Holism in Education

王猛

The question of the best way for children to learn is as old as civilization. For most people， this question refers to what children must learn. Some people believe that children should be taught the important facts of history and know details of great literature. Other people believe that children should learn math， chemistry， physics， biology， and computer science first. At this time in world history， schools and schooling is big business. And unfortunately， few people are paying attention to how children learn best.

Should someone show children how to do a task？ Should someone tell a child how to do it？ The Greek teacher Socrates believed in asking young people questions. In this way， they can find their own answers. Aesop believed in telling stories with lessons in them. The lessons become part of a child’s mind. Great teachers like Confucius believed in teaching the rules. All these great teachers had part of the secret to good teaching.  Rudolf Steiner， an Austrian philosopher and teacher （1861-1925） put many of the ideas together with a special view of the child. In 1919， he established a school in Stuttgart， Germany， near a factory. The school was called the Waldorf School. It was the first school of a movement in education， an attempt to educate the whole child. His school was the first to emphasize holism （whole+ ism） in education. Steiner believed in educating the head， the heart， and the hands of a child.

Early Education

Even in kindergarten， every lesson has connections to other lessons. Nothing happens in a Waldorf School without thought of what it causes and how the child learns from it. Children begin to learn to read by listening to stories. For example， in kindergarten and first grade， at ages five and six， they hear fairy tales. These stories feed their imaginations. Then， at seven， when they begin to be able to reason， they hear the fables of Aesop， stories with strong moral messages. Another year passes and they hear about famous people. These great people are models for young children to follow.

Writing

Learning to write is an important aspect of education. In first grade， Waldorf School children do form drawing. They practice making loops and long wavy lines and learn how to use colored pencils and chalk. They are preparing for writing. When the child is ready， the teacher introduces the letters of the alphabet. Thus the child learns the basic parts of writing. Reading comes out of the desire of the child to tell his or her own story. The children produce short tales of their own. Simple books， and then more complex ones， become part of the everyday scene at school， and gradually the children find themselves reading without trauma① or stress.

Art

In all the 700-plus Waldorf Schools in the world， children of six years of age lean to knit. They play with watercolors paper and create drawings in the primary colors （yellow， blue and red）. They mold pieces of beeswax into the shapes of animals and flowers. They also learn to play simple musical instruments， such as the recorder. According to Steiner， the artist within each child is awakened. The artist loves to learn and create.

Music and Handwork

In these ways， the Waldorf School system is holistic. Every lesson is part of life in general. Every aspect of schooling affects some other part of the education of the child. The child knits a simple narrow strip that becomes a protective bag for the child’s recorder. The recorder lessons teach about music， notes， reading， songs， tone， sound， and a part of physics. Learning to play a recorder is also learning how to follow a discipline， a rule. Children learn to pay attention to one another because they play their recorders together. There is also room for some students to excel， to learn how to play the recorder and other musical instruments very well.

Thinking

Steiner believed in creative thought. He understood that children have to learn to think. And he realized the strong link between defining a problem and solving it. He knew about both creative and critical thinking， and he recognized that they are very similar processes. The adult needs to be able to observe a situation， analyze it， and then state the difficulties in the situation （critical thinking）. The next step is to work out a solution to the problem （creative thinking）. A child， through safe situations in school， must learn the same process. Critical thinking and creative thinking， therefore， are the basis of the Waldorf method.

Drama

In a Waldorf School， every child participates in drama. There are simple plays that even little children can act out. Chidren do good memory work as they learn the lines of the play. The creation of the stage set and the costumes is also part of putting on a play. Parents and teachers may help the children， but the experience is theirs alone. Furthermore， the unique personality of every child is respected. Children learn several roles， experiment with different parts of their personalities， and are free to make their own choices.

Nature

Experience is important in learning about Mother Earth.  Therefore， every Waldorf School has a vegetable garden and a flower garden. The children learn about planting， caring for plans and harvesting. The school will also have some farm animals. Perhaps a pair of sheep will be a third grade’s responsibility. The third-graders feed the sheep， make sure there is water for them and watch their growth. In the spring， wool on the sheep is cut for wool， and the children wash the wool and learn to brush it. The wool is used in many art projects the next year.

Reading

Steiner also understood the importance of reading. Reading is the foundation of all human learning. So in each grade， the children have main lesson books. These are specially made notebooks in which the children write the lessons they learn through stories. They draw pictures to illustrate the stories. They decorate their main lesson books. Textbooks as such are not the most important part of the schoolwork. The main lesson books are the textbooks， and the children write them.

Speaking

Another aspect of Waldorf education is a focus on learning to speak well and clearly. Through special exercises， the rhythm of speech improves. The children learn through a kind of special dance how to experience the beauty of sounds in speech.

Philosophy

Steiner believed that children should learn when they are ready to learn. Children who are studying some things too early， he said， suffer from a kind of trauma. This stress and worry come from any negative experience. And children are afraid of difficult situations and shy away from them. Steiner wanted children protected from things that stop education and learning. Therefore， children should learn to read slowly and naturally. They should not have to be in a remedial② reading classroom if they are not ready to learn to read.

Holism

Waldorf education is special in another way. Ideally， a teacher begins with a group of children in first grade and moves with them through the first eight grades. That teacher， because of eight years with a class， becomes like a special model or mentor， not unlike a parent. The teacher knows the children in his or her class family very well， and the teacher can work with parents and each child to bring out the best qualities of character. In a Waldorf School， the changing of the seasons and the holidays are all very important celebrations. Holidays like a Harvest Festival. In the fall， a Winterfaire in December， and May Day in the spring add a sense of the wholeness of the year.

The holism of the education is real to the children. They develop into human beings who are able to develop purpose in their lives. The idea is to welcome the children into the school with a feeling of sincerity， teach them with love， and let them go in freedom.

注： ① trauma 挫折

② remedial 輔导的