Rudolf Steiner
a theory of imagination
Fall 2008
Presentation Overview
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Steiner’s Background
Steiner’s Theory
Waldorf Schools
Overview of Terms
The Basic Issue
Procedure
Background on Children
Findings
Conclusion
Implications
Evaluation
Rudolf Steiner
• Born February 27, 1861 in Kraljevec, Croatia
• As a young child, the beauty of nature greatly influenced
him. As he said: “ I was surrounded by two worlds: a
spiritual world and a world of sense.”
• At age 8 he said upon reading a geometry textbook, “one
can live within the mind in the shaping of forms
perceived only within oneself”
• From 11-18 attended a secondary school for science,
called Realschule, in Austria and discovered Kant’s
Critique of Pure Reason.
• 1879 Studied Math and Science at the Techincal College
of Vienna (here he developed and interest in many
subjects)
• At the same time he began tutoring a family of four boys
• While attending College in Vienna, he became deeply
interested in Philosophy.
• 1884 began to study Goethe’s natural science writings in
Vienna
Rudolf Steiner
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Met many of the leading personalities of his time such as Herman Grimm (art historian and
Goethe scholar), Ernst Haeckel (scientist), Luwig Leister (author).
1891 Received his PhD at the University of Rostock
1894 Wrote the Philosophy of Spiritual Activity
After receiving his PhD he began writing and lecturing.
1919 Founded the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany
1923 Founded the instituted the School for the Science of the Spirit to further knowledge of
Anthroposophy.
By the end of his life he had written 50 works and had given over 6,000 lectures. He had
founded or had established a formation for: homes for children in need of special care,
biodynamic farming and gardening, the art of Eurythmy, and a Clinical and Therapeutic
Institute.
1925 Died
Steiner’s Theory
Anthroposophy
– “The Science of the Spirit” from the
Greek: Anthropos and Sophia meaning
“human” and “wisdom” respectively.
– “Steiner believed in the possibility of
applying the clarity of scientific
thinking to spiritual experience, which
he saw as deriving from an objectively
existing spiritual world. Steiner
identified mathematics, which attains
certainty through thinking itself, thus
through inner experience rather than
empirical observation [is] the basis of
his epistemology of spiritual
experience.”
Steiner’s Theory
• How Imagination Connects to Anthroposophy
– Imagination allows the person to exercise his or her spiritual/ intuitive/ feeling capacities.
– “Man consists of body, soul, and spirit and that in the child body soul and spirit are still in
unity.”
– Steiner also describes this unity as body, feeling-life, and intellect. The imagination,
“constitutes a link between the two ends of human existence, thought and
action…spiritualism and materialism” (Nielson 19, 20).
– Imagination theorist “Rugg points toward Einstein as a scientist and philosopher in whom the
rational, scientific way of thinking was epitomized, but who nevertheless often explained that
none of his ideas emerged out of analytic thinking. Rather, they came as intuitive flashes,
feeling-thoughts, which then he might try to express logically in words afterwards.” (Nielson
20).
Waldorf Schools
• From Theory to Practice:
Steiner’s theory of imagination is fundamental to his pedagogy. There are seven teaching
methods that use imagination:
– Drama: creates emotional-aesthetic links with learning content.
• Pretending/ Role-Play
• Play-Acting
– Exploration: allows the child to construct ideas, feelings, images, concepts via imagination
and direct experience.
• Making Tools
• Building
• Gardening
– Story-Telling: enables the child to live in emotions and to arrive at values
• Myths
• Fairy-Tales
– Routine:
• Festivals
• Chores
• Morning Verse
• Lunch and Grace
Waldorf Schools
– From Theory to Practice:
– Arts: develop beauty, harmony, balance within the child in such a way as to speak to his
or her imagination and feeling-life
• Drawing
• Painting
• Woodworking
• Blacksmithing
• Eurythmy
• Music
• Calligraphy
– Discussion: assists in forming pictorial images that may or may not fit existing schemas
and thus aids the pursuit of abstract or deeper truths. (Nielson 17).
