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Waldorf Methods/Sciences 2

Introduction

" ... ancient wisdom contained no contradiction between body and soul or between nature and spirit; because one knew: Spirit is in man in its archetypal form; the soul is none other than the message transmitted by spirit; the body is the image of spirit. Likewise, no contract was felt between man and surrounding nature because one bore an image of spirit in one's own body, and the same was true of every body in external nature. Hence, an inner kinship was experienced between one's own body and those in outer nature, and nature was not felt to be different from oneself. Man felt himself at one with the whole world. He could feel this because he could behold the archetype of spirit and because the cosmic expanses spoke to him. In consequence of the universe speaking to man, science simply could not exist. Just as we today cannot build a science of external nature out of what lives in our memory, ancient man could not develop one because, whether he looked into himself or outward at nature, he beheld the same image of spirit. No contrast existed between man himself and nature, and there was none between soul and body. The correspondence of soul and body was such that, in a manner of speaking, the body was only the vessel, the artistic reproduction, of the spiritual archetype, while the soul was the mediating messenger between the two. Everything as in a state of intimate union. There could be no question of comprehending anything. We grasp and comprehend what is outside our own life. Anything that we carry within ourselves is directly experienced and need not be first comprehended. ... Precisely because man had lost the connection with nature, he now sought a science of nature from outside." - Rudolf Steiner in "The Origins of Natural Science."

In Waldorf education, the science subjects do not start with nor are built from theories and formulas. Rather they start with the phenomena and develop in an experiential way, by first presenting the phenomenon, having the students make detailed observations, then guiding the students to derive the concepts that arise from the phenomena, and finally deriving the scientific formulas and laws behind the phenomena.This methodology reflects the way basic science actually has been developed by scientists and trains the pupils stepwise in basic scientific thinking and reflection on the basis of personal experience and observation of the phenomena of nature and the history of science. In kindergarten and the lower grades, the experience of nature through the seasons is brought to the children through nature walks, nature tables and observation of nature around. In later grades, there are specific main lesson blocks dealing with Man and Animal, and other themes. In grade 5, scientific ideas may be taught historically through the study of the Greeks, for example, Aristotle, Archimedes and Pythagoras. In grades 6-8 the science curriculum becomes more focused with blocks on physics (optics, acoustics, mechanics, magnetism and electricity), botany, chemistry (inorganic and organic), and anatomy. In high school, science is taught by specialists who have received college level training in biology, chemistry and physics and these three subjects are taught in each of the 4 years of high school.

Course Outlines

Waldorf Methods/Sciences 1
Lesson 1: Chemistry/Kindergarten/Grades
Lesson 2: Chemistry/Classes 9 - 12
Lesson 3: Physics/Introduction
Lesson 4: Physics/Classes 6 - 8
Lesson 5: Physics/Classes 9 - 12


Waldorf Methods/Sciences 2
Lesson 1: Life Sciences/Introduction
Lesson 2:
Life Sciences/Classes 4 - 5
Lesson 3: Life Sciences/Classes 6 -8
Lesson 4: Life Sciences/Classes 9 -10
Lesson 5: Life Sciences/Classes 11 -12


Waldorf Methods/Sciences 3
Lesson 1: Geography/Introduction
Lesson 2: Geography/Classes 1 - 8
Lesson 3: Geography/Classes 9 - 12
Lesson 4: Gardening and Sustainable Living
Lesson 5:
Technology
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Tasks and Assignments for Waldorf Methods/Sciences 2.2.

Please study and work with the study material provided for this lesson. Then please turn to the following tasks and assignments listed below.

1. Study the material provided and look up other resources as needed and appropriate.
2. Create examples of curriculum that addresses the learning method and content appropriate for the age group in question. Curriculum examples should include outlines and goals, activities, circle/games, stories, and illustrations/drawings:
Create 2 examples for this age group.
3. Additionally submit comments and questions, if any.

Please send your completed assignment via the online form or via email.

Study Material for Waldorf Methods/Sciences Lesson 2.2.

Life Sciences/Classes 4 - 5

Class 4

The focus of this main -lesson is the unique quality  of the human being, which is to a large extent free of  the instinctive behaviour of the animal world and  whose physical body lacks those special features  which allow the animals to live so intricately in their  environment. The self-consciousness of the human  condition is in part gained through the harmonious  balance of those physiological features which are  found as specialisations within the animal world.  For example, the human arm and hand reflect this  - their freedom of use and movement arises from  unspecialised joints and digits. The apposition of  thumb and forefinger and the ability of human  arms to open wide arises from this.

The characterisation of particular animals, as  already described above, brings this principle to bear on the organs of the body as well. It can  become very clear, by observation alone, that the  metabolic system is brought to a particular, one-  sided emphasis in the cow or other ruminant. The  senses are particularly acute in the ever-active  mouse or other small rodent - a vole quivers  with nervous sensitivity. The form of the head  is emphasised in the sea-urchin, while its close  relation, the star fish shows itself as more of a 'limb'  creature. There is no intention here to impart such  comparisons as a theory, but to use this approach  to unite what appears to be an overwhelming  diversity and to relate it to the human being in an  artistic and meaningful way.

Above all, the children need to gain a feeling  for what is truly human through having the body  upright, the hands free, with the power of speech  and self-awareness.

