Sunday, February 14, 2016
Sekitar Perasmian TASKA Nur Niyaz pada Mac 2014.
Hampir setahun berlalu, 2014 pada bulan Mac masih segar di dalam memori segala usaha dan tenaga aku kumpulkan untuk menjadikan Perasmian TASKA Nur Niyaz suatu acara yang berorientasikan kanak-kanak, menjadi sebuah kenyataan.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Bengkel Urutan Bayi
Bersama ibu Mas & Aunty Yati . Rujukan lebih lanjut...... (1001aftc.blogspot.com)
Friday, September 6, 2013
Keratan Akhbar Metro - Isteri Irfan Khairi
Enggan ajar anak hidup mewah
PENAMPILAN wanita kepada empat cahaya mata ini cukup sederhana. Tanpa secalit solekan mahupun gincu pada bibir, wanita berdarah campuran India di sebelah datuk dan Cina sebelah nenek ini masih menawan dengan mengenakan padanan blaus dan skirt labuh.
Walaupun bergelar isteri kepada jutawan Internet, Dr Noor Irfan Khairi Noor Azmi, 34, atau lebih dikenali sebagai Irfan Khairi, Shazrina Yusof, 36, tidak pernah menjadikan status diri untuk bermegah-megah atau tampil mewah sama ada dalam penampilan mahupun kehidupan.
Buktinya, walaupun memegang jawatan sebagai Pengarah Urusan Irfan Khairi Sdn Bhd (IKSB), dia tidak pernah mempunyai pembantu rumah, malah menguruskan anak-anak dan keluarga dengan bantuan suami.
Walaupun berpendapatan mencecah lima angka sebulan, bagi pasangan suami isteri ini menguruskan keluarga dengan melihat anak-anak membesar di depan mata adalah pengalaman paling berharga dan sukar dicari ganti.
“Saya sendiri memilih untuk menjaga anak-anak tanpa mengambil pembantu rumah atau menghantar mereka ke rumah pengasuh. Ini kerana ketika melahirkan anak pertama di England, semuanya saya uruskan sendiri dan selepas berbincang dengan suami, kami mengambil keputusan menjaga anak bersama-sama selepas kembali ke Malaysia,” kata Shazrina.
Sebagai Pengarah Urusan IKSB yang menjaga pengurusan syarikat termasuk kewangan dan pentadbiran, setiap hari masanya padat diisi dengan urusan pejabat dan kerja rumah.
Rutin harian Shazrina bermula seawal jam 5 pagi dengan menyediakan sarapan, membantu anak-anak bersiap kemudian menghantar empat anaknya, Ilham Abadi, 10, Kasih Kamilia Abadi, 8, Ikhlas Abadi, 6 dan Cinta Strawberry Abadi, 4, ke sekolah.
Kemudian dia bersarapan bersama suami dan terus ke pejabat menguruskan urusan syarikat sehingga anak-anak pulang dari sekolah.
“Biasanya saya memasak hidangan tengah hari sebelum menghantar mereka ke sekolah kerana tidak mahu mengganggu urusan pejabat. Selepas mengambil anak-anak dari sekolah, kami makan tengah hari bersama.
“Sekiranya tiada bengkel, program radio atau televisyen, Irfan bekerja di bilik yang dijadikan pejabatnya manakala saya melakukan tugasan dari rumah kecuali sekiranya ada hal penting barulah saya membawa anak-anak ke pejabat.
“Biasanya ini tidak menjadi masalah kerana di pejabat sudah disediakan bilik khas bersama komputer untuk anak-anak belajar dan bermain,” kata Shazrina yang memiliki kelulusan dalam bidang pengurusan perniagaan dan perhotelan daripada Universiti Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Bagi Shazrina, keputusan membesarkan anak-anak serta menjalankan urusan pejabat di rumah adalah langkah tepat. Sebagai ibu, dia menikmati banyak kelebihan berbanding pasangan lain yang bekerja lapan jam sehari antaranya kepuasan melihat perkembangan anak-anak sejak bayi dan kini bersekolah. Secara tidak langsung jalinan hubungan dengan anak-anak menjadi lebih mesra dan akrab.
“Saya dan suami menjadikan anak-anak sebagai kawan rapat. Kami boleh bercerita dan berbincang apa saja. Malah anak-anak senang meluahkan apa yang terbuku di hati mereka. Inilah kebaikan menguruskan perniagaan Internet dari rumah kerana kami dapat makan bersama, menemani anak-anak ketika belajar, membantu mereka membuat kerja sekolah, bermain permainan video atau beriadah di padang,” kata Shazrina.
Pada masa sekarang, pembelajaran di sekolah menjadi bertambah sukar dan mencabar. Anak-anak dibekalkan dengan pelbagai buku. Justeru, ibu bapa memainkan peranan penting memantau perkembangan anak-anak di rumah. Misalnya, melihat kerja sekolah serta memberi pemahaman apa yang mereka pelajari di sekolah.
“Ibu bapa tidak boleh meletakkan tanggungjawab kepada guru 100 peratus dan mengharapkan anak-anak akan mendapat apa yang mereka pelajari di sekolah.
Sebaliknya ibu bapa harus memastikan mereka turut berperanan dalam menyumbang bukan saja perkembangan mental malah emosi dan sahsiah diri,” katanya.
Menurut Shazrina, banyak kelebihan bagi pasangan suami isteri yang bekerja di rumah. Antaranya dapat memberi perhatian dalam pendidikan anak-anak seterusnya mewujudkan keluarga bahagia.
Sebagai ibu bapa moden yang berdepan dengan pelbagai cabaran dalam mendidik anak-anak, Shazrina mengakui adakalanya wujud rasa gusar memikirkan bentuk didikan yang bakal diberikan apabila mereka meningkat remaja. Oleh sebab itu, sejak kecil Shazrina dan Irfan mengajar anak-anak untuk tidak bermewah.
Walaupun berkemampuan membelikan apa saja barangan yang diminta, cara sebegitu akan menyebabkan mereka tidak tahu menghargai kesusahan.
“Sejak kecil saya sudah mengajar mereka menabung menerusi duit sekolah yang diberi setiap hari. Saya katakan, jika duit simpanan sudah cukup barulah dapat membeli barang yang mereka kehendaki.
“Walaupun mampu, kami tidak suka berhabis kepada perkara yang tidak perlu. Jika mahu sesuatu misalnya permainan, mereka harus berusaha memilikinya dengan tabungan sendiri. Misalnya apabila mendapat duit raya, saya membawa mereka membeli permainan mengikut nilai wang yang mereka miliki supaya mereka belajar menghargainya,” jelas Shazrina yang merancang perbelanjaan mengikut keperluan keluarga.
Apabila tiba hari lahir anak-anak barulah dia membelikan hadiah untuk mereka. Dengan cara ini mereka merasakan tidak semua barang dapat diperoleh dengan mudah.
Selain itu sebagai isteri dan ibu yang menguruskan keluarga, Shazrina mengamalkan makan bersama di rumah. Tambahan pula, Irfan lebih suka masakan isteri berbanding makan di luar.
Setiap hari dia memasak dan mencari resipi baru menerusi Internet. Begitu juga dalam soal membeli-belah, Shazrina tidak mengamalkan membeli barangan berjenama, sebaliknya mengehadkan kepada keperluan dan membeli ketika jualan murah.
“Kami amat jarang membeli-belah kecuali apabila perlu, contohnya ketika Aidilfitri. Malah, saya dan suami lebih suka amalkan membeli barangan ketika jualan murah kerana lebih jimat dan berbaloi. Irfan pula sekiranya terpaksa bekerja luar, sama ada di dalam atau luar negara, dia pasti membawa keluarga bersama-sama,” katanya.
Shazrina berharap, dengan didikan dan bimbingan yang diberi kepada mereka sejak kecil, anak-anak mampu menilai perkara yang baik dan buruk. Dalam pada itu, Shazrina dan Irfan sentiasa memberi kebebasan kepada anak-anak melakukan perkara yang mereka minati.