– Empathy: The teacher’s fundamental drive must be love of children or empathy.
Empathy and imagination belong to the same realm of feelings. The relationship
between teacher and pupil is highly dependant on the teacher’s ability to…embody and
physically display empathy. Thus the child’s imaginative capacity is dependant on that of
the teacher. (Nielson 19).
• One class teacher (grades 1-8)
Important Terms
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Anthroposophy: science of the spirit
Imagination: the use of the powers of the soul to create inner images, feelings, and thoughts in a
non-literal way. These inner images, feelings and thoughts may be based in reality, but are not
necessarily re-capitulations of things already seen or heard. By being actively and inwardly
imaginative the child is able to make sense of his practical experience and thus eventually bridge
the gap between experience and more rational abstract thought.
Non-Literal Toys: without great amounts of detail or definition; not “task-specific,” able to be used
in a variety of ways; often the origin or source is recognizable by its simplicity.
Literal Toys: highly detailed and prescribed features; having a specific function or associated with a
specific story, time-period, game, television show etc…
Pedagogy of Imagination: the seven imaginative teaching methods used in waldorf schools: drama,
exploration, storytelling, routine, arts, discussion, empathy.
Socailly-Inculturated Themes: Externally-imposed ideas from media, some adult attitudes (includes
certain ways of dressing, acting, speaking).
Detail: high levels of precision in description and imagination of arranging materials.
Wonderment: a quiet inner sense of awe and fulfillment (rather than curiosity which asks question
upon question without being sated)
Fuidity: moving easily from one idea, image, feeling to another.
Compound-Ideas: combines many other aspects of imgination including: detail, feeling/ emotion,
fuidity, and naration in order to create a complex story, scene or image.
Re-Capitulation: telling a story that was prevously seen, heard, or read. Acting out a scene
according to a pre-established set of roles, schemas, ideas.
Our Study
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The Basic Issue
Steiner Says
Hypothesis
Procedure
Background
Data
Conclusions
Implications
Evaluation
The Basic Issue
• Many young children today seem to have lost what Steiner calls, “spiritual
knowledge” or a sense of wholeness— an inner life. While this inner life is
deeply and intuitively accessible for children, they must be given
opportunities to exercise their spiritual nature.
• One exercise opportunity can be found in imaginative forms of play.
However, these exercises should, according to Steiner, use certain types of
materials, namely, simple, natural, or non-literal toys. Through using these
versatile materials the child can deepen his or her inner life.
• Today in many areas, the child’s opportunities for exercising imagination
tend to be limited due to the nature of the toys they use and their
exposure to television. They come to expect high levels of detail and are
intolerant of abstraction.
Steiner Says:
Steiner often gives the following example regarding a rag doll, “Give a child a
handkerchief or piece of cloth, knot it so that a head appears above, and two
legs below, an you have made a doll or a kind of clown. With a few ink stains
you can give it eyes, nose, mouth, or better still allow the child to do it…it is far
better if you make a doll out of a linen rag than if you give the child one of
those perfect dolls, possibly with highly colored cheeks, smartly dressed, a doll
which will even close its eyes when put down horizontally…for what are you
doing if you give a child such a doll? You prevent it from unfolding its own soulactivity.”
Our Hypothesis
Providing a child with non-literal play
materials will produce greater imaginative
focus, creativity, and more apparent interest
than standard literal toys that are comparable.
Procedure
• Schulze Elementary
• Interviewed 11 children 6-7yrs of age
– Six children were interviewed with non-literal toys
– Five children were interviewed with literal toys
• Three parts to each interview:
– Preliminary Questions: name, age, birthday, toys, play habits
– Free Play: children had opportunity to look at the toys, touch them,
play with them, or ask questions about them.
– Follow-up Questions:
• Where did your ideas come from?
• What books do you enjoy?
• Any media influences?
