds its embodiment both when addressing and to such a phenomenon as Waldorf pedagogy.

Its appearance after the end of the First World War was primarily due to the fact that the traditional school that had developed by that time regarded pupils exclusively as objects of the cognitive process, which should learn as much material as possible. The spiritual, moral and physical development of the child was thus at the back burner.

Waldorf pedagogy was a kind of alternative to traditional methods and forms of education. It was based on the model of gradual self-development of the child, for which the teacher turned from a strict controller into a wise mentor. The first such educational institution was opened in the territory of the tobacco factory "Waldorf Astoria", later Waldorf schools were widely used in Europe and North America. The founder of this system, Rudolf Steiner, emphasized that the most harmful for the child is the desire of parents and teachers to ensure that he as quickly as possible mastered the entire school curriculum, overtaking his physical and psychological abilities. Walldorf's pedagogy offered only to accompany the child in the process of comprehending the world, gradually revealing his creative and intellectual potential.

In general, the Waldorf methodology adheres to the following basic principles:

1. The main component of the educational process is upbringing. At the same time, it must be based, first of all, on moral principles.
2. Up to seven years the child should avoid unnecessary intellectual loads, since otherwise he will eventually grow into a person who can only reproduce other people's thoughts, and not form his own opinion. First of all, any child should feel like a person.
3. You can not abuse positive and negative evaluations of the child's activities, as adult intervention in the process of its development should be minimal.
4. Waldorf pedagogy does not imply the use of imitative forms in the process of education and upbringing. For her, the main thing is for the child to comprehend the world around him, focusing exclusively on his own idea of it.
5. Any child is unique, each has his own unique abilities and talents. The main goal that the pedagogy of the Waldorf school sets itself is that the child himself finds in himself and fully reveals his talents and abilities.

Like any new phenomenon, Waldorf pedagogy, especially at first, experienced quite a strong pressure from representatives of the traditional school. However, the further development of pedagogical thought showed that many of the ideas laid down by Rudolf Steiner turned out to be relevant and in demand. The main of them is that any educational institution should focus on the process of spiritual and moral development of the child, rather than teaching it the basics of all sciences.

To date, Waldorf schools are available in many developed and developing countries. They are visited by children from both well-off and poor families. Despite the fact that soon this method will be completed for a hundred years, the methods and forms of the educational process used in such schools still look innovative and attractive both for the teachers themselves and for the parents.