“Sama ada mereka memilih bidang teknologi, seni atau sukan, sebagai ibu bapa kami sentiasa memberi galakan. Namun jika diperhatikan kecenderungan anak-anak adalah lebih kepada bidang teknologi maklumat. Sejak berusia tiga tahun mereka sudah menggemari bidang rekaan grafik dan masing-masing sudah mempunyai komputer sendiri. Anak sulung, Ilham misalnya sudah boleh membersihkan virus komputer dan ingin mengikut jejak langkah ayahnya manakala anak kedua bercita-cita membuka perniagaan suatu hari nanti,” kata Shazrina yang tidak akan menghalang keinginan anak-anaknya sekiranya mereka mempunyai cita-cita di bidang lain.
Bersuamikan seorang yang kaya dan terkenal, sebagai isteri Shazrina tidak pernah gusar malah sentiasa memberi sokongan kepada suaminya meneruskan legasi dalam perniagaan. Sejak mula mengenalinya, Irfan seorang yang sangat kuat bekerja dan menghabiskan masa 16 jam sehari di hadapan komputer.
“Sebagai isteri saya tidak pernah menganggap ia sebagai tekanan. Sebaliknya, kami sama-sama bertukar pendapat untuk memajukan syarikat dan juga kebahagiaan dalam keluarga. Sejak mengenalinya dia tidak pernah berubah. Bagaimana sikapnya sebelum bergelar jutawan begitu juga sekarang. Malah, kasih sayangnya makin menebal dengan kehadiran anak-anak,” kata Shazrina yang mengakui Irfan tidak boleh berjauhan dengan isteri dan anak-anak dalam tempoh yang lama.
Mengulas sikap suaminya di rumah, menurut Shazrina, Irfan seorang yang lembut dan tidak pernah meninggikan suara. Apabila bercakap, dia sentiasa menggunakan pendekatan berhemah dan jarang marah.
“Begitu juga dalam mendidik anak-anak. Dia tidak menggunakan kekerasan sebaliknya pendekatan psikologi. Oleh sebab itu anak-anak mudah mendengar kata walaupun dia bukan jenis yang garang. Prinsip Irfan, apa pun yang berlaku dalam hidup setiap orang perlu berfikiran positif. Sebab itu wajahnya sentiasa ceria,” jelas Shazrina yang menjalinkan hubungan cinta dengan suaminya ketika bertemu di Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK) ketika kedua-duanya bekerja di sana.
Perkenalan diatur rakan masing-masing ketika itu akhirnya menyatukan kedua-dua ke jenjang pelamin.
“Sejak kecil saya sudah mengajar mereka menabung menerusi duit sekolah yang diberi setiap hari. Saya katakan, jika duit simpanan sudah cukup barulah dapat membeli barang yang mereka kehendaki.
“Walaupun mampu, kami tidak suka berhabis kepada perkara yang tidak perlu. Jika mahu sesuatu misalnya permainan, mereka harus berusaha memilikinya dengan tabungan sendiri. Misalnya apabila mendapat duit raya, saya membawa mereka membeli permainan mengikut nilai wang yang mereka miliki supaya mereka belajar menghargainya,” jelas Shazrina yang merancang perbelanjaan mengikut keperluan keluarga.
Apabila tiba hari lahir anak-anak barulah dia membelikan hadiah untuk mereka. Dengan cara ini mereka merasakan tidak semua barang dapat diperoleh dengan mudah.
Selain itu sebagai isteri dan ibu yang menguruskan keluarga, Shazrina mengamalkan makan bersama di rumah. Tambahan pula, Irfan lebih suka masakan isteri berbanding makan di luar.
Setiap hari dia memasak dan mencari resipi baru menerusi Internet. Begitu juga dalam soal membeli-belah, Shazrina tidak mengamalkan membeli barangan berjenama, sebaliknya mengehadkan kepada keperluan dan membeli ketika jualan murah.
“Kami amat jarang membeli-belah kecuali apabila perlu, contohnya ketika Aidilfitri. Malah, saya dan suami lebih suka amalkan membeli barangan ketika jualan murah kerana lebih jimat dan berbaloi. Irfan pula sekiranya terpaksa bekerja luar, sama ada di dalam atau luar negara, dia pasti membawa keluarga bersama-sama,” katanya.
Shazrina berharap, dengan didikan dan bimbingan yang diberi kepada mereka sejak kecil, anak-anak mampu menilai perkara yang baik dan buruk. Dalam pada itu, Shazrina dan Irfan sentiasa memberi kebebasan kepada anak-anak melakukan perkara yang mereka minati.
“Sama ada mereka memilih bidang teknologi, seni atau sukan, sebagai ibu bapa kami sentiasa memberi galakan. Namun jika diperhatikan kecenderungan anak-anak adalah lebih kepada bidang teknologi maklumat. Sejak berusia tiga tahun mereka sudah menggemari bidang rekaan grafik dan masing-masing sudah mempunyai komputer sendiri. Anak sulung, Ilham misalnya sudah boleh membersihkan virus komputer dan ingin mengikut jejak langkah ayahnya manakala anak kedua bercita-cita membuka perniagaan suatu hari nanti,” kata Shazrina yang tidak akan menghalang keinginan anak-anaknya sekiranya mereka mempunyai cita-cita di bidang lain.
Bersuamikan seorang yang kaya dan terkenal, sebagai isteri Shazrina tidak pernah gusar malah sentiasa memberi sokongan kepada suaminya meneruskan legasi dalam perniagaan. Sejak mula mengenalinya, Irfan seorang yang sangat kuat bekerja dan menghabiskan masa 16 jam sehari di hadapan komputer.
“Sebagai isteri saya tidak pernah menganggap ia sebagai tekanan. Sebaliknya, kami sama-sama bertukar pendapat untuk memajukan syarikat dan juga kebahagiaan dalam keluarga. Sejak mengenalinya dia tidak pernah berubah. Bagaimana sikapnya sebelum bergelar jutawan begitu juga sekarang. Malah, kasih sayangnya makin menebal dengan kehadiran anak-anak,” kata Shazrina yang mengakui Irfan tidak boleh berjauhan dengan isteri dan anak-anak dalam tempoh yang lama.
Mengulas sikap suaminya di rumah, menurut Shazrina, Irfan seorang yang lembut dan tidak pernah meninggikan suara. Apabila bercakap, dia sentiasa menggunakan pendekatan berhemah dan jarang marah.
“Begitu juga dalam mendidik anak-anak. Dia tidak menggunakan kekerasan sebaliknya pendekatan psikologi. Oleh sebab itu anak-anak mudah mendengar kata walaupun dia bukan jenis yang garang. Prinsip Irfan, apa pun yang berlaku dalam hidup setiap orang perlu berfikiran positif. Sebab itu wajahnya sentiasa ceria,” jelas Shazrina yang menjalinkan hubungan cinta dengan suaminya ketika bertemu di Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK) ketika kedua-duanya bekerja di sana.
Perkenalan diatur rakan masing-masing ketika itu akhirnya menyatukan kedua-dua ke jenjang pelamin.
“Selepas kira-kira enam bulan bertunang dan cukup setahun usia perkenalan, kami kembali ke Malaysia untuk melangsungkan perkahwinan. Kemudian, kami terbang semula ke UK dan kembali bekerja,” ceritanya mengimbas kenangan lama.
Melihat kesibukan sebagai isteri, ibu dan pengarah di pejabat, nyata Shazrina sangat menjaga kesihatan. Walaupun tidak mengamalkan rutin senaman setiap hari, tetapi dia dan keluarga sentiasa bertemu pakar kesihatan bagi memastikan kesihatan suami dan anak-anak dalam keadaan sempurna.
“Sebagai seorang yang aktif saya akan pastikan tubuh berada dalam keadaan baik dengan mengamalkan makanan berkhasiat dan mengambil vitamin tambahan. Saya percaya kesihatan yang baik akan menjadikan seseorang itu produktif sama ada dalam kerjaya dan keluarga,” katanya yang turut menetapkan ciri-ciri keselamatan dalam keluarga sama ada di dalam mahupun ketika keluar rumah.
Artikel ini disiarkan pada : 2012/01/31
WALDORF & Early Childhood Education
Waldorf Early Childhood Education in Practice
The Waldorf early childhood educator works with the young child by creating a warm, beautiful and loving home-like environment, which is protective and secure, and where things happen in a predictable, rhythmic manner. Here she responds to the developing child in two basic ways:
First, she engages in domestic, practical, and artistic activities the children can readily imitate (for example, baking, painting, gardening, and handicrafts), adapting the work to the changing seasons and festivals of the year.