The Children
Group 1: Non-Literal Toys
Name
Age
B-Day
Toys
Play
Books
T.V./ Media Ideas
Emma
7
10/18
stuffed animals, cars,
Tinkerbell, Hanna
Montana
park, with friends,
zoo, cat and dog
Tinkerbell and
Princess Books
Disney channel,
H. Montana, H.S.
musical
From friends
Marcus
6
11/8
board games, monkeys,
starwars, legoes, mario
brothers
With friends, videogames
n/a
Star Wars and
Ben 10
In my mind
Mikaela
6
8/26
Cars, stuffed animals,
giraffes, elephants,
Hannah Montana
With dogs, outside,
tag
Tinkerbell,
Sealed with a
Kiss, Ariel and
Flounder,
Fancy Nancy
The Little
Mermaid
My brain
Jocelyn
6
12/22
Stuffed animals, koalas
“animal time”, plays
with cousins
The Case of the
Climbing Cat
n/a
From my
head
Emily
6
7/18
brats, chihuauas, cats,
lions
n/a
Princess books
n/a
From books
Nathan
7
1/21
Cars, snakes, dinosaurs,
play-station: god of war
and guitar hero
Plays with two dogs,
imagines he’s a lion
and a big red horse
with fire
Dinosaur Club
Video games
From my
brain and
from outside
Group 2: Literal Toys
Name
Age
B-Day Toys
Play
Books
Media
Ideas
Kayani
6
6/29
Animals,
kitties,
barbies,
dogs,
snowglobes,
dolphins
With friends, soccer with dad,
barbies do gymnastics, riding
horses, pretends barbies and
stuffed animals are real,
pretends she’s a princess
Henry Mudge,
Silly Sally, Skippy
John Jones
Disney
movies,
Shrek,
Sponge
Bob
From my Head
and T.V. shows
Majidah
6
12/26
Brats, cars,
dolls,
princesses
dress-up dolls, building
blocks, riding bike, dress-up
with friends, imagining she’s a
princess with sisters, Mac
Donald’s playground, cat and
dog
Crazy Hair Day,
fairy tales,
Beauty and the
Beast, Cinderella
Cinderella,
Disney,
Hannah
Montana
From Disney
Movies
Hector
6
2/14
Cars, robots,
pokemon
cards
Brother, pretends he’s
Batman
Crazy Hair Day
(no books from
parents)
Pokemon,
Sta Wars
From my Brain
“I don’t know”
John
6
4/12
Puzzles,
animals,
lions
Plays outside,
Battle gun??
Ben 10,
Alien
Forest,
Star Wars,
Pokemon
From Toys
Mario
6
1/12
Batman,
Superman
Plays doctor and firefighter
with brother
Silly Sally, P.J.
Funny Bunny
Batman,
Superman
cartoons
From my Brain
A Scale of Imagination
Zero
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
While the
child may be
willing to
answer
questions
about his or
her play
habits, the
child does
not engage
with the toys
provided.
The child
selects
material to
play with,
but uses the
material in a
literal way;
recapitulates
a previously
heard story,
uses mediareferences.
Does not
display much
fluidity,
detail, or
emotional
content.
The child selects
one or more
materials and
arranges them in
a literal and a
non-literal way.
Child begins to
use some
compound ideas,
displays fluidity
of ideas, uses
emotions.
However, there
may be
indications of
outside
influences and
the child appears
to lose interest/
is distracted after
a short period of
time.
The child
selects one or
more materials
and arranges/
plays with
them for a
longer period
of time in a
predominantly
non-literal
way. With
increased
fluidity of
ideas, detail,
emotional
content and
wonderment.
Little or no
outside
influences are
aparent.
The child selects
one or more
materials and
arranges/ plays with
them with focus
and apparent
enjoyment. Many of
the ideas
represented are
non-literal. The
child may narrate a
story aloud or
reveal a story
afterward. In
general the child
displays complex
imaginative
thought, elaborate
images, fluid ideas,
high levels of detail,
emotional content,
and wonderment.
