MA in Steiner Education
By Dr Robert Rose
Introduction
A new MA in Education (Steiner Philosophy)
is currently being established at Canterbury
Christ
Church
University,
Kent,
in
collaboration with the Steiner Waldorf
Schools Fellowship. It will provide a unique
opportunity to explore and research Rudolf
Steiner’s
educational
philosophy
in
relationship to contemporary ideas. The MA
aims to transcend the boundaries between
Steiner and other thinkers and researchers
and will evaluate the commonalities as well
as differences. It is for this reason that the
course is open to both mainstream and
Steiner teachers and aims to contribute to a
new culture of dialogue.
In the European education landscape it is
common for Steiner Waldorf schools to be a
part of the mainstream educational setting.
In the UK, however, Steiner Waldorf schools
and other institutions and initiatives based on
Steiner’s educational ideas have usually
remained largely in the private sector. This
means that while the ideas and practices of
Steiner schools are a part of European
education discourse, in England most
mainstream teachers and educationalists
have very little knowledge of them.
Consequently, the policies and the ethos
which form an essential part of the training
and professional identity of mainstream
teachers are largely uninformed by the
rationale and ideas underpinning a Steiner
teacher’s work. This programme offers the
opportunity to explore key aspects of
Steiner/Waldorf philosophy in the context of
narratives, policies and practices associated
with mainstream education.
The converse is also true: Steiner teachers
are often unaware of the new philosophies
and practices embedded in mainstream
education. Gone are the days in which the
child is considered to be merely an ‘empty
vessel’, few contemporary educationalists
would subscribe to this view. This is
gradually being replaced by various views
which see the human being as being in
constant development and transformation;
that is, a view’s much more comparable with
Steiner’s conception of human development.
The educational environment is changing.
This changing educational environment
means that ideas and assumptions about the
way education is structured, organised and
rationalised are in a state of flux. It also
means that there are new and emerging
opportunities for Steiner Waldorf schools to
engage with and enter the mainstream
sector. These changing circumstances mean
that it would be helpful to those involved in
mainstream education as well as those
educators committed to Steiner Waldorf
education to engage with the philosophies of
the other.
Continuing professional development is an
essential part of the continuing professional
development of all educationalists. This MA
pathway provides an opportunity for the
development of teachers and educationalists
who wish to engage positively with the
contribution made by the Steiner Waldorf
tradition to current educational research. It
allows for critical reflection on practices and
philosophies from the perspective of Steiner
education and from the perspective of
mainstream education.
The Content of the MA
The MA has six taught modules and a
dissertation. It comprises an integrated and
holistic approach to the contemporary
educational culture and Steiner education’s
relation to it:
7) Thesis
6) Culture and
Education
2)The Self
1)Research
Methods
5) Education
Policy
3) Child
Development
4) Spirituality
and Creativity
1) Research Methods. The MA will help
participants to develop the research skills
required to engage in reading, writing and
researching at masters’ degree level from a
Steiner
and mainstream
perspective.
Students on this course will read and reflect
on a variety of journal articles and books and
will be introduced to the approaches
necessary for critical engagement both in
reading and writing and assessments. There
will also be an exploration of the distinctive
types of research suggested by Steiner and
a critical comparison made. The readings will
be taken from a variety of sources and they
will reflect a variety of educational traditions
including that of Steiner education. There
will be research on Steiner’s original ideas
and his research methods. There will be the
opportunity to compare them with the
practice in Waldorf schools.
2) The Self: The programme will explore
conceptions of the Self in connection with
education. The aim of this is to develop selfreflective and self-transformative knowledge
involving both understanding and theoretical
explanation of the Self as a core agent in
pedagogical practice. Specifically, the
presuppositions and practice in Steiner
Waldorf education will be critically compared
and contrasted with those derived from other
notions of the Self in contemporary
education. Steiner’s idea of the role of the
educationalist’s ‘I’ will be explored in this
connection.
3) Child Development: The course
introduces a range of theories on child
development, and the participant will be
introduced to their historical context,
practical application and contemporary
manifestations in a range of educational
environments. Students will be able to
compare and contrast a variety of
philosophies from the Steiner perspective
with the work of writers such as Piaget,
Vygotsky, Donaldson and Bruner. The
distinctive aspects of the different schools of
thought will be considered and their relative
merits will be discussed. Participants will be
asked to reflect on their own experiences in
education in the context of these theories.
4) Spirituality and Creativity: The course
will introduce a range of spiritual and
creative models of education as they relate
to the Steiner curriculum. Students will
evaluate the rationale for a range of Steiner
approaches to education at all stages from
Kindergarten to the end of compulsory
education. This will include practice with
children as well the training and
development of teachers. The role and
definition of spirituality and creativity will be
investigated as fundamental elements of
development and as components of
educational aims.
6) Culture: Participants will examine the way
in which educational narratives and
developments/pedagogies are expressed
and realised through different cultural forms.
Through the investigation of the relationship
between different cultural forms, philosophy
and discourses on education, the MA will
explore the processes through which
dominant norms in education evolve. The
examples will be taken from three
revolutions; the French, the industrial and
the Russian revolution. Steiner’s views on
‘the consciousness soul’ and ‘modern
education’ will be explored in this
connection.
5) Education Policy: The MA will explore
the nature and extent of policy in education.
Recent policy initiatives and debates from
different political and historical periods will
be considered. Students will examine the
relationship between policy and research,
policy and the political landscape and policy
and teacher identity and professional
constructs. The course will consider how
policy impacts on teacher practice and how
teacher interpretation of policy defines
school knowledge. A range of policy
landscapes will be contrasted and related to
mainstream
and
Steiner
discourses
especially in relation to the boundaries of
pedagogical autonomy.
7) Thesis: There will also be a substantial
individual project the specific topic of which
will be determined by the student.
How will the course be taught?
It will be done through a combination of
lectures, seminars, group work, practical
exercises and discussions. Some sessions
will be based on the review of practice and
reflection with colleagues and tutors. The
student will be asked to respond to a variety
of texts; policy documents, literature and
reflective pieces. The participants will also
be taught through tutorials and on-line
support.
Attendance and Assessment:
The MA will be part-time, normally spread
over three years. It is organised to be very
manageable
for
those
already
in
employment. In the first two years there will
be one weekend residential and one four
thousand word essay per term. In the third
year there will be dissertation.
Who is the MA for?
The MA is aimed at Steiner Waldorf
teachers,
mainstream
teachers,
administrators, educationalists, parents and
all those interested in Steiner’s philosophy
and education in a modern context.
Start Date: June or September.
Progression:
Successful participants may proceed to a
Doctorate in Education.
Tutors:
The course will be taught collaboratively
between colleagues of Christ Church
University and representatives of the Steiner
Waldorf Schools Fellowship. The main tutors
will be Dr Fiona Stephens and Dr Peter
Grimes for Canterbury Christ Church
University and Dr Robert Rose for the
Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship. Robert
Rose has been the modules leader in
philosophy and anthroposophy at the
University of Plymouth since 1992.
Contact:
If you would like further information or wish
to express an interest in this course please
contact:
fiona.stephens@canterbury.ac.uk
Please cc
robertrose1@hotmail.co.uk