Secondly, the Waldorf kindergarten teacher nurtures the children’s power of imagination by telling carefully selected stories and by encouraging free play. This free or fantasy play, in which children act out scenarios of their own creation, helps them to experience many aspects of life more deeply. When toys are used, they are made of natural materials. Wood, cotton, wool, silk, shells, stones, pine cones and objects from nature that the children themselves have collected are used in play and to beautify the room.
Sensory integration, eye-hand coordination, appreciating the beauty of language, sequencing, and other basic skills necessary for the foundation of academic learning are fostered in the kindergarten. In this truly loving, natural and creative environment, children are provided with a range of activities to prepare them for later learning and for life itself.
What Children Need:
The Essentials of Waldorf Early Childhood Education
Is there a Waldorf early childhood curriculum? Are there specific activities—puppet plays, circle games, watercolor painting, for example—that are essential to a Waldorf program? Are there certain materials and furnishings—lazured, soft-colored walls, handmade dolls, beeswax crayons, silk and other natural materials—that are necessary ingredients in a Waldorf setting?
What makes Waldorf early childhood education “Waldorf”?
Rudolf Steiner spoke on a number of occasions about the experiences that are essential for the healthy development of the young child. These include:
• love and warmth
• an environment that nourishes the senses
• creative and artistic experiences
• meaningful adult activity to be imitated
• free, imaginative play
• protection of the forces of childhood
• gratitude, reverence, and wonder
• joy, humor, and happiness
• adult caregivers pursuing a path of inner development
Love and Warmth
Children who live in an atmosphere of love and warmth, and who have around them truly good examples to imitate, are living in their proper element.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
Love and emotional warmth, rather than any particular early childhood program, create the basis for the child’s healthy development. These qualities should live between the adult caregiver and the child, in the children’s behavior toward one another, and among the adults in the early childhood center. When Rudolf Steiner visited the classes of the first Waldorf school, he often asked the children, “Do you love your teacher?”
Children are also served if this love and warmth exist in the relationships between the teachers and the parents, between the early childhood teachers and the rest of the school, and in the surrounding community.
An Environment that Nourishes the Senses
The essential task of the kindergarten teacher is to create the proper physical environment around the children. “Physical environment” must be understood in the widest sense imaginable. It includes not just what happens around the children in the material sense, but everything that occurs in their environment, everything that can be perceived by their senses, that can work on the inner powers of the children from the surrounding physical space.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
Early learning is profoundly connected to the child’s own physical body and sensory experience. Everything the young child sees, hears, and touches has an effect. Thus a clean, orderly, beautiful, quiet setting is essential.
The physical environment, both indoors and outdoors, should provide varied and nourishing opportunities for self-education—experiences in touch, balance, lively and joyful movement, and also inward listening. The children should experience large-group, small-group, and solitary activities.
The teacher, in integrating diverse elements into a harmonious and meaningful environment, provides surroundings that are accessible to the child’s understanding, feeling, and active will. The care, love, and intention expressed through the outer materials and furnishings of the classes are experienced unconsciously by the child. The child experiences the immediate environment as ensouled and nurturing.
The adult shapes the temporal environment as well as the spatial. Through a rhythmic schedule, in which the same thing happens at the same time on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, the child gains a sense of security and confidence in the world. Also, the different activities of the day should take place in a comfortable flow with smooth transitions.
Creative, Artistic Experience
In order to become true educators, we must be able to see the truly aesthetic element in the work, to bring an artistic quality into our tasks. . . . [I]f we bring this aesthetic element, then we begin to come closer to what the child wills out of its own nature.
—Rudolf Steiner, A Modern Art of Education
In the early childhood class, the art of education is the art of living. The teacher is an artist in how she perceives and relates to the children and to the activities of daily life. She orchestrates and choreographs the rhythms of each day, each week, and each season in such a way that the children can breathe freely in a living structure.
In addition, the teacher offers the children opportunities for artistic experiences in singing and music, in movement and gesture—through eurythmy and rhythmic games—and in creative speech and language—through verses, poetry, and stories. The children model with beeswax, draw, and do watercolor painting. Puppet and marionette shows put on by the teacher are an important element in the life of the kindergarten.
Meaningful Adult Activity as Examples for the Child’s Imitation
The task of the kindergarten teacher is to adapt the practical activities of daily life so that they are suitable for the child’s imitation through play. . . . The activities of children in kindergarten must be derived directly from life itself rather than being “thought out” by the intellectualized culture of adults. In the kindergarten, the most important thing is to give children the opportunity to directly imitate life itself.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Child’s Changing Consciousness
Children do not learn through instruction or admonition but though imitation. Good sight will develop if the environment has the proper conditions of light and color, while in the brain and blood circulation, the physical foundations will be laid for a healthy sense of morality if children witness moral actions in their surroundings.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
Real, meaningful work with a purpose, adjusted to the needs of the child, is in accordance with the child’s natural and inborn need for movement, and is an enormously significant educational activity. The teacher focuses on the meaningful activities that nurture life in the in the classroom “home,” such as cooking and baking, gardening, doing laundry and cleaning, creating and caring for the materials in the immediate environment, and taking care of the bodily needs of the children.
This directed attention of the teacher creates an atmosphere of freedom in which the individuality of each child can be active. It is not intended just that the children copy the outer movements and actions of the adult, but that they experience also the inner attitude—the devotion, care, sense of purpose, focus, and creative spirit of the adult.
Free, Imaginative Play
In the child’s play activity, we can only provide the conditions for education. What is gained through play, through everything that cannot be determined by fixed rules, stems fundamentally from the self-activity of the child, The real educational value of play lives in the fact that we ignore our rules and regulations, our educational theory, and allow the child free rein.
—Rudolf Steiner, Self Education in the Light of Anthroposophy
In a seemingly contradictory indication, Rudolf Steiner also said:
Giving direction and guidance to play is one of the essential tasks of sensible education, which is to say an art of education that is right for humanity. . . . The early childhood educator must school her observation in order to develop an artistic eye, to detect the individual quality of each child’s play.
—Rudolf Steiner, Lecture of February 24, 1921 in Utrecht, The Netherlands
Little children learn through play. They approach play in an entirely individual way, out of their entirely individual ways, out of their unique configuration of soul and spirit, and out of their unique experiences of the world in which they live. The manner in which a child plays may offer a picture of how he will take up his destiny as an adult.
The task of the teacher is to create an environment that supports the possibility of healthy play. This environment includes the physical surroundings, furnishings, and play materials; the social environment of activities and social interactions; and the inner/spiritual environment of thoughts, intentions, and imaginations held by the adults.
Protection for the Forces of Childhood
Although it is highly necessary that each person should be fully awake in later life, the child must be allowed to remain as long as possible in the peaceful, dreamlike condition of pictorial imagination in which his early years of life are passed. For if we allow his organism to grow strong in this nonintellectual way, he will rightly develop in later life the intellectuality needed in the world today.
—Rudolf Steiner, A Modern Art of Education
The lively, waking dream of the little child’s consciousness must be allowed to thrive in the early childhood group. This means that the teacher refrains as much as possible from verbal instruction. Instead, her gestures and actions provide a model for the child’s imitation. Familiar daily rhythms and activities provide a context where the need for verbal instruction is reduced. Simple, archetypal imagery in stories, songs, and games provides experiences that the children can internalize but that do not require intellectual or critical reflection or explanation.
An Atmosphere of Gratitude, Reverence, and Wonder
An atmosphere of gratitude should grow naturally in children through merely witnessing the gratitude the adults feel as they receive what is freely given by others, and in how they express this gratitude. If a child says “thank you” very naturally—not in response to the urging of others, but simply through imitating— something has been done that will greatly benefit the child’s whole life. Out of this an all-embracing gratitude will develop toward the whole world. This cultivation of gratitude is of paramount importance.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Child’s Changing Consciousness
Out of these early, all-pervading experiences of gratitude, the first tender capacity for love, which is deeply embedded in each and every child, begins to sprout in earthly life.
If, during the first period of life, we create an atmosphere of gratitude around the children, then out of this gratitude toward the world, toward the entire universe, and also out of thankfulness for being able to be in this world, a profound and warm sense of devotion will arise . . . upright, honest, and true.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Child’s Changing Consciousness
This is the basis for what will become a capacity for deep, intimate love and commitment in later life, for dedication and loyalty, for true admiration of others, for fervent spiritual or religious devotion, and for placing oneself wholeheartedly in the service of the world.