The child selects
one or more
materials and
arranges/ plays with
them with intense
focus, interest and
an unwillingness to
stop. The ideas
represented are
non-literal. The
child may try to
engage observers in
the imagined story.
The child displays
highly complex
imaginative
thought, elaborate
images, fluid ideas,
high levels of detail,
emotional content,
and wonderment.
Group 1: Non-Literal Toys
Group 2: Literal Toys
Name &
Score
Description of Play
Name
&Score
Description of Play
Emma
5
Made a house with blocks, wool on top of block to
make a tree, rocks used to make a mouse house,
family sitting in backyard, grandmother cooking,
had the fox jumping into the “bath”
Kayani
1
Played with princesses and explained who the characters
in the corresponding movies were. Dressed the dolls.
Recalled when Cinderella lost her slipper and wondered
what happened to Cinderella’s father in the movie.
Marcus
0.5
Played with magnets, told story about his dad
picking up nails with a magnet, “I don’t usually play
with old-fashioned toys.”
Mario
0
Did not engage with the toys, seemed reticent and
uncertain. Although able to respond to questions.
Mikaela
0
Did not engage with the toys, seemed somewhat
uncertain as to what she should do.
Majidah
1
Dressed dolls, put on shoes. Played with Belle b/c
favorite, then played with Cinderella. Difficulty with
some of the accessories. Placed toys back in proper
boxes and containers. Arranged the materials.
Jocelyn
2.5
Began arranging blocks and placed magnets in a
circle on top of one of the blocks. Displayed
evidence of fluidity and non-literal uses of
materials. Interview time was interrupted
Hector
0
Did not engage with the toys, seemed reticent and
unsure. Was able to respond to questions when
asked, but did not offer any additional information.
Emily
3
Referred to magnets as “a crayfish,” asked, “is this
real wood?” also asked about the shells, the rocks
she said, “are too soft and smooth.” Talked about
one of the dolls as Little Red Riding Hood.
John
2.5
Nathan
0.5
Played with magnets, said of the shells, “they’re
like my mom’s.” Asked if Katie made the swing.
Showed Katie how magnets stick together.
Began by running up to the table and saying, “woah
awesome.” Said “the one with the green sword is
happy.” Attacked the chickens with the sword fight.
Played with pokemon. Arranged the animals. Began
sword-fighting again. Says they remind him of Star
Wars, but did not know their names. Piles animals
on top of each other. Uses the fences as bridges
places the tree at the end of the bridge and Luke
escapes up the tree. Uses the fence as a trap.
Data Analysis
Conclusion
• Conclusion: Results were highly variable. It is clear that every child
has the capacity for imagination.
• In general the children in group 1 seemed to display more non-literal uses
of toys. This would seem to suggest that non-literal toys at least offer the
opportunity for increased exercise of of non-literal thought. Also, group 1
displayed a greater sense of wonderment at the toys. This was evidenced
in their frequent questioning and awe at the new kinds of toys in front of
them.
• However, group 2 showed greater evidence of media-influenced play and
tended to re-capitulate previously heard stories and images. This would
seem to suggest that literal toys elicit an externally imposed or sociallyinculturated theme rather than a deeper interior response.
Implications
• Imagination lays the foundation for the spiritual and
intellectual growth of the person and thereby leaves the
possibility for progress within society.
• In education, teachers should provide opportunities for the
exercise of the imagination.
• Educators should be aware that media, because it imposes an
external influence on the child which he receives passively, it
does not allow the child to develop an inner-life.
Evaluation
• During Interviews
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Noise in room/ distractions
Variable temperaments/ personalities
Inconsistency in following script verbatim
Uneven distribution of children to person interviewing
• After Interviews (while analyzing data)
– Data was highly variable
– Sample size too small to be statistically significant
– Time was limited
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Although our study may not be scientifically accurate, it can
provide the foundation for further research.