Какие люди в Лексингтоне

Harvard students learn in the Waldorf method in Lexington. Marc Filippino/Staff Writer
Posted:  10/26/2013 11:00 AM

     These students were not who most visitors would expect to find when walking into a grade school. This group of approximately 30 students were from theHarvard Graduate School of Education and while they found the show entertaining, the purpose was to see an unique approach to early childhood learning and development.

      "In our class we talk about cognitive neuroscience environment for young children," said Harvard Professor Gigi Luk. "We work with people at places such as the Waldorf and Montessori schools, which both have similar practices, but accomplish their goals through different trajectories. It’s a nice contrast and lets students think about how they can apply their work."

      The graduate students visited  the Waldorf School on Friday, Oct. 18, as part of a cognitive neuroscience and education course taught by Luk. The course explores different teaching techniques and Luk wanted her students to see Waldorf’s nontraditional style of education.

      In addition to the puppet show, Luk’s students learned firsthand about the emphasis on creativity and quality of learning through Waldorf-style education. Developed in the early 1900s in Germany, there now are 83 Waldorf schools in North America and the education models still focuses on intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual learning.

      For the last three years Luk has collaborated with the Lexington's staff; however, this is the first year she has brought her students to the Waldorf School. In the building, she said, students are able to get a better idea of what a kindergarten class is truly like.

A different approach

     Waldorf kindergarten students are encouraged to play with wooden blocks to develop imagination, instead of toys that provide full context. Unlike many traditional classrooms, Waldorf has no clocks; only colorful walls. The principal idea is otherwise students can associate the date and time with an activity instead of with an arbitrary number.

      In a way, the absence of time goes hand-in-hand with the Waldorf philosophy that a student’s education should not be a race and success should be measured how strong a student grasps a concept, not through test scores.

      "Because we are not in the majority and this approach is not used in the majority of the world around us, we hope other people stop and think about what we have to say about child development," said Lexington Waldorf School Director Robert Schiappacasse.

     The graduate students heard from kindergarten teachers Wendy Margo and Leah Palumbo, who each institute unique themes, such as nature and imagination, into their lesson plans. Margo showed her teaching method by bring in a plant and singing to them the same way she would sing to her students.

       "It’s important to get them to open their mind, to have them remember what it is like to learn like a child," Margo said.

       Palumbo spoke to the graduate students’ diverse experience, noting they are probably drawing from their own past experiences teaching or participating in classrooms. "I think it piques their interest and they want to know what the outcomes are for our education," she said. After hearing the Waldorf staff, several students asked Luk to comeback and observe an actual class.

      "I think students are intrigued [by Waldorf]," said Luk. "They often hear about Waldorf in the media. They can sometimes be misrepresented. It’s a very good experience to hear the philosophy and see why Waldorf teachers are doing what they were doing."