Joy, Humor, and Happiness
The joy of children in and with their environment must therefore be counted among the forces that build and shape the physical organs. They need teachers who look and act with happiness and, most of all, with honest, unaffected love. Such a love that streams, as it were, with warmth through the physical environment of the children may be said to literally “hatch out” the forms of the physical organs.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
If you make a surly face so that a child gets the impression you are a grumpy person, this harms the child for the rest of his life. What kind of school plan you make is neither here nor there; what matters is what sort of person you are.
—Rudolf Steiner The Kingdom of Childhood
The teacher’s earnestness about her work and her serious striving must be balanced with humor and a demeanor that bespeaks happiness. There must be moments of humor and delight in the classroom every day.
Adult Caregivers on a Path of Inner Development
For the small child before the change of teeth, the most important thing in education is the teacher’s own being.
—Rudolf Steiner, Essentials of Education
Just think what feelings arise in the soul of the early childhood educator who realizes: What I accomplish with this child, I accomplish for the grown-up person in his twenties. What matters is not so much a knowledge of abstract educational principles or pedagogical rules. . . . [W]hat does matter is that a deep sense of responsibility develops in [the teacher’s heart and mind] and that this affects her or his worldview and the way she or he stands in life.
—Rudolf Steiner, Education in the Face of the Present-Day World Situation, Lecture of June 10, 1920
Here we come to the spiritual environment of the early childhood setting: the thoughts, attitudes, and imaginations living in the adult who cares for the children. This invisible realm that lies behind the outer actions of the teacher has a profound influence on the child’s development.
The spiritual environment includes recognition of the child as a threefold being—of body, soul, and spirit—on a path of evolutionary development through repeated Earth lives. This recognition provides a foundation for the daily activities in the kindergarten, and for the relationship between adult and child.
Such an understanding of the nature and destiny of the human comes out of the inner life of the adult, the life of the individual Ego. This is a realm that is largely hidden, and hence is difficult to observe directly and to evaluate objectively. Yet ultimately this realm may affect the development of the children most profoundly. It is not merely our outer activity that influence the growing child. What lies behind and is expressed through this outer activity also is crucial. Ultimately, the most profound influence on the child is who we are as human beings—and who we are becoming and how.
Conclusion
The “essentials” described here are qualitative in nature. For the most part, they are not part of a body of concrete “best practices.” Instead, they concern inner qualities and attributes of the teacher that foster healthy development in young children. These qualities can come to expression in a wide variety of ways, according to
• the age range of the children in the group and their individual characteristics;
• the nature of the particular program—a kindergarten, playgroup, or extended care program; and
• the environment and surroundings—urban or rural, home or school or child care center.
Many practices that have come to be associated with Waldorf/Steiner early childhood education—certain daily rhythms and rituals, play materials, songs, stories, even the colors of the walls, the dress of the adults, and the menu for snack—may be mistakenly taken as essentials. The results of such assumptions can be surprising, even disturbing—a “King Winter” nature table appearing in a tropical climate in “wintertime,” or dolls with pink skin and yellow hair in a kindergarten where all the children are brown-skinned and black-haired. Such practices may express a tendency toward a doctrinal or dogmatic approach that is out of touch with the realities of the immediate situation and instead imposes something from “outside.”
There is a parallel concern at the other end of the spectrum from the doctrinal or dogmatic. The freedom that Waldorf Education offers each individual teacher to determine the practices of her early childhood program can be misinterpreted to mean that “anything goes,” according to personal preference and style. Here too, there is the danger that the developmental realities and needs of the children are not sufficiently taken into consideration.
Each of these one-sided approaches may be injurious to the development of the children. As Waldorf early childhood educators, we are constantly seeking a middle, universally human path between polarities.
Rudolf Steiner’s advice to the first Waldorf kindergarten teacher, Elizabeth Grunelius, in the early 1920s, can be paraphrased as follows:
Observe the children. Actively meditate. Follow your intuitions. Work so that all your actions are worthy of imitation.
Today, those of us who work with young children in a Waldorf environment are challenged to engage in a constant process of renewal. We must actively observe the children in our care, carry them in our meditations, and seek to work consciously and artistically to create the experiences that will serve their development. Our devotion to this task awakens us to the importance of self-education and transformation in the context of community. Our ongoing study of child and human development, our own artistic and meditative practices, and our work with Anthroposophy, independently and together with others, become essential elements for the practice of Waldorf early childhood education. Here we can come to experience that we are not alone on this journey. We are supported through our encounters with one another other and with our sharing of insights, experience, and knowledge. We are helped also by those beings spiritual beings who are committed to our continued development and to the renewal of culture that Waldorf Education seeks to serve.
Is there a Waldorf early childhood curriculum? Are there specific activities—puppet plays, circle games, watercolor painting, for example—that are essential to a Waldorf program? Are there certain materials and furnishings—lazured, soft-colored walls, handmade dolls, beeswax crayons, silk and other natural materials—that are necessary ingredients in a Waldorf setting?
What makes Waldorf early childhood education “Waldorf”?
Rudolf Steiner spoke on a number of occasions about the experiences that are essential for the healthy development of the young child. These include:
• love and warmth
• an environment that nourishes the senses
• creative and artistic experiences
• meaningful adult activity to be imitated
• free, imaginative play
• protection of the forces of childhood
• gratitude, reverence, and wonder
• joy, humor, and happiness
• adult caregivers pursuing a path of inner development
Love and Warmth
Children who live in an atmosphere of love and warmth, and who have around them truly good examples to imitate, are living in their proper element.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
Love and emotional warmth, rather than any particular early childhood program, create the basis for the child’s healthy development. These qualities should live between the adult caregiver and the child, in the children’s behavior toward one another, and among the adults in the early childhood center. When Rudolf Steiner visited the classes of the first Waldorf school, he often asked the children, “Do you love your teacher?”
Children are also served if this love and warmth exist in the relationships between the teachers and the parents, between the early childhood teachers and the rest of the school, and in the surrounding community.
An Environment that Nourishes the Senses
The essential task of the kindergarten teacher is to create the proper physical environment around the children. “Physical environment” must be understood in the widest sense imaginable. It includes not just what happens around the children in the material sense, but everything that occurs in their environment, everything that can be perceived by their senses, that can work on the inner powers of the children from the surrounding physical space.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
Early learning is profoundly connected to the child’s own physical body and sensory experience. Everything the young child sees, hears, and touches has an effect. Thus a clean, orderly, beautiful, quiet setting is essential.
The physical environment, both indoors and outdoors, should provide varied and nourishing opportunities for self-education—experiences in touch, balance, lively and joyful movement, and also inward listening. The children should experience large-group, small-group, and solitary activities.
The teacher, in integrating diverse elements into a harmonious and meaningful environment, provides surroundings that are accessible to the child’s understanding, feeling, and active will. The care, love, and intention expressed through the outer materials and furnishings of the classes are experienced unconsciously by the child. The child experiences the immediate environment as ensouled and nurturing.
The adult shapes the temporal environment as well as the spatial. Through a rhythmic schedule, in which the same thing happens at the same time on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, the child gains a sense of security and confidence in the world. Also, the different activities of the day should take place in a comfortable flow with smooth transitions.
Creative, Artistic Experience
In order to become true educators, we must be able to see the truly aesthetic element in the work, to bring an artistic quality into our tasks. . . . [I]f we bring this aesthetic element, then we begin to come closer to what the child wills out of its own nature.
—Rudolf Steiner, A Modern Art of Education
In the early childhood class, the art of education is the art of living. The teacher is an artist in how she perceives and relates to the children and to the activities of daily life. She orchestrates and choreographs the rhythms of each day, each week, and each season in such a way that the children can breathe freely in a living structure.
In addition, the teacher offers the children opportunities for artistic experiences in singing and music, in movement and gesture—through eurythmy and rhythmic games—and in creative speech and language—through verses, poetry, and stories. The children model with beeswax, draw, and do watercolor painting. Puppet and marionette shows put on by the teacher are an important element in the life of the kindergarten.
