After one year of preparation and many discussions with Ben Cherry, we set up a three year part- time grade school teacher training program that began in July 2007. We planned to accept 40 people. After only one month on our school web site, 100 people signed up for the course. Participants came from all over Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The course laid by Ben who has been used in Taiwan, Japan and Korea before. It is conducted in English with Chinese translation. We welcome our friends from all over the world. 

The teacher training is moving along. It becomes very popular in China. Many of participant experience our training course is more than education but personal development. There is a half of them want to become a teacher in the future. The grade school teacher training has really kept up with our school development in Chengdu and  the Waldorf movement in China. Many of students had set up a home kindergarten or the first grade in their home town to practice Waldorf education. Some of them go to abroad to take a teacher training course after that. We can not believed that the training course also attract people come from Hong Kong and Taiwan, Singapore. In fact, we are very happy to have those people. When we shared the language teaching in the training program, the participants contribute a lot to the course because they have a different way to approach in Taiwan and Hong Kong. We are really building up the foundation for Waldorf movement in Chinese culture.

Elisabeth Swisher from Chicago Waldorf School came to teach music in both kindergarten and teacher training program. She is an excellent music teacher. People were very exciting to know they can learn to play flute, recorders event compose music in such short time. I believe that there will be a lot of people interested in our training program.

The three years course like this

MODULE ONE (3 weeks)

Foundational Themes:

The nature of the human being (3-fold, 4-fold, 7-fold, 9-fold, 12-fold)

Stages of children’s development

Biographical phases between birth and death

Education for life

The Art of Teaching:

Temperaments in children and adults

Teaching language in classes 1-8

Music

Artistic Experience:

Speech and drama

Creating and telling stories

Examples of Assignments:

Exploring aspects of one’s own biography

Focusing on a chosen stage of childhood

Creating language lessons in the light of child development and temperaments

Creating poems and stories

Exploring age-appropriate stories & literature from Chinese culture

Creating a music for children

Required Reading:

R. Steiner: Theosophy, Part 1

R. Steiner: Education in the Light of Anthroposophy

R．Steiner Spiritual ground of Waldorf education

Recommended Reading:

School as a journey

Ze wu’s book

Harry’s book

G. & G. O’Neil: The Human Life

B. Lievegoed: Phases　of Childhood 

MODULE TWO (2 weeks)

Foundational Themes:

The Foundations of Human Experience (The Study of Man): Lectures 1-7

(given by Rudolf Steiner to the teachers in the 1st Waldorf School)

Balance in teaching between:

waking, dreaming, sleeping

in-breath, out-breath

thinking, feeling, willing

self and environment

2 & 3-day rhythms in teaching

The Art of Teaching:

Teaching history and geography in classes 1-8

Artistic Experience:

Drawing and painting: Part 1

Examples of Assignments:

Creating lessons in history and geography

Researching appropriate themes from Chinese history and geography in the light of children’s development

Assignments in drawing and/or painting

 

Required Reading:

R. Steiner: The Study of Man, Lectures 1-7

R. Steiner: kingdom of Childhood

Michaela Strauss. Understand of Children’ s drawing

Recommended Reading:

M. Spock: Teaching as a Lively Art

Education toward freedom

MODULE THREE (3 weeks)

Foundational Themes:

Evolution of the human being and cosmos

Cultural epochs as archetypal stages of the evolution of consciousness

Understanding our modern world through insight into the past

Challenges in education toda

The Art of Teaching:

Teaching mathematics in classes 1-8

Preparation for the teaching of science 

Artistic Experience:

Eurythmy and form-drawing

Examples of Assignments:

Creating lessons in mathematics

Further exercises in form-drawing and/or eurythmy

Required Reading:

R. Steiner: Esoteric Science, An Outline

R. Jarman: Teaching Mathematics in Classes 1-8

Recommended Reading:

MODULE FOUR (2 weeks)

Foundational Themes:

The Foundations of Human Experience (The Study of Man): Lectures 8-14

The 12 senses

The Art of Teaching:

Teaching science in classes 1-8

Artistic Experience:

Singing and recorder playing

Reading and writing music

Examples of Assignments:

Creating lessons in science

Designing activities to educate the senses

Creating songs and music exercises for children

 

Required Reading:

R. Steiner: The Study of Man, Lectures 8-14

R. Steiner: Practical Advice to Teachers, Lectures 8-14

Recommended Reading:

W. Aeppli: The Twelve Senses

Physics is Fun

The Wonders of Waldorf Chemistry

W. Schad: Man and Mammal

MODULE FIVE (3 weeks)

Foundational Themes:

Education for Adolescents

(based on The Supplementary Course given by

Rudolf Steiner to the teachers in the 1st Waldorf School)

Children with special needs

The Art of Teaching:

Teaching arts and crafts in classes 1-8

The arts as therapy 

Artistic Experience:

Sculpture and modeling

Wood and copper craft

Examples of Assignments:

Creating lessons in arts and crafts

Over viewing primary education in the light of adolescence

Artistic assignments

Required Reading:

R. Steiner: The Supplementary Course (Education for Adolescents)

R. Steiner: Discussions with Teachers 

Recommended Reading:

MODULE SIX (2 weeks)

Foundational Themes:

Deeper insights into Waldorf education

Inner work of teachers

The social challenge (working with colleagues & parents)

The College of Teachers

 

The Art of Teaching:

Overall curriculum for classes 1-8, class by class

Artistic Experience:

Drawing and painting: Part 2

 

Examples of Assignments:

To be announced

Required Reading:

R. Steiner: Knowledge of Higher Worlds