Chengdu Waldorf school is a center for adult learning as well as a kindergarten and grade school (k-9). We have been offered many introduction course on waldorf school , biodynamic gardening and farming. We also offer short courses and three years part time teacher training program.
The early Childhood Kindergarten teacher training
We work with Thanh Cherry and other visiting teachers set up a three year part- time early childhood teacher training program that began in August 2006. We planned to accept 40 people. After publishing the news on our school web site only one month, there were 80 people signed up for the course. Participants came from all over Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. There were people on the waiting list because our space is too small to host so many people.
The training course was laid down by Thanh Cherry who has set up a training program in Thailand and Vietnam before. The course was divided into two sections each year. The course takes place in Chengdu two–weeks in one session. The course is being giving in cooperation with the International Early Childhood Association and with financial support from them. Tutors has been selected by the committee of Chinese Early Childhood Teacher Training. Renate Breipohl-Long from the Rudolf-Steiner Waldorf International Early Childhood association will oversee the program ensuring the quality of the training course.
The course is conducted in English with Chinese translation. We welcome our friends from all over the world. The first course will be completed with about 60 teachers in August 2009. The second course will be stared soon.
The grade school teacher training
We set up a three year part- time grade school teacher training program that began in July 2007 with Ben Cherry and other visitors teachers from abroad. 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 part time teacher training course has been divided into 6 modules and two modules will be completed in a year. Two weeks in the Autumn and three weeks in the summer. Students will be required to do assignments and teaching practice in a waldorf school to completed the course.