Meaningful Adult Activity as Examples for the Child’s Imitation
The task of the kindergarten teacher is to adapt the practical activities of daily life so that they are suitable for the child’s imitation through play. . . . The activities of children in kindergarten must be derived directly from life itself rather than being “thought out” by the intellectualized culture of adults. In the kindergarten, the most important thing is to give children the opportunity to directly imitate life itself.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Child’s Changing Consciousness
Children do not learn through instruction or admonition but though imitation. Good sight will develop if the environment has the proper conditions of light and color, while in the brain and blood circulation, the physical foundations will be laid for a healthy sense of morality if children witness moral actions in their surroundings.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
Real, meaningful work with a purpose, adjusted to the needs of the child, is in accordance with the child’s natural and inborn need for movement, and is an enormously significant educational activity. The teacher focuses on the meaningful activities that nurture life in the in the classroom “home,” such as cooking and baking, gardening, doing laundry and cleaning, creating and caring for the materials in the immediate environment, and taking care of the bodily needs of the children.
This directed attention of the teacher creates an atmosphere of freedom in which the individuality of each child can be active. It is not intended just that the children copy the outer movements and actions of the adult, but that they experience also the inner attitude—the devotion, care, sense of purpose, focus, and creative spirit of the adult.
Free, Imaginative Play
In the child’s play activity, we can only provide the conditions for education. What is gained through play, through everything that cannot be determined by fixed rules, stems fundamentally from the self-activity of the child, The real educational value of play lives in the fact that we ignore our rules and regulations, our educational theory, and allow the child free rein.
—Rudolf Steiner, Self Education in the Light of Anthroposophy
In a seemingly contradictory indication, Rudolf Steiner also said:
Giving direction and guidance to play is one of the essential tasks of sensible education, which is to say an art of education that is right for humanity. . . . The early childhood educator must school her observation in order to develop an artistic eye, to detect the individual quality of each child’s play.
—Rudolf Steiner, Lecture of February 24, 1921 in Utrecht, The Netherlands
Little children learn through play. They approach play in an entirely individual way, out of their entirely individual ways, out of their unique configuration of soul and spirit, and out of their unique experiences of the world in which they live. The manner in which a child plays may offer a picture of how he will take up his destiny as an adult.
The task of the teacher is to create an environment that supports the possibility of healthy play. This environment includes the physical surroundings, furnishings, and play materials; the social environment of activities and social interactions; and the inner/spiritual environment of thoughts, intentions, and imaginations held by the adults.
Protection for the Forces of Childhood
Although it is highly necessary that each person should be fully awake in later life, the child must be allowed to remain as long as possible in the peaceful, dreamlike condition of pictorial imagination in which his early years of life are passed. For if we allow his organism to grow strong in this nonintellectual way, he will rightly develop in later life the intellectuality needed in the world today.
—Rudolf Steiner, A Modern Art of Education
The lively, waking dream of the little child’s consciousness must be allowed to thrive in the early childhood group. This means that the teacher refrains as much as possible from verbal instruction. Instead, her gestures and actions provide a model for the child’s imitation. Familiar daily rhythms and activities provide a context where the need for verbal instruction is reduced. Simple, archetypal imagery in stories, songs, and games provides experiences that the children can internalize but that do not require intellectual or critical reflection or explanation.
An Atmosphere of Gratitude, Reverence, and Wonder
An atmosphere of gratitude should grow naturally in children through merely witnessing the gratitude the adults feel as they receive what is freely given by others, and in how they express this gratitude. If a child says “thank you” very naturally—not in response to the urging of others, but simply through imitating— something has been done that will greatly benefit the child’s whole life. Out of this an all-embracing gratitude will develop toward the whole world. This cultivation of gratitude is of paramount importance.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Child’s Changing Consciousness
Out of these early, all-pervading experiences of gratitude, the first tender capacity for love, which is deeply embedded in each and every child, begins to sprout in earthly life.
If, during the first period of life, we create an atmosphere of gratitude around the children, then out of this gratitude toward the world, toward the entire universe, and also out of thankfulness for being able to be in this world, a profound and warm sense of devotion will arise . . . upright, honest, and true.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Child’s Changing Consciousness
This is the basis for what will become a capacity for deep, intimate love and commitment in later life, for dedication and loyalty, for true admiration of others, for fervent spiritual or religious devotion, and for placing oneself wholeheartedly in the service of the world.
Joy, Humor, and Happiness
The joy of children in and with their environment must therefore be counted among the forces that build and shape the physical organs. They need teachers who look and act with happiness and, most of all, with honest, unaffected love. Such a love that streams, as it were, with warmth through the physical environment of the children may be said to literally “hatch out” the forms of the physical organs.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Education of the Child
If you make a surly face so that a child gets the impression you are a grumpy person, this harms the child for the rest of his life. What kind of school plan you make is neither here nor there; what matters is what sort of person you are.
—Rudolf Steiner The Kingdom of Childhood
The teacher’s earnestness about her work and her serious striving must be balanced with humor and a demeanor that bespeaks happiness. There must be moments of humor and delight in the classroom every day.
Adult Caregivers on a Path of Inner Development
For the small child before the change of teeth, the most important thing in education is the teacher’s own being.
—Rudolf Steiner, Essentials of Education
Just think what feelings arise in the soul of the early childhood educator who realizes: What I accomplish with this child, I accomplish for the grown-up person in his twenties. What matters is not so much a knowledge of abstract educational principles or pedagogical rules. . . . [W]hat does matter is that a deep sense of responsibility develops in [the teacher’s heart and mind] and that this affects her or his worldview and the way she or he stands in life.
—Rudolf Steiner, Education in the Face of the Present-Day World Situation, Lecture of June 10, 1920
Here we come to the spiritual environment of the early childhood setting: the thoughts, attitudes, and imaginations living in the adult who cares for the children. This invisible realm that lies behind the outer actions of the teacher has a profound influence on the child’s development.
The spiritual environment includes recognition of the child as a threefold being—of body, soul, and spirit—on a path of evolutionary development through repeated Earth lives. This recognition provides a foundation for the daily activities in the kindergarten, and for the relationship between adult and child.
Such an understanding of the nature and destiny of the human comes out of the inner life of the adult, the life of the individual Ego. This is a realm that is largely hidden, and hence is difficult to observe directly and to evaluate objectively. Yet ultimately this realm may affect the development of the children most profoundly. It is not merely our outer activity that influence the growing child. What lies behind and is expressed through this outer activity also is crucial. Ultimately, the most profound influence on the child is who we are as human beings—and who we are becoming and how.
Conclusion
The “essentials” described here are qualitative in nature. For the most part, they are not part of a body of concrete “best practices.” Instead, they concern inner qualities and attributes of the teacher that foster healthy development in young children. These qualities can come to expression in a wide variety of ways, according to
• the age range of the children in the group and their individual characteristics;
• the nature of the particular program—a kindergarten, playgroup, or extended care program; and
• the environment and surroundings—urban or rural, home or school or child care center.
Many practices that have come to be associated with Waldorf/Steiner early childhood education—certain daily rhythms and rituals, play materials, songs, stories, even the colors of the walls, the dress of the adults, and the menu for snack—may be mistakenly taken as essentials. The results of such assumptions can be surprising, even disturbing—a “King Winter” nature table appearing in a tropical climate in “wintertime,” or dolls with pink skin and yellow hair in a kindergarten where all the children are brown-skinned and black-haired. Such practices may express a tendency toward a doctrinal or dogmatic approach that is out of touch with the realities of the immediate situation and instead imposes something from “outside.”
There is a parallel concern at the other end of the spectrum from the doctrinal or dogmatic. The freedom that Waldorf Education offers each individual teacher to determine the practices of her early childhood program can be misinterpreted to mean that “anything goes,” according to personal preference and style. Here too, there is the danger that the developmental realities and needs of the children are not sufficiently taken into consideration.
Each of these one-sided approaches may be injurious to the development of the children. As Waldorf early childhood educators, we are constantly seeking a middle, universally human path between polarities.
Rudolf Steiner’s advice to the first Waldorf kindergarten teacher, Elizabeth Grunelius, in the early 1920s, can be paraphrased as follows:
Observe the children. Actively meditate. Follow your intuitions. Work so that all your actions are worthy of imitation.
