This is a 2 or 3-year part time course.
Topics in the first two years:
- Anthroposophy and child development
- The Waldorf curriculum for children from 6 to 14 years old (Class 1 to 8)
The third year is an optional year of full time, mentored placement at a Waldorf school.
The first two years
In the first two years we meet every other Saturday during term time, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, with a 5 to 7 day intensive at the end of the year (approximately 18 to 20 Saturdays a year).
The foundation of the education rests on an understanding of child development from the spiritual scientific point of view, thus a part of each Saturday course will have studies in Anthroposophy and child development.
To be a class teacher is to be an artist. This does not mean that you produce works art! The medium of your art are the children you work with. Thus the first year will have a strong focus on developing artistic capacities. There will be classes throughout the year in a sequence of immersive arts – speech and drama, Eurythmy, singing and recorders, visual arts. In the second year the curriculum will be introduced in a practical way from Class 1 to Class 8. Each Saturday a particular class will be the focus and will run over a few weeks during the year.
These modules will include: child development, the curriculum and content, and other supporting aspects (Rhythmic time, Form drawing, painting, etc).
Just as the emphasis in a Waldorf School is to support the child on their journey of lifelong learning, so to the journey of the teacher has the same emphasis.
During the second year, students choose an area of research and write a dissertation (approx. 10,000 words), which will be presented to fellow students during the summer term.
There will also be occasional weekend workshops, as a part of the course, to facilitate the input of short visits by Steiner Waldorf professionals visiting Hong Kong.
For the structure of the first year of the course please see the course timetable.
The third year
Placement
For those that complete the first two years successfully, the third year is full time, ideally in a local Waldorf school. Students will have 5 to 6 placements during the course of the year. These placements last for 3 to 4 weeks in the Lower to Middle School classes (6 to 14 year olds) for the period each day known as the Main Lesson. The Class Teacher of the class is assigned as a Host for the period of the placement.
During the placement the student will observe the host teacher at work and familiarize themselves with the pupils and the habit life of the class. The student will be expected to assist in the class and to prepare and deliver elements of the content of the Main Lesson. The student will also be expected to keep daily records of their observations and submit lesson plans when teaching.
Mentoring
Group mentoring sessions will take place each week led by a course leader. In these sessions there will be opportunities to discuss the experiences of individual students in the classroom either as observers, assistants or as teachers. The sessions will explore, amongst other things, classroom management, the curriculum, child development, planning and record keeping and other aspects of the teacher’s responsibility within a Waldorf School.
Students will also be assigned individual research projects and asked to submit these in written form accompanied by a presentation.
Cost and bursaries
The fee for this year will be less than the other two years and depend on your involvement in the school. Bursaries may be available to help students to cover their costs for this year. There will only be a limited number of placements in Hong Kong for this third year, and students will need to be qualified to teach in Hong Kong.