Essential characteristics of Waldorf Pedagogy

The International Council for Steiner Waldorf Pedagogy have adopted the document Essential Characteristics of Waldorf Pedagogy as a binding orientation for the global Waldorf school movement. Even though the characteristics have general validity, individual schools can augment them, so they are aligned with their own specific cultural circumstances. They aim to emphasise and strengthen individuality, openness for development, diversity of individual schools, as well as unify the Waldorf school movement. For early childhood, the foundational principles adopted by the International Association for Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Education (IASWECE) apply.

Preliminary Remarks

In Rudolf Steiner’s conception, the life of the Waldorf school springs from true insight into the nature of human development, a source for the teachers to practice the art of education as the children in their care grow up, shaping and developing their teaching in accordance with time, school location, and people involved.

To be recognized as a Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner school, it is necessary to characterize essential elements of Waldorf pedagogy.

The characteristics are formulated freely and contain characterisations of what the International Council understands by Waldorf education. This understanding is evolving, so these characteristics will also be added to or replaced over time; the fundamentals of the pedagogy remain the same.

The characteristics of a Waldorf/Rudolf Steiner school are, among others:

Belonging to a World-wide Movement   

School Identity

The curriculum and pedagogical creativity

The relationship teacher – child - world

Teachers as artists

Teachers as researchers

Learning objectives, assessment, evaluation tools

The school community: working together

School management

Corporate health (budget and finances)

Evaluation and self-evaluation

Further reading on each characteristic can be found HERE.