Today, those of us who work with young children in a Waldorf environment are challenged to engage in a constant process of renewal. We must actively observe the children in our care, carry them in our meditations, and seek to work consciously and artistically to create the experiences that will serve their development. Our devotion to this task awakens us to the importance of self-education and transformation in the context of community. Our ongoing study of child and human development, our own artistic and meditative practices, and our work with Anthroposophy, independently and together with others, become essential elements for the practice of Waldorf early childhood education. Here we can come to experience that we are not alone on this journey. We are supported through our encounters with one another other and with our sharing of insights, experience, and knowledge. We are helped also by those beings spiritual beings who are committed to our continued development and to the renewal of culture that Waldorf Education seeks to serve.
Susan Howard
This article was published in Gateways, the newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, in 2006 and is an abridged version of a chapter in Mentoring in Waldorf Early Childhood Education, published by WECAN and available throughwww.waldorfearlychildhood.org.
Curriculum Of Forest School
Once upon a time the animals in the forest decided to start a school. They agreed that the curriculum should include the following subjects: swimming, hopping, climbing, running, flying, digging and slithering. All animals were required to take all subjects.
Everything went on well until the third day when the principal, Wise Old Owl noticed some disturbing trends. For example, the rabbits were excelling in hopping but performed poorly in flying tests. The cheetahs were scoring A’s in running but were getting D’s in digging.
The ducks were getting straight A’s in swimming but were failing in the slithering course. The snakes easily got A’s in slithering but had difficulty flying. An emergency staff meeting was held among the teachers to find out whether is was due to poor teaching or was it a curriculum problem. It was agreed that the teachers were good and dedicated practicing research-based instructional strategies.
Professor Lion from Forest State University was called in as a consultant. He discovered that the problem was not due to poor teaching but rather the low level of curriculum utility. He pointed out that ducks really do not need to know how to slither and cheetahs should not be forced to learn digging skills. Neither should the snakes be asked to take flying classes.
Prof. Lion concluded that animals were forced to learn skills that were not relevant to their situations. However, there are certain skills every animal needs to know such as finding food and water. He proposed that the curriculum be revised to include instruction in generic skills such as food-acquisition principles and social skills. But, animals were allowed to specialise in subjects most applicable to their species (eg. swimming, running). The animals all
rejoiced when the recommendations were implemented and shouted “Now this is a useful curriculum”. [source: adaptation of L. F. Buscaglia (1972), Love. Thorofare, NJ: C.B. Slack, citedin R. Burks, A theory of secondary curriculum utility, 1998. www.randallburks.com/curriculum.htm]
Thursday, September 5, 2013
PENDEKATAN WALDORF
Pengenalan
Just think what feelings arise in the soul of
the early childhood educator who realizes:
What I accomplish with this child, I accomplish for the grown-up person
in his twenties. What matters is not so
much a knowledge of abstract educational principles or pedagogical rules. . .
. [W]hat does matter is that a deep
sense of responsibility develops in [the teacher’s heart and mind] and that this affects her or his worldview
and the way she or he stands in life.
—Rudolf Steiner, Education in the
Face of the Present-Day World Situation, Lecture of June 10, 1920
Di dalam teori
dan praktis pendidikan awal kanak-kanak di seluruh dunia, ada pelbagai
pendekatan dan kaedah yang digunakan untuk memberi pembelajaran yang terbaik
kepada kanak-kanak.Menurut Gregory A.
kimble belajar adalah perubahan kekal
pada tingkah laku apabila dibandingkan setelah berlakunya latihan pengukuhan
(reinforced practice). Dalam proses
pembelajaran dan pengajaran terdapat pelbagai pendapat atau fahaman untuk
menjalankan proses belajar dengan berkesan.
Diantaranya ialah Waldorf, Montessori, Regio Emilia.Cetusan ideology ini dipengaruhi oleh pergolakan
politik,ekonomi, struktur sosiologi masyarakat ketika itu ataupun pengalaman
dan kajian pengasas ideologi tersebut atau pegangan keagamaan.
Para Tenaga
Pendidik Waldorf bekerja dengan kanak-kanak melalui pendekatan terhadap ruang
yang lebih kepada suasana di rumah, selesa, dan cantik, di mana ianya adalah
selamat dan sebarang kejadian adalah yang dijangkakanakan berlaku, berirama dan
sopan. Mereka amat menitik beratkan perkembangan kanak-kanak terhadap dua
kaedah iaitu:Yang pertama, guru akan terlibat secara langsung melalui dalaman,
praktikal, dan aktiviti yang artistik, yang mana kanak-kanak boleh meniru
dengan mudah (seperti, membuat kek, melukis, berkebun, dan kerjatangan),
penyesuaian kerja melalui perubahan musim dan perayaan pada setiap tahun.Yang keduanya,
guru TADIKA Waldorf akan merangsang atau mendidik kanak-kanak untuk
berimaginasi dengan berhati-hati memilih cerita dan menggalakkan permainan
bebas. Setiap apa yang di lakukan oleh kanak-kanak merupakan senario rekaan
mereka sendiri, yang membantu mereka untuk mengutip pengalaman di dalam
kehidupan dengan lebih mendalam. Apabila patung-patung digunakan, ianya adalah
diperbuat daripada bahan semulajadi.Seperti, kayu, kapas, benang bulu, kulit
kerang, batu, kon pine dan objek daripada alam semulajadi yang mana kanak-kanak
telah kumpul dan mencantikkan bilik.Inergrasi sensori, koordinasi mata dan
tangan, menghargai keindahan bahasa, dan kemahiran asas yang perlu sebagai asas
di dalam mempelajari akademik di didik sejak di TADIKA lagi. Melalui kasih saying,
alam semulajadi dan persekitaran yang kreatif, kanak-kanak telah disediakan
dengan aktiviti yang pelbagai sebagai persediaan untuk mereka belajar pada masa
akan dating dan di dalam kehidupan mereka juga.
Bagi tujuan kertas kerja ini,kami
ditugaskan untuk membincangkan pendekatan Waldorf.
Sejarah
Orang yang
bertanggungjawab membawa ideology ini adalah Rudolf Steiner.Beliau dilahirkan
di Austria pada tahun 1861. Bapanya adalah seorang pegawai keretapi ‘railway
master’ di Eastern Austrian Alps In Lower Austria.
Beliau dibesarkan di satu perkampungan yang rata-rata penduduknya petani.Kehidupan
masa kecilnya yang kayadengan Fiona dan flora, pengenalan beliau dengan Felix
Kogutzkidan seorang yang hanya dikenali sebagai “master” telah mempengaruhi
keinginan ingin tahu mengenai spiritual/kerohanian disebalik alam semulajadi.Secara
tidak langsung pengaruh ini telah mengarah Steiner terus mengkaji mengenai
Falsafah Fichte. Pengajian beliau di peringkat tinggi bermula di Vienna
Institute of Technology dalam jurusan mathematik, fizik, kimia, botani,
kesusasteraan dan falsafah.Beliau mendapat Ph.D. dalam Falsafah di Universiti
Rostock 1891 dan terus aktif memberi ceramahdi serata tempat di German.Pada awal abad ke 20
beliau telah membawa perubahan minda dalam dunia pendidikan dan bidanglain
seperti pendidikan khas, botanidengan tercetusnya falsafah “anthroposophi”.
Anthroposophi
Anthroposophi adalah gabungan
perkataan greek bermaksud anthro = “man” manusia dan Sophia= “wisdom” kearifan
.Secara amnya ianya bermaksud penerokaan kemanusiaan dan gabungan pengaruh
semangat dalam kehidupan.Tujuan utama ialah mencungkil pengetahuan baru atau
pengetahuan sebenar berlandaskan kepercayaan semangat tanpa dikaitkan dengan
pengaruh yang kolot. 2 komponen penting
dalam falsafah ini ialah “oneness with the world” penyatuan bersama
dunia dan “search for self” pencarian sendiri.
Dalam komponen pertama, beliau
percaya bahawa kehidupan manusia akan lebih bermakna dan mempunyai erti
sekiranya manusia memahami dan menyedari perkaitan antara diri sendiri dan alam
malah seterusnya bertindak terhadap pendirian ini. Streiner menekankan bahawa didalam konsep pencarian
sendiri adalah pentinguntuk setiap manusia membangunkan kebolehan didalam
pelbagai bidang agar menjadi seorang yang sempurna “wholeness”.Steiner percaya
melalui falsafah yang dibawa manusia dapat menilai betapa pentingnya untuk
menyediakan diri dari segi jasmani, kerohanian dan semangat untuk hidup dan
terus belajar dan berkembang sebagai seorang insan yang sempurna lebih
difahami.Falsafah yang dibawa ini menjadi tunjang kepada pendekatan
pembelajaran Waldorf.
