What is Steiner education? Explains educational methods that respect individuality

Have you ever heard of the educational idea of ​​"Steiner education"? Like I studied when I was a student... I think there are many people who have heard the name. Steiner education is one of the educational ideas advocated by Dr. Rudolf Steiner.This time, I will introduce the concrete ideas of Steiner education and what kind of education is being conducted. In addition, we will also introduce what kind of education the child is aiming for.What is Steiner education?An educational curriculum developed by Austrian philosophers, it is an educational method introduced all over the world. The purpose of Steiner education is to value each individual's individuality and maximize the abilities of the child. In particular, the growth balance of "body," "mind," and "head" is important. It is not good that only the body develops when it grows up, it becomes too emotional, and only knowledge precedes it. The basic idea of ​​Steiner education is that it is preferable for human beings to have a good balance of body, mind, and head.Birth of Steiner educationSteiner education was invented by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Rudolf Steiner is famous for establishing "Anthroposophy" with the aim of "studying the spiritual world through scientific and mystical experiences." The first school in the world to educate Steiner was the Freie  Waldorfschule, which was founded in Germany in 1919.The Free Waldorf School was created for the children of workers working in tobacco factories, but was also widely accepted by the children of other workers. The feature of Steiner education is that during the 12 years from elementary school to high school, lessons are conducted according to the developmental steps of children. Today, more than 1,000 schools and more than 1,500 nursery schools and kindergartens in more than 60 countries around the world have introduced Steiner education.7 year cycle and growthA characteristic of Steiner education is that it respects the individuality of each individual and emphasizes the best possible development of each individual's abilities. Rudolf Steiner captured the process of human growth in a seven-year cycle. From birth to adulthood, he explained that children need an educational method that suits their age cycle.For example, 0 to 7 years old is a time to actively move the body, guide them to do what they want from play, and learn while imitating adults. It is defined as a time to enrich, and he explained that it is a time when you can learn to settle your memory by touching a lot of artistic things such as poetry, music and art. He also said that 14 to 21 years old is a time to develop the ability to think, and it is time to think logically and build an ego, not just to acquire knowledge. Rudolf Steiner aimed to gradually develop each individual's individuality by providing "learning" suitable for each age group.Characteristics of Steiner educationOf particular note in Steiner education is the so-called "Epochenunterricht". The details vary depending on the school, but we will focus on studying about 100 minutes, which is the first hour in the morning, from Japanese, math, science, social studies, etc. over 3 to 4 weeks.By intensively studying one subject during the time when the brain is actively moving, the content will deeply penetrate into the children's heads and the learning effect will be enhanced. In addition, the art of movement, which was devised by Rudolf Steiner called "Eurythmy", will be incorporated into the class. It moves the body according to the reading of music and poetry, and expresses the sound of music and words with the whole body. And in "Formen", by drawing various geometric patterns and coloring them, you can feel the regularity of the form and polish your sense of balance. By doing so, you can also acquire a mathematical sense.Difference between Steiner education and Montessori educationIn addition to Steiner education, "Montessori education" is a well-known overseas education method. All of these educations emphasize "freedom" and "independence", so some people may find it difficult to understand the difference. The obvious difference is that Steiner education extends to adulthood, while Montessori education is basically done in early childhood.In addition, in Steiner education, it is basically from the age of 8 that students are made to study like studying, and in Montessori education, language education and mathematics education are provided from early childhood. While Steiner education is thought to be "education itself should be an artistic act," Montessori education is thought to "nurture people who have a lifelong learning attitude." Both sides still have an educational policy that respects freedom and independence, but the process is different.