Editorial
This article is the continuation of a debate which is based on an article by Tony Cañadas entitled How Rudolf Steiner’s theories apply to ELT. It engendered a reply by Stefan Rathert: Rudolf Steiner and ELT? A Reply to Tony Cañadas’ Article, which was re-replied by Tony Cañadas: Rudolph Steiner’s Theories and ELT (2): A reply to Stefan Rathert’s Article, and then Stefan Rather’s reply
A Debate on Rudolf Steiner and ELT
The Steiner’s Debate
Tony Cañadas, Spain
Tony Cañadas is an English teacher and writer. He has written the books “Creative Learning”. Ed. Háblame and “Portraits of the soul”. Ed. Spacios among others. He has also written other articles for HLT magazine. He works in Simón Fuentes Primary School in South East Spain.
E-mail: airtonys@hotmail.com
Menu
Introduction
Anthroposophy –Waldorf education
Practical activities and Waldorf education
Plagiarism
Conclusion
References
If you had a look at the issue 4, year 13, August publication of HLT magazine, there was an article written by Pr. Stefan Rather where he wanted to challenge not only my ideas about Rudolph Steiner’s education across Europe nowadays but he also questioned the nature of my sources. I have to say I also like debates as they are most edifying. The greatest thing about them is the contrast of information, very much like reading two quality(not tabloid) newspapers to have a more clear view about an argument.
However Mr. Rather claims that my ideas are inadequate (he even dare to suggest that my knowledge about Anthroposophy is not good enough) and he also implies that I have misunderstood the information I deal with when preparing a topic.
To sum it all, if I didn’t know the extraordinary nature of our magazines where ideas can be expounded in a relaxed way without the nagging watchful eye of strict academicism, I would fine Pr. Rather’s suggestions extremely offensive. But thank goodness that is not the case and the matter must be dealt in an amiable and tolerant way.
According to Pr. Rather “there is a difficulty to base a practical pedagogy on a dubious construct of ideas” (A debate on Rudolf Steiner and ELT).
If Mr. Rather (as I have suggested in articles before) decides to get in touch with the reality of Rudolph Steiner’s schools in the U.K he would get a very down to earth vision of Waldorf schools and not theoretical illusions that I am afraid don’t have anything to do with the current system.
It would look like according to professor Rather that I have serious interests in defending Waldorf schools. The reality is that I work in a State School in Southern Spain and my reality may be very similar to his, with a subtle but firm difference: I want to transform the framework of Education by using effective methods and I don’t spend the time wishing things were much better.
As far as I know, the results (and that is when Science gets real evidence of things) I have seen through the years in students (my own family members and many others) who have gone through the whole curriculum of Steiner’s education couldn’t be more spectacular.
It is a question of the reader to judge whether Waldorf education provides an unquestionable service to education or not.
According to Pr. Rather’s statements I don’t indicate clearly enough where the link is about my designed activities and the theory of Waldorf Education. I thought I indicated that in both my previous articles but nevertheless I will be very happy indeed to show Mr. Rather the source of my workshops.
Hugging as a warmer exercise
It goes without saying that the atmosphere at Rudolph Steiner’s schools is very inviting and liberal. It has nothing to do with the old traditional English school where caning was the typical motivator against bad behaviour and where boys and girls were strictly separated to defend very strange ideas about the development of human nature in males and females. It has nothing to do either with boarding schools where freethinking is restricted and discipline is a very arduous drawback.
This exercise goes very well with the idea of counteracting inhibition and acting in a natural way, which is part and parcel of Waldorf Education.
Classroom library
In this exercise it is clear that the student has a very liberal space where he can choose where to read. This sort of comfy environment is precisely given in all Waldorf Education and it is an accepted idea that if a student feels relaxed, then the learning process is quicker.
Free Choice Project
Despite what Pr. Rather thinks, Waldorf education provides the students with the gift of freethinking. A student can never intellectualize his/her ideas if the environment where he/she is learning is hostile to his/her freethinking process. That is, the ideas are presented, and then the students makes them theirs by an intellectual process, and there is no other way to do it, otherwise the schools institutions would be anything but liberal. This is also an essential element in Waldorf Education.
Role Play
We all know what “role play” is about. There are two different ways of doing it. A traditional and a creative one. We don’t need to speak about the traditional for we can just have a look at any book and we will know what it is about.
The creative side of role-playing has more to do with the individual’s own choice rather than an imposed one. Therefore the individual is free to choose any character he likes without the normal convention of course books. Freedom of choice and creativity is another element in Waldorf schools education so I wonder where the controversy lies here.
Fairy Tale transformation
It is very humbling for me how Mr. Rather finally admits that at least one of my examples has something to do with Rudolph Steiner’s theories.
However, there is a slight thing that worries me. Pr. Rather seems to suggest that because he lives in a culture which is in a way hostile to modern western democratic principals the best thing is to “go on with the fashion” and not trying to implement a change in conducts that seems to me a little bit “anti-democratic”.
One of then is the treatment of women in some cultures and the neglect to the rights of some minority groups.
Fairy-tale transformation has another more interesting side. Once I watched a very interesting production of “Sleeping Beauty” in politically correct terms. The princess had been changed to a gay prince and the other “prince” who rescues him one hundred years later was also gay. What a good lesson for intolerant ways which by “education terms” introduce intolerance in a democratic world.
As I have said before, if I didn’t know the excellent nature of HLT magazine and the creative way it deals with ideas as well as the informal nature of its articles I would take Pr. Rather’s accusations extremely offensive.
To suggest that I have plagiarised not only one author but several ones goes beyond my comprehension.
What is his real purpose with his last article? What are the motivations that drive him to make such serious remarks?
A debate must be taken seriously when experts debating have a mutual respect about each other but obviously that is not the case.
I don’t think it is necessary for me to simply deny that I have plagiarised any author at all, for the colleagues who know me (a huge number indeed, more that Pr. Rather could ever imagined) also knows the scientific precision of all my works and presentations. As Hamlet adds in his final line, “the rest is silence”.
I feel extremely flattered at the thought that every time I publish an article in the future Pr. Rather will try to contra rest my opinion in some other way.
However, I must say that this is my last article on the “Steiner debate”. I think I have expressed quite clearly my complete support of Anthroposophy in the new European Languages curriculum. I hope all the readers of HLT magazine have enjoyed the discussion. I particularly have had a great time and I express my deep gratitude once more not only to HLT magazine but also to Pilgrims and all the people working at this magnificent institution. I have to say I did my seventh course with them at Canterbury last summer and I hope to do many more courses in the close future asking God (or whoever it may be) to give me the motivation to keep on working in the best profession of the world: teaching.
Rathert, Stefan: A debate on Rudolf Steiner and ELT.HLT magazine, August 2011
Rudolph Steiner. The Education of a child and early lectures on Education (Foundations of Waldorf Education, 25)
Edmunds, Francis. An Introduction to Steiner Education. Rudolph Steiner Press.
McCarty Marietta (2009) How Philosophy can save your life. Tarcher- Penguin
Savater Fernando. Historia de la Filosofía. Ed. Espasa
Rather, Stephan. Rudolph Steiner and ELT? A reply to Tony Cañadas’s article. HLT magazine.
Canterbury Steiner School. www.canterburysteinerschool.co.uk
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.
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