Pendekatan Perkembangan kanak-kanak.
Mirip seperti teori
Jean Piaget, Steiner telah membahagikan perkembangan kanak-kanak kepada 3 tahap
perkembangan.Tempoh setiap tahap adalah lebih kurang tujuh (7) tahun.Berikut
adalah teori pedagogikal pada setiap tahap menurut beliau:-a) Tahap Perkembangan Pertama:Kanak-kanak
yang digolongkan dalam tahap ini berusia 7 tahun kebawah. Pembelajaran bagi kumpulan
ini adalah melalui membangkitkan rasa empati pada kanak-kanak justeru dari itu
pembelajaran yang berkesan dirangsang melalui penglibatan didalam aktiviti
practical yang sebenar dalam pelbagai skop.Tugasan utama guru waldorf di tahap
ini menjadi model yang berfaedah untuk kanak-kanak tersebut.Kanak-kanak ini
diberi peluang untuk berkreatif dan berimaginasi.Konsep “will” kesungguhan di
didik melalui imitative play.Pada peringkat ini kanak-kanak di didik
bahawa semua didunia ini adalah baik belaka.b)Tahap Perkembangan Kedua:Tahap ini melibatkan kanak-kanak diantara
umur 7 hingga 14 tahun. Di peringkat ini
kanak-kanak belajar melalui bahan yang membangkitkan perasaan dan
imaginasi. Pengajaran akedemik
disampaikan melalui penceritaan dan kerja-kerja seni, dengan cara ini pelajar dapat
menghayati secara mendalam subjek yang dipelajari disamping mengintegrasikan
dengan kemahiran lain. Tugas pendidik
ialah menjadikan kanak-kanak tersebut seorang yang akur dan berwibawa melalui
perhubungan yang baik bersama mereka.
Pada peringkat ini kanak-kanak di didik
bahawa semua didunia ini adalah cantik dan menawan. c) Tahap Perkembangan Ketiga, Remaja yang
tergolong dalam tahap ini berusia antara 14 hingga 21 tahun. Mereka telah
bersedia mengabungkan pengetahuan dengan pemikiran yang lebih abstrak.Pada
tahap ini mereka mampu untuk menaakul dan membuat perkaitan sebab dan
musabab dan seterusnya bertanggungjawab
atas keputusan sendiri. Pada peringkat
ini mereka lebih berdikari dan melihat sesuatu perkara lebih realistic.
Mengikut Steiner
penekanan kepada pembelajaran adalah untuk membangunkan kanak-kanak secara
keseluruhan jasmani, jiwa dan semangat.Adalah penting untuk mendidik
kanak-kanak belajar dan berfikir untuk diri sendiri daripada memberi
pengetahuan mengenai sesuatu subjek/mata pelajaran.Beliau percaya pendekatan
pembelajaran berbeza mengikut umur dan tahap perkembangan kanak-kanak.
Pendekatan Pembelajaran Waldorf
The Waldorf early childhood curriculum is designed to
educate the whole child : the head, the heart and the hands” (Easton, 1997).
Pendidikan waldorf merupakandevelopmentally-appropriate
dan experiential approach danmerupakan
child centered. Ianya sangat
menghormati kanak-kanak sebagai kanak-kanak.Dalam pembelajaran ini kanak-kanak
di beri peluang menerokasesuatu subjek mengikut
tahap perkembangan dan kebolehan kanak-kanak tersebut.Mereka diberi masa yang
mencukupi dan persekitaran yang kondusif untuk menyelesaikan tugasan yang di
beri guru. Keputusan dari penerokaan mereka bukan menjadi ukuran kejayaan
tetapi pengalaman dan proses yang dilalui untuk mencapai keputusan adalah dianggap
lebih berharga dan ianya merupakan suatu pembelajaran yang lebih bermakna.
Teknik,
pendekatan dan pedagogi Waldorf berbeza mengikut tahap perkembangan kanak-kanak
yang di bawa oleh steiner. Di peringkat tadika ( 3-6/7 tahun), kanak-kanak di
didik didalam suasana persekitaran seumpama berada di dalam rumah. Malah susun
atur ruang dan perabot adalah mirip rumah.Ini untuk menimbulkan rasa selamat
pada diri kanak-kanak kerana suasana dan perjalanan harian di tadikatidak ubah
seperti hari-hari yang dilaluinya di rumah.Perabot serta mainan kanak-kanak
diperbuat dari alam semula jadi.Beliau sangat peka dengan persekitaran, dari
itu warna-warna dinding dan sekeliling sekolah dititikberatkan.Menurut beliau
warna-warna lembut dapat menenangkan mood kanak-kanak.Manakala diluar tadika di
perkayakan dengan suasana alam sekitar yang sehat seperti sudut berkebun.
Di peringkat ini
guru menjadi model kepada kanak-kanak, mereka belajar melalui peniruan dan
banyak mengunakan fizikal serta sensori dalam penerokaan.Justeru dari itu penampilan
dan sahsiah guru adalah sangat penting kerana setiap perlakuan diperhatikan dan
menjadi ikutan mereka. Guru diberi tanggung jawab untuk mengatur perjalanan pembelajaran
kanak-kanak. Subjek yang diajar antaranya adalah kemahiran diri contohnya
berkebun, menjahit, memasak, membuat kek, pastry dan kemahiran berkaitan
kehidupan rumah seharian.Kanak-kanak Waldorf di didik secara “hands on”
dalam kemahiran tersebut.Sungguhpun mereka bebas untuk memilih aktiviti namun
atas rangsangan dan galakkan guru mengunakan rasa empati yang sedia ada pada
kanak-kanak dapat menarik minat untuk bersama menjalankan aktiviti.Tiada
paksaan dalam menjalankan aktiviti yang dirancang tetapi mereka akan turut
serta dengan kerelaan hati.
Kesinambungan
dari kemahiran tersebut di mantapkan dengan aktiviti seni dan kreatif.Pelbagai
aktiviti seni dan kreatif dijalankan diperingkat ini untuk merangsang
kanak-kanak dari segi minda dan kemahiran dalam berkreatif. Bercerita “story
telling”, main peranan “imitative play”, main bebas “free play”
bersajak,pertukangan seni adalah antara aktiviti kreatif yang dijalankan. Disamping meningkatkan daya imaginatif
melalui aktiviti tersebut, ianya juga meningkatkan perkembangan bahasa,
perkembangan sosial kanak-kanak dan secara tidak langsung kemahiran
intelektual, fizikal, rohani dan moral serta kecintaan dengan alam
sekitar. Penglibatan kanak-kanak dalam
menjalankan aktivitisecara total adalah
penting kerana menurut Steiner mereka belajar melalui pengalaman yang dilalui “learn
through doing”.
Mengikut Tahap
perkembangan Steiner, kanak-kanak dibahagi kepada 7 tahun setiap tahap, maka
dengan itu didalam kelas Waldorf akan terdapat “mixed age group” umur yang
pelbagai .Banyak kelebihan yang terdapat dalam pendekatan ini antaranya dari
sudut perkembangan sosial, ianya dapat menanamkan rasa tanggungjawab dalam diri
kanak-kanak yang lebih tua dan seterusnya menaikkan “self esteem” mereka.
Dengan cara ini juga melatih kanak-kanak yang lebih muda menghormati yang lebih
tua. Mereka bersama-sama meneroka persekitaran dengan sikap saling bantu
membantu secara “peer learning” pembelajaran rakan sebaya.
