This little book1 explores themes of the work of the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum. The collected articles focus on the question: How can insights from an anthroposophical study of the human being help us “see” and support the becoming individual in their development? The contributions were prepared for events organized by the Section, such as the Goetheanum Worldwide Teacher Education Conference. Here is a taste:
Constanza Kaliks (Goetheanum) explores the rhythm of attention between teacher and learner. One could describe this as a miniature community of learning and knowledge in the process of engaging with the world without seeking to “dominate” it. The “will to learn” is nourished by love and a longing to connect with humanity and the world, as well as by a willingness to be open to development.
Josep Maria Esquirol (Barcelona) addresses the question of how to meaningfully protect and develop endangered humanity in its “places.” He thoughtfully explores our inherent capacity for resonance through striking images, for example, by considering the vocal cords as folded feeling, and the skin and heart as organs capable of being touched—organs of sensitivity, openness, and vulnerability. According to Esquirol, the goal of all education is to counteract indifference.
An intercultural dialogue, according to João Maria André (Portugal), can only develop through the recognition and affirmation of the uniqueness of each culture—anything else would be transcultural wishful thinking. This is about care, resonance, hospitality, and justice. But how does the individual become capable of this? Through becoming aware of the mechanisms of exclusion and learning to respect their unique identity-forming constructs, through an emancipatory, non-discriminatory, and historically critical reflection based on universal human rights, and through the integration of the arts.
Thomas Fuchs (Heidelberg) distances himself from the concept of learning borrowed from computer information processing and argues that we learn nothing without the body in action. Today, consciousness and subjectivity are situated within the organism as a whole and its interactions (intercorporeality, interactive cognition) with the environment (embedded cognition). Consciousness is thus not merely a matter of the head but a form of the whole lived experience. Only through self-directed movement does a child gain spatial experience, with consequences for the development of intelligence. Sedentary media use leads to a decline in adolescents’ ability to concentrate, as well as in memory and academic performance, whereas these abilities increase with experiences in nature.
Kathy MacFarlane draws attention to the importance of free play, the source of our creativity for all artistic processes. She contrasts this with the question of the purpose of education, which aims at “a successful, happy, and meaningful life.” Following Plato, MacFarlane links pre-birth intentions with the activity of free play and with the teacher’s task of uncovering these intentions rather than “stuffing” the child with knowledge in order to adapt them to the world.
In a series of stories from school life told as “postcards,” Michal Ben Shalom (Israel) expounds her motto: Out to nature! We are simultaneously temporal and eternal, bodily and spiritual beings, and must first work our way into our earthly form of existence, connecting ourselves with the Earth. The “postcards” depict outdoor experiences that show how children joyfully connect with the Earth, whether through an encounter with a chameleon, a spring where they bathe, an art session with clay in the desert, a round of jogging before class begins, or a hiking trip that peels away some of the burdens of adolescence.
Michael Zech (Alanus Institute of Higher Education) writes about history. Historical events become seeds whose fruits only become visible much later and when the right moment has arrived. Zech illustrates this with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. For the transition from childhood to adolescence—the emancipation from educational “sheaths” toward an independent relationship between self and world—teachers must offer students pathways that lead to the ability to make judgments by reflecting on collective and personal narratives, ultimately, to arrive in the here and now.
Despite its small size, this little book contains stimulating and substantial contributions. Given its stated aim of offering “perspectives on educational practice,” it weighs a bit heavily on the theoretical side. Still, the few concrete, vividly described accounts from practice will appeal to practitioners, while the far larger portion can appeal more to those with an academic interest.
Translation Joshua Kelberman
