Spotlight
Removing the stain of esotericism
With meanwhile more than a thousand schools, Waldorf education can now be counted as one of the most successful movements within the context of so-called progressive education. Despite this fact it remained ignored by academic education studies for decades. [more]
Spotlight
Vaccination – yes and no
I carried my daughter, then eight months old, in a baby sling. I breast fed her until she was seven months old – exclusively. She is a healthy, happy and sparkling child. Today we have an information meeting about vaccination. I am sitting with my daughter in the waiting room and am nervous. I have a vague feeling of uncertainty. [more]
Spotlight
We live in a surveillance society
A thirteen-year-old girl decides to send a naked photo of herself to her boyfriend. In 1970 that would have meant sending a paper photo by post and as long as his mother did not open the letter there would not have been a problem. Today it means that the picture speeds as a package of data invisibly from sender to recipient. And that it travels across a public space, particularly when it goes via the Internet. [more]
Spotlight
What it means to teach eurythmy today
Eurythmy helps children to unite fully with the earth. The demands this makes of eurythmy are very great, as are the obstacles. Wolfgang Leonhardt, a former school doctor in Pforzheim, argues that eurythmy is an existential necessity and makes a plea to support its teachers. [more]
Spotlight
Inclusion – possibilities and limits
The first Waldorf school already had a so-called special class shortly after it was founded in 1919 which was looked after by Karl Schubert. And the concept of inclusion also quickly gained a foothold in Waldorf schools. It is characterised by small classes and the care of children with special needs within a normal class. Yet we should test where the boundaries of inclusion lie and the prerequisites on which its successful implementation rests. [more]
Spotlight
The omnipresent companion
Why are we so infatuated with our little gadgets? Smartphones and similar devices have become an indispensable part of our lives, of ourselves. Sending and receiving messages, checking information online or sharing pictures are activities deeply interwoven in our routines; they are an undisputed element of our existence. How is it possible that a tiny box is able to hold us spellbound? What do teachers and students need to know about the effects for the brain? [more]
Spotlight
Against the educational tyranny of PISA
Heinz-Dieter Meyer, sociologist and education researcher at the State University of New York, wrote an open letter to the “father” of the PISA study, Andreas Schleicher, together with the New York school principle Katie Zahedi in May 2014 which was signed by over a hundred personalities from science and education. [more]
Spotlight
Trade in education
The controversial TTIP and TISA free trade agreements threaten sell off culture and education. [more]
Spotlight
“ADHD” – an invented illness
What today is called ADHD was once called “minimal brain damage”. The first descriptions of “hyperactive” children saw it as the cause. But no damage could be found which could be described anatomically. So the “illness” was relocated to “minimal brain dysfunction”. [more]
Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen e.V.