Rudolf Steiner gave many examples to  illustrate how the threefold dynamic inherent in  the physiology of the human body can be seen  displayed in a one-sided way in the animal world.  His writings deepen this approach to include the  spiritual basis of the human being and these give a  teacher the widest possible context out of which to  teach as well as examples to use in the classroom.

* The polarity of the human head and limbs with the mediating form of the trunk
* A small selection of familiar and unfamiliar  animals to use as the basis for the characterisations and relationships referred to above. Examples: the cow, mouse and lion (or animals  from similar families) illustrate diverse tendencies as do the octopus, snail and sea urchin  from quite a different world. It is far better to  create a rich experience with a few well-chosen creatures than to attempt too many, with  the danger of the lessons becoming just 'nature  study: valuable as that may be
* Different animal limbs illustrate the theme  described above concerning the human hand,  etc.
* The human hand and arm as a picture of  human freedom - not the physiology of joints  and bones, but the gesture and practical reality  of their movement. Similarly, the human foot,  femur and spine in relation to uprightness,  leading to the theme of uniqueness in the  human being
* Examples of how the limitations of the human  body are balanced by technological and  cultural achievements. From the spade to the  aeroplane, human invention achieves what the  instinctive behaviour of the badger and the  birds achieve, with their specialised limbs
* Animals which reflect fundamental soul  qualities and inner faculties: the eagle's  perspective from the heights; the bull's power  of will; the balance of strength, lithe grace and  fearlessness in the lion

These characterisations of the animal world  continue through Classes 5, 6, 7 and 8, with  choices of animal-related topics moving from  characterisation to observational nature study as  causal thinking begins to consolidate during this  phase. The emphasis continues to be on qualities,  contrasts and relationships of creatures both with  the human being and with one another, and so  avoids reducing the rich ecological picture to, e.g.  simplistic 'eat/be eaten' strategies.


Class 5

This is the relative calm of puberty before the storm  of adolescence.

Elegance and harmony are visible in the children's  running and gymnastics. It is an appropriate time  for the study of plants, whose growth and movement  has a quiet beauty of form, gesture and colour.  Feelings of respect, gratitude and interest need to  permeate this main-lesson and deepen the children's  sensitivity for the earth as a living organism.

Every plant needs to be observed in the context  of its relationship to the landscape, the soil and the  climate. A single plant in a pot or, worse, cut up and  examined under a microscope, speaks of isolation  and fragmentation and such studies belong to the  Upper School. Children of this age need to appreciate  the range of plant forms over the earth, the gestures  of typical plant species, the relationship to insects  and soil, and the development from seed to flower  and fruit. While observation and naming of plants  should play its part, any systematic identification of  species cuts across the warm familiarity that local  trees and flowers should engender at this age. While  plant parts can be named, emphasis on the polarity  and contrast of root and stem, leaf and flower, seed  and fruit is more nourishing to the interests of Class  5 than the details in the usual textbook.

The study of plants requires quiet, accurate  observation, a sense for movement in growth and  the appreciation of transformations of form and  metamorphosis of organs. Goethe's studies of the  plant and recent research that has taken the same  direction are a rich source of material for leading  the children into such an holistic approach.

* Familiar local landscapes and the types of  plants that grow there; it is important that  children learn the common names of local  plants and trees
* The contrasts of different regions over the  earth: desert, forest, tundra; the progression  from pole to equator and from the ascent of a  mountain in the tropics
* Some of the major plant types (e.g. fungus,  lichen, moss, ferns) considered more as  gestures of form in relation to the flowering  plant than in detailed comparisons and  evolutionary considerations
* Observation of the germination and growth of  seeds, again with more emphasis on form and  gesture than on technical details
* The concepts of root, stem, leaf and flower  discovered through their polarities in different  plants
* Trees as communities of plants and animals and  their relationship to the weather, the soil and the  landscape; starting a tree nursery which could  be maintained through the following classes to  culminate in the planting out of the seedling in  a suitable location, could be a long term project

What has begun here should continue into Classes  6, 7 and 8, linking naturally and practically with  the gardening curriculum. Geography and geology  also provide opportunities. As with the continuing  animal main-lesson, the aspects of the plant world  chosen and the method of teaching will meet a more  causal mode of thinking as Class 8 approaches.


Zoology

Taking up the methodology of Class 4, several  groups of animals can be studied in greater detail,  showing how within one group polarities occur as  specialisations. These can include:

Birds
* Birds of prey with their heightened sense of  sight and sound, including eagles, buzzards, falcons and kestrels and owls
* Carrion birds such as vultures and crows 
* Song birds
* Water birds; swans, geese, ducks; sea birds such  as albatross, gulls, petrels, cormorants; waders  such as oyster catchers, herons; penguins and  diving birds
* Terrestrial birds; chickens, ostrich, emu

Carnivores
* Bears
* Big cats, compare the lion as generalist with the  cheetahs as specialists, cats of tropical forests  such as tigers, mountains - wild cat, panther 
* Wolves and foxes

Herbivores
* Mountainous goats, steinbock
* Deer, compare antler with horn formation
* Giraffe and antelope with their specialised  anatomies and grazing habits
* Hippos, pigs, rhinos

Study can be made of animals that have small  litters and invest time in rearing their young, and  those with larger litters and a shorter period of  intensive nurture.

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