The Main Lesson in Waldorf Education
In Waldorf Education the curriculum is structured around subject themes who are presented to the children in three week blocks with an hour and a half lesson every day on that particular subject theme. The advantages of this approach are many fold. Firstly it allows for both the teacher and child to fully immerse themselves in an in-depth study of the subject for three-four weeks. Then once the block has reached its conclusion and the teacher starts with another subject theme, all that has been taught will be assimilated and absorbed by the subconscious and become part of the child's being. When in the future another block of the same subject theme starts the child will recall, with the teacher's help what has been taught and then be ready for a new and deeper understanding of the work at hand.
Another advantage of this method is that it helps students to improve in subjects they do not particularly enjoy. In a main lesson they cannot just tune out like in a 30 or 40 minute class. In a main lesson their attention is captured by an imaginative artistic approach. Children are also engaged with various supportive activities to help spark a students interest in the topic at hand and to increase their motivation to learn.
This method does not use textbooks or worksheets. The teacher is suspected to research source material and to present it to the children in an engaging and artistic way ensuring that it remains relevant to the student's immediate surroundings.
HEAD, HEART AND HANDS
There are three aspects of the human being that needs to be taken into account when learning something new. These are the head or the intellect, the heart or the feeling life and the hands/physical application or activity that will transform what has been taught into something tangible. The teacher prepares the lesson in such a way that all three of these faculties are engaged and developed.
THREE DAY RHYTHM
The morning usually starts with a morning class routine which includes reciting verses, singing, recorder and mental math exercises. After this the Main Lesson begins.
There is a weekly rhythm build into the main lessons. The basic principle is that new work is presented in a three day cycle. On the first day new concepts or material is presented to the children mostly in story form. The following day there will be a recall of the previous day's work followed by the practical application of the work in the form of a relevant activity. On the third day the student will write a summary of material learned into their Main Lesson Book. The rhythm overlaps in that new material is presented every day. Recall of the previous day's work will happen every day. A relevant activity of the previous day's work will be done every day and so will bookwork.
THE MAIN LESSON BOOK
The Main Lesson Book is created entirely by the student. The student writes and illustrates the lesson's content into their books. Summaries, notes and explanations are all written neatly by hand and illustrated beautifully. In the early grades the students imitate the teacher in the creation of their main lesson book. In grades 3-5, the content is created jointly with the teacher's guidance by the class. In grades six and seven the children take notes of new work. These are checked by the teacher. From these notes the students will create their own summaries and write it in their Main Book. With the teacher's guidance they also will have more autonomy in deciding how to illustrate and decorate their book. Students learn to take pride in their work and develop their ability to work independently with imagination and joy.
