• Australian Graduate Outcomes Research Project Report

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    In 2020 SEA commissioned a Steiner graduate outcomes study through the University of the Sunshine Coast. This study aimed to investigate whether Steiner education has:

    • Prepared graduates for an increasingly uncertain future
    • Supported them to be imaginative, interested in their world and creative in their careers and personal lives.
    • Influenced commitment to the environment, social justice matters and capacity to make ethical decisions

    Additionally, the study investigated whether Steiner education alumni perceived Steiner education as an asset for their careers and relationships.

    We are excited this research has been finalised and it is with pleasure I provide the full report.

    We are grateful to the lead researchers Dr Bronwen Haralambous, and Dr Michael Carey for such a robust and inspiring report. In the words of Dr Haralambous and Dr Carey:

    ‘In the current climate where evidence based research is highly valued by educational authorities, funding agencies and policy makers, it is imperative not only to demonstrate that the Steiner school movement is undertaking graduate outcomes research but also to ensure that the quality of the research is robust in design and execution’.

    ‘We hope our research findings provide a valuable source of recommendations and quotes for SEA, educators, education directors, school boards and teachers in their negotiations with educational authorities, in their strategic planning, the implementation of teaching and learning programs and ongoing curriculum research. We also trust the research will stimulate collaboration with alumni and encourage their further active involvement with their school communities and wider Steiner communities’.

    I highly recommend this report for schools and their communities. It is a firm foundation for ongoing Steiner graduate outcomes research in Australasia.

    Dr Virginia Moller
    CEO
    Steiner Education Australia

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  • Waldorf Resources

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    This page is created by the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum on behalf of the International Forum for Steiner/Waldorf Education. We are dedicated to supporting Steiner Waldorf Teachers worldwide by providing the best possible resources and articles. 

     Children and teenagers are the reason why there are nurseries, playgroups, kindergartens and schools in the world. The young generation is the true principal for all those who care for our children’s wellbeing. With this website we want to support all those who are connected to this task.

    In the categories Foundation, Early Childhood, Teaching Practice, Self Development and School Management you will find collections of articles focusing on various aspects of preparation. How can a school lesson or a sequence of activities for the kindergarten be prepared? What is important for very young children? How may a parents’ evening be planned and what are the preconditions for cooperative school management?

    This website focuses on the conditions needed to plan and implement learning opportunities in schools, kindergartens and wherever children and teenagers are being cared for. We also address questions connected to personal and professional self development.

    The Forums enable, support and encourage the worldwide exchange of ideas and concerns among teachers.

     A list of international conferences, adult education courses and more is available in the category Events. Please do not hesitate to contact us with information about any other event you would like to publish here.

    Dear practicing teachers and educators at Waldorf Steiner Schools worldwide: Your cooperation is invaluable to keep this site alive and stimulating. 

    Please contact the editor with your suggestions, ideas and contributions: info(at)waldorf-resources.org

     

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  • Intellect, dream and action: Story-telling in Steiner schools in New Zealand and the embedding of Indigenous narrative knowledge in education

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    This paper argues that the historic mode of expression for Indigenous knowledge has been essentially visionary and mythic, often grounded in oral traditions of great antiquity. Essentially, communication of this knowledge has had a poetic ‘supernormal’ character, employing imagery that can be interpreted on many levels. The danger of superficially rendering ancient cultural forms of knowledge to fit with Western ‘scientific’ understanding is discussed, particularly the risk of divorcing such knowledge from the original, primal, imaginative source in which it is situated. Appreciation of this is necessary if Indigenous knowledge is to be effectively and sustainably embedded in education. The paper explores the educational significance of oral story-telling as a medium through which such knowledge can be articulated but also renewed and further developed, using the concept of Te Whāriki in New Zealand Schools as a model of culturally-inclusive, narrative-rich educational practice within the New Zealand national school system. A fruitful link is drawn between the oral traditions of holistic-wisdom knowledge of Indigenous people and the creative activity of oral story-telling in schools, encouraging an integrated approach to Indigenous knowledge in education that integrates intellect with emotional and practical intelligence.

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