Steiner Education draws upon the best practice from upwards of 800 schools worldwide over a period of 80 years, providing educational diversity appropriate to the different national cultures in which it is delivered. The precise delivery of the State's Primary School Curriculum using the Steiner model of education is explained below by setting out six key characteristics of the Steiner approach alongside the Primary School Curriculum.
It states in the introduction to the Irish Primary School Curriculum that although individual aims and objectives may appear to focus mainly on one aspect of the child's development, it is recognised that all areas of child development are inextricably linked. The Steiner approach recognises and supports this view.
The linking of subject material and the integration of curriculum areas is a key feature of the Steiner approach. The use of subject blocks in this way is a widely accepted methodological strategy to meet the experiential stance of the child for whom the world exists as a continuum and not as a series of discrete subject areas.
The Primary School Curriculum
"...recognises (too) the integrated nature of knowledge and thought
and stresses the connections in content in the different curriculum areas.
This creates harmony in the child's learning experiences and serves the
complex nature of the learning process" (Primary School Curriculum
- Introduction - Page 11).
and continues
"The curriculum envisages an integrated learning experience for
children. In order to achieve this, strong emphasis is placed on planning.
Within the framework of the curriculum schools are afforded flexibility
to plan a programme that is appropriate to the individual school's circumstances
and to the needs, aptitude and interests of the children. In the presentation
of content and in the exploration of approaches and methodologies, the curriculum
assumes that schools, in the process of planning its implementation, will
adapt and interpret the curriculum where necessary to meet their own unique
requirements" (Primary School Curriculum - Introduction - page
11).
The Steiner approach is consistent with the Primary School Curriculum,
which goes on to state that...
"For the young child, the distinctions between subjects are not relevant:
What is more important is that he or she experiences a coherent learning
process that accommodates a variety of elements. It is important, therefore,
to make connections between learning in different subjects. As they mature,
integration gives children's learning a broader and richer perspective,
emphasises the interconnectedness of knowledge and ideas and reinforces
the learning process" (Primary School Curriculum -Introduction - page
16)