Science is a way of understanding the richness and complexity of the world. Waldorf education recognises that there are different ways of understanding how we arrive at reliable knowledge, and that science, although it is not the only valid way, is one important aspect of this.
In the Lower and Middle school, science focuses on experiencing and describing phenomena. This means encountering the world, observing it, observing ourselves and what the world does to us, describing our experiences and then forming judgements about them. The Waldorf science curriculum starts holistically by being and working in the world alongside rich imaginative experiences through storytelling, so that children build their knowledge of the local natural environment and the vocabulary with which to discuss and describe it.
From class 4, there is a deepening focus on specific aspects of the life sciences, beginning with animals, then plants and eventually relating these to geology and geography. At each step we look at the particular, zoom out to set it in its context and then formulate what characterises the phenomena. As children’s ability to work scientifically is developed, observations become more systematic and analytical, and they can form and justify categories.
From class 6, physics, chemistry and biology become distinct subjects, where experiments in optics, acoustics, chemistry, electromagnetism and more bring pupils into the presence of phenomena that provide sensations that excite, move and affect them; experiences that gain meaning when pupils’ experiences are shared, discussed and documented, and will not easily be forgotten.
In the upper school students learn the specialist methods and terminology that each scientific discipline uses.
The Waldorf science approach is a process of meaning-making from experiences which develops conceptual understanding. It appreciates that we cannot always grasp the whole because of its complexity, so we take manageable parts, respectfully get to know them, then relate the part back into the wider context and its implications. Thus knowledge of the wider, greater whole grows step by step.
The Waldorf approach also shows that knowledge of the world has grown over a long time, with roots in many cultures such as the science of Islam in the Middle Ages, of Ancient India and China and the applied sciences of many peoples in African and the Americas before European colonisation. It shows us that scientists are people from all over the world who work in teams using their skills and insights who, for example, develop vaccines in incredibly short times when we need them, develop solutions to renewable energy and resources, and help us to understand the past, predict the future and help to learn about the incredible beauty and complexity of the world.
Science is a way of understanding our experience of the world. The Waldorf science curriculum starts from a holistic, integrated experience of the world through focussed attention and then moves to a differentiated approach using the prism of the scientific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. A successful science curriculum starts with and builds on embodied experience of what is familiar to us, using observation and description of phenomena in context to generate excitement and curiosity to understand the world. Through carefully selected examples which exemplify key phenomena, pupils then build up living concepts of the natural world that are woven over time into a coherent structure of disciplinary knowledge. Throughout this process, pupils progressively learn to use and apply the scientific methods of noticing and observing; exploring, discovering and experimenting; using tools and equipment; empathic identification; understanding in context; process thinking; comparing, analysing and classifying; following processes and working systematically and rationally; recording, reporting and presenting. In the Waldorf curriculum, science also includes the study of people in different cultural and historical contexts who work/have worked systematically to understand and learn from nature (scientists). Pupils learn that scientific knowledge and progress can and should be for the benefit of humankind, and shared across countries and cultures.
The Waldorf curriculum for science aims to ensure that all pupils:
Language and communication
Health and well-being
Senses
Imagination and play
Empathy
Aesthetics
Inquiry
Democratic participation and society
Lifelong learning
Future thinking
Holistic thinking / Spirituality
Judgement
Human technology is as old as humanity. We know that early human species used materials such as stone to produce a wide range of artefacts and tools that extended their possibilities of changing their environment to meet their needs. The saying “humans have what animals are” makes it clear that what animals can do in their various specialisms, people can do using tools and techniques. The earliest tools and artefacts reveal human intelligence and awareness of the properties of materials in their environment. Human culture emerged hand in hand with technology and the hand tools we use today embody a long history of practical wisdom and knowledge of the world and its rhythms.
The basic gesture of technology is the transforming of materials to meet human needs and in the process, transforming human lives and societies. Complex technologies have grown out of simpler, older technologies. We can recognise the evidence of this not only in design and in the machines themselves, but in the language we use, for example terminology in computing that originated in hand-based technologies, such as printing. Therefore, it makes sense to understand the basic principles of navigating, steering a small boat, trimming sails, using wind and currents before one drives a motorized boat or indeed flies in a space shuttle. Making things by hand is the best preparation for designing robots, just as the fine motor skills involved in cutting, slicing, sewing are a good basis for surgery.
The Waldorf technological curriculum begins with handwork and handicrafts and crafting in nature (e.g. building fires, green woodwork etc.). Knowing where materials come from, how they are processed, knowledge of the properties of materials and the uses of tools, first manual and then electric, are preconditions for understanding digital technology as a tool to be used safely and appropriately. Technology is always explored with reference to real human need and the impact of the environment of sourcing and production. Each workshop is a site of craft traditions and learning communities which embody not only the know-how/ know-what, but also the values that accompany craft work and technology. Becoming a craftsperson involves the development of ‘an ethic of excellence’ (Ron Berger, 2003).
Pupils’ introduction to digital technologies and media builds on this approach, with pupils firstly learning in a practical context – using pcs and cameras, text and image software, search engines and research. The emphasis is on safe and meaningful use, but also understanding the
cultural context of technology, including its use of raw materials and energy, its impact on the environment and approaches to sustainability. Later, in the upper school, pupils learn about hardware, programming and coding.
Steiner Waldorf education offers opportunities for pupils to learn how materials are transformed into tools and artefacts to meet human needs. A need is recognised, knowledge of tools and materials are applied to find practical solutions. Starting from a simple practical solution, products can be further developed and modified to meet other, changing or more complex needs, using feedback derived from evaluation of the products created. Technological education begins with the nature and origin of materials, and the nature and cultural origin of tools, and how tools extend human powers and multiply human effort. Knowledge of materials begins with traditional handcraft techniques (sewing, knitting, spinning, whittling) using natural, locally sourced resources. Pupils become familiar with the safe use of simple and household machines in context, e.g. a corn mill, simple woodworking tools, an apple press etc. They learn to produce useful artefacts and products such as yarn, garments, wooden utensils, apple juice, bread etc. In doing so, they learn the historical and cultural origins of these crafts, the production of materials and the ecological impact of this. As pupils progress through the school they learn to use more complex tools accurately and safely in a workshop environment, embodying the values of being a crafts-person. Through the history curriculum, pupils learn about the history, cultural significance and impact of technology from early cultures to contemporary digital society. In media education children begin by becoming literate in analogue media, followed by learning how to use modern information technology equipment safely, appropriately and responsibly. Digital technology is integrated into the curriculum as an extension of the ‘warm’ analogue technology of the lower school. Pupils are introduced to the question of human responsibility in the ethical application of technology and the benefits and risks of technology use including Artificial Intelligence.
Pupils are
Language and communication
Health and well-being
Senses
Imagination and play
Empathy
Aesthetics
Inquiry
Democratic participation and society
Lifelong learning
Future thinking
Holistic thinking / Spirituality
Judgement