Report Upperschool teacher and teacher training colloquium

International attendance (German speaking with participants from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark and Belgium)

Dornach, Switserland

Programm:

	Freitag, 20. Mai 2011	Samstag, 21. Mai 2011	Sonntag, 22. Mai 2011
09.00 bis 10.30		2.Epochenunterricht: die Frage nach der Unterrichtsqualität Sigler / Sommer / Zech	3.Epochenunterricht: die Frage nach der Unterrichtsqualität Sigler / Sommer / Zech
11.00 bis 12.30		Oberstufenkongress der Deutschsprachige Schulen vom 30. September bis 2. Oktober 2011 in Hannover K.P.Freitag	Rückblick / Vorblick Ende 12.00
14.30 bis 16.00		Kongress / Arbeitsform die es uns ermöglicht, die dringenden Fragen der Jugendpädagogik so zu bearbeiten, dass wir neue Impulse setzten können. K.P.Freitag / F.Osswald
16.00 bis 18.00	EWD – EuD meeting with representatives of the European Waldorf Diploma (EWD) Project group	Arbeitsform / neue Impulsen Beispiel: EPC und EWD F.Osswald/ Detlef Hardop/ Thilo Koch/ Frank De Vries
19.00 bis 21.00	Begrüssung/Einleitung 1.Epochenunterricht Sigler/Sommer/Zech	Teilgruppe: das Thema Verbindung zwischen schüler-Lehrer, Lerher-Eltern usw.

EWD – EuD meeting with representatives of the European Waldorf Diploma (EWD) Project group

Part 1: 20^th of May 2011 from 16.00 tot 18.00

Present: Detlef Hardop, Klaus-Michael Maurer, Thilo Koch, Jeppe Flummer, Florian Osswald, Karen Chapman, Margareta Van Raemdonck

Apologies from: Dagny Ringheim, Trevor Mepham, Fergus Anderson and Charlotte von Bülow.

1. More details of the possibilities of a EWD in future:

• no teaching for the test

• units on a competence level so that contents can vary from country tot country or even school tot school

• the aim is to be able to have Europwide minimum standards without losing the freedom of teachingmethods or of desicions concerning contents

• the core of steiner waldorf pedagogy can be given value

• evaluation or assessment method is free, in the units you can’t decide on one particular method, in the qualification as whole you can.

In a transition phase the EuD –EWD can be used next to the national qualifications.

Some countries may never be able to use it as the only way of getting a qualification because there is a strondgly centralised tradition (France ?) or a strong national tradition (Switzerland ?).

Some countries that have their own Steiner Waldorf qualification need to be comfortable with it so they don’ risk of putting their own in danger.

2. More detailed discussion on the first draft of the rational paper that Detlef sent as a preparation for the discussion. Most important feedback: it has to be a real international (European at least) rational. Now the first draft text works with the English and German needs, it has to be looked upon in a broader way.

Part 2. 21^st of May from 18.45 to 19.15

Present: Detlef Hardop, Thilo Koch, Jeppe Flummer, Karen Chapman, Margareta Van Raemdonck

3. Decisions on the English speaking International Public Upper school conference that was planned for the 21^st to 22^nd of May 2011 and had to be postponed:

It will be preferably be held during the morning of the 8^th of October in Emerson College, after the official launch of the EWD-EuD project in Michael Hall on the 6th and 7^th of October.

Short report on the main ideas presented during the colloquium

This colloquium is part of an overall need within the steinerschool movement to come to grips with the following themes:

• the central tasks of the Upper school teacher

• the identity of steiner Waldorf education in our times

• Upper school curriculum development and renewal

• routes to accreditation and recognition

• implications for teacher training

In 2006 and 2007 the Pedagogical Section organised 4 colloquia in Dornach for Upper school teachers. This year Florian Osswald invited again a group of people working as teachers in upper schools, curriculum plan writers and Teacher trainers. People from Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Belgium gathered for a very interesting colloquium that is meant to become an initiative group for the enhancement of quality in upper school teaching.

Situation of the context:

Two important observations:

• many teachercolleges succumb to the (time)pressure of the demands of society (regulations, Abitur and other central exams, parents, pupils…). Important contents for the inner development of the youngsters are almost silently disappearing: Nibelungen and/or Parcival, General subject overviews in class 12…

• curriculumplans are written but they do not meet the needs: they can only give some examples of all that can be taught, they are to narrow for the teachers, they have a language of their own and need to be translated into language that is generally understood to be able to link to scientifique work.

This context can be found throughout Europe and beyond.

Now to start working within this context it is important to try to get to grips with the central themes of the upper school education.

Markus Michael Zech, Stephan Sigler and Wilfried Sommer of the Leherseminar für Waldorfpädagogik from Kassel gave introductions on how to work with conclusion, judgement and concept in the Upperschool, one on Friday evening, one on Saturday and one on Sunday Morning.

To sum it up in some sentences:

To lead pupils through our teaching to the point of forming lively concepts the observation powers within the body have to be drawn upon. Then the process can go through the night. Out of one’s own reality the images grow that foster conclusions, then judgment and finally concepts. The lively examples out of natural science teaching, mathematics teaching, cultural subjects and literature offered an understanding of how you can go about when teaching.

(See also: www.rosejourn.com/index.php/rose/article/viewFile/47/80)

On Saturday Klaus Peter Freitag announced the German national Congress in Hannover with two major themes:

• how to reach children (pupils) in depth, the importance of connection with was is taught

• the every day teaching, the enthusiasm for what we do.

Some Upper school projects were also presented by the coordinators:

• Detlef Hardop talked about the possibilities of a European Waldorf Diploma that the European Waldorf Diploma Project Group is working on.

• Thilo Koch presented the result of the European Portfolio Certificate Comenius Project conducted by 12 steiner/Waldorsschools in 8 countries (see www.epc-group.org) and that has been awarded the title “EST Star Project”

• Frank De Vries explained what the aims were of the Portfolio Project that was conducted in Nordrhein-Westfalen.

On Sunday plans were made to organise the next Upper School Colloquia in Dornach in January 2012 and December 2012. Next time the theme of this conference will be further explored. A second them is the Upper School teacher training.

 

Nachfolgend ein Bericht vom Treffen im Oktober 2006:

Kolloquium_zu_Fragen_der_Oberstufen.pdf

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