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Three New Studies Support Educational Methods Used in Waldorf Education
In the latest issue of Scientific American free, unstructured, imaginative play is shown to be vital in the early lives of children. In A Serious Need for Play the author describes how and why
- Childhood play is crucial for social, emotional and cognitive development.
- Imaginative and rambunctious “free play,” as opposed to games or structured activities, is the most essential type.
- Kids who do not play when they are young may grow into anxious, socially maladjusted adults.
Read the entire article on http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-serious-need-for-play. Waldorf early childhood programs are centered on the premise that young children learn best through play.
Another, different research study has also proven what Waldorf Education has staunchly upheld for ninety years: school children require less work, more play. In a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics of more than 10,000 children aged 8 and 9, researchers found better classroom behavior among those who had at least a 15-minute break during the school day compared to those who did not. The behavior assessments were general in nature and not made at any particular time of the school day. The growing trend of curbing free time at school may lead to unruly classrooms and rob youngsters of needed exercise and an important chance to socialize. Read the entire article, entitled All Work and No Play, by going to: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE50P0PK20090126
In spite of a lot of hype to the contrary, a new study has found that personal home computers affect student grades negatively, and that excessive screen media has a negative impact on growing children. Three researchers from Duke University in Durham, N.C. used data gathered from a survey given to 1 million fifth through eighth graders for their paper: Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer Technology and Student Achievement.
Read the entire paper by going to:
http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/03_NewsEvents/documents/Study-computers.pdf
Waldorf educators rely on the ability of the children to listen to, observe, and absorb what the teacher is saying and doing, and also to respond sensitively to artistic stimuli. Media viewing has been proven to shorten attention span and dull sensory sensitivity, which is one of the many reasons why in Waldorf communities children’s exposure to media is curtailed.
Waldorf education is a holistic and developmental approach that integrates academic, practical and artistic elements as it addresses the changing needs of the growing child and maturing adolescent. Waldorf schools engage the heart and hands as well as the mind with a lively, experiential curriculum rich in the basics, literature, history, languages, the arts, the social and natural sciences and technology.
There are almost two hundred Waldorf schools in North America, and one thousand worldwide. World history and global cultural heritage are required learning for every Waldorf student. For information about the Waldorf school in your area, please go to www.whywaldorfworks.org or contact Winslow Eliot at the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. Tel: 518 672-7878 Email: weliot@awsna.org