Adakalanya yang
muda membuat pemerhatian dan menyerap pembelajaran dari kanak-kanak yang lebih
tua.Mereka akan menjalankan aktiviti yang dipilih atas kehendak sendiri apabila
mereka telah bersedia melakukan ia itu apabila tiba masa dan keadaan yang
sesuai dengan perkembangannya. Secara tidak langsung kanak-kanak diasuh membuat
penilaian diri sendiri dan belajar mengawal diri dengan pengawasan seorang guru
yang dedikasi.Ianya satu kitaran kerana yang muda akan menjadi tua dan akan
memikul tanggungjawab yang sama terhadap pelajar yang lebih muda. Latihan yang didedahkan seawal usia 3 tahun
adalah satu proses untuk melahirkan seorang insan yang bertanggungjawab dan
mempunyai pendirian sendiri.Pada tahap pertama ini, kanak-kanak tidak
didedahkan kepada pembelajaran akademik mahupun kemahiran IT. Namun begitu
kanak-kanak ini dilengkapkan dengan kesediaan diri secara keseluruhan menerima
pembelajaran akademik dan terus menaiki ke tahap seterusnya dengan berbekalkan
kemahiran dari segi jasmani, rohani, sosialemosi dan kognitif.
Pada peringkat
Kedua, pendekatan pembelajaran yang digunakan lebih abstrak dengan mengunakan
elemen kesenian dan imaginasi.Bidang yang diperkenalkan sangat meluas, antara subjek yang diajar
ialah language arts,sejarah, mythology, pengetahuan am, geografi, geology,
algebra, geometry, mineralogy, biology, astronomy, fizik, kimia dan
pemakanan. Setiap subjek untuk
pembelajaran akan dikaitkan dengan alam semulajadi melalui aktiviti kesenian yang
pelbagai. Pada peringkat ini, seorang guru kelas bertindak sebagai fasilitator
untuk semua subjek utama akan bersama kanak-kanak sehingga beberapa tahun. Pendekatan
sebegini membuat guru tersebut dapatmemerhati dan menilai dalam satu jangka
masa yang panjang perkembangan kanak-kanak tersebut, seterusnya membantu
memperkembangkan potensi kanak-kanak secara individudengan lebih jelas dan
berkesan.Pada peringkat ke tiga, kanak-kanak Waldorf dididik untuk lebih serius
didalam bidang akedemik.Kurrikulum yang distrukturkan, memerlukan kanak-kanak
memahami secara intelektual, membuat keputusan sendiri dan mempunyai etika diri
dan sosial.Pendekatan yang digunakan ialah learning through doing dan pembelajaran rakan sebaya.Dalam semua
peringkat, pembelajaran bertema digunakan. Pada lazimnya tema yang digunakan
berkaitan kitaran musim, perayaan, kebudayaan satu-satu masyarakat atau topic
berkaitan pengetahuan am. Antara contoh
tema ialah hari easter, musim luruh, perayaan cristmas dan sebagainya.
Hasil Pembelajaran Waldorf
Tujuan utama
pembelajaran waldorf ialah membentuk insan yang mempunyai kekuatan intrinsic
yang mendalam terhadap pembelajaran sepanjang hayat tanpa mengetepikan
masyarakat.Pelbagai pendekatan yang dapat dilihat mengarah ke tujuan ini,
antaranya ialah menaikan self esteem
kanak-kanak melalui pengiktirafan setiap aktiviti hands on yang mereka jalankan, menyediakan guruyang berdedikasi
terhadap kanak-kanak dan kerjayanya untuk menjadi role model dan pembelajaran rakan sebaya. Kanak-kanak waldorf
sedari kecil telah didedahkan dengan kelompok kanak-kanak yang pelbagai usia
maka pemupukan ini dapat membentuk insan
yang mempunyai sifat kemanusiaan yang tinggi seperti menghormati,
mempunyai rasa belas kasihan dan empati terhadap insan lain.
Sedari kecil
kanak-kanak Waldorf diberi kebebasan dalam membuat pilihan. Melalui proses ini
dalam satu tempoh kelak mereka akan memahami akibatbaik atau buruk dari pilihan
mereka. Dengan kata lain mereka dapat menimbang sesuatu perkara secara rasional
sebelum membuat sesuatu keputusan. Hasil dari ini ianya dapat melahirkan
seorang insan yang rasional, yakin dan bertanggungjawab atas keputusan yang
diambil.Sepanjang pengajian di Pusat Waldorf kanak-kanak diasuh dan dididik
menjadi seorang yang kreatif dan berimaginasi tinggi.Ianya dilakukan melalui
pelbagai pendekatan antaranya bermain, kemahiran seni dan kemahiran hidup dalam
pelbagai bidang.Justeru dari itu kanak-kanak hasil dari pembelajaran Waldorf
dilihat sebagai seorang yang serba boleh dalam pelbagai bidang serta mampu
berfikir secara kiritis dan kreatif.
Pembelajaran
Waldorf di susun dari mudah ke susah dan dari maujud ke abstrak. Steiner membawa unsur kerohanian dan
dikaitkan dengan alam, fionadan flora dalam semua aspek pembelajaran. Gabungan
antara kemahiran kesenian dan pemupupan cintakan alam semulajadi dapat
melahirkan insan yang berjiwa seni,menghargai dan menjiwai alam sekitar serta
menghargai kurniaan penciptaNya.Justeru dari itu, hasil dari pembelajaran
waldorf dapat melahirkan seorang insan holistik yang berfikiran kritis dan
kreatif, pencinta alam semulajadi, menghargai
pembelajaran sepanjang hayat serta seorang yang yakin akan tujuan dan objektif
hidupnya. Steiner dalam satu penyataannya mengharap generasi muda,dapat
memperkembangkan kesediaan mereka dari perspektif jiwa, intelek dan kekuatan
dalaman untuk menghadapi cabaran yang mendatang.
Rancangan Mengajar Waldorf.
Didalam
rancangan mengajar Waldorf terdapat 2
konsep yang dikenali “breathing in” dimana kanak-kanak menerima input dari guru
dan “breathing out” kanak-kanak mengeluarkan idea dan perasaan. Di peringkat
tadika Rancangan harian kelas Waldorf bermula dengan kanak-kanak bebas memilih
aktiviti yang mereka minati pada hari tersebut. Ada kanak-kanak yang bermain imitative play
atau free play atau menghabiskan aktiviti tertangguh mereka dan di satu sudut
lain ada yang membantu guru di dapur menyediakan snak untuk hari tersebut. Seterusnya
kanak-kanak akan berhimpun bersama didalam kumpulan besar atau dikenali sebagai
ring time. Pada lazimnya guru
menggunakan lagu atau perkataan sebagai isyarat pertukaran aktiviti. Sewaktu transaksi dari satu aktiviti ke aktiviti lain, guru
berkemas mengatur semula permainan atau perabot seperti sedia kala dengan
berhikmah. Kanak-kanak turut terlibat
bersama-sama menyusun atur kelas mereka.Setelah berkemas dan kelas seperti
sedia kala kanak-kanak berhimpun untuk ring time.
Dalam sesi rutin
ini kanak-kanak beramai-ramai akan menyanyikan lagu yang biasa dinyanyikan atau
menyebut beberapa kata-kata hikmah. Penglibatan
kanak-kanak dalam kumpulan merangsang sosial emosi kanak-kanak tersebut. Mereka
dapat merasakan kepentingan kehadiran mereka dalam kumpulan tersebut dan ini
akan menaikkan harga diri mereka.
Aktiviti yang dijalankan termasuk menyanyi, bersajak dan pergerakan
kreatif.Mereka kemudiannya dibawa keluar untuk meneroka alam semulajadi. Mereka akan menghabiskan masa diluar dengan
meneroka pelbagai kejadian alam disekeliling kawasan sekolah. Semua anggota
deria di rangsang dalam aktiviti luar ini.
Mereka akan kembali ke kelas selepas membersihkan diri. Kelas diteruskan
dengan waktu menikmati snek yang di sediakan awal pagi bersama guru.Secara
rutinnya mereka akanbersama-sama membaca doa sebelum menjamu juadah. Aktiviti
seterusnya sessi bercerita dari guru.
Untuk meningkatkan daya imaginasi kanak-kanak, kepekaan pendengaran, guru
waldorf tidak mepamirkan buku malah mengolah perkataan untuk meningkatkan
tatabahasa kanak-kanak.Kelas berakhir dengan rutin kanak-kanak bersama guru
mengemas dan menyusun kembali alatan yang telah digunakan.
Berikut Adalah Contoh Jadual Harian Waldorf
Kelas Tadika
Head – Heart – Hands
Breathing in and Out 8.30 am -11.00 am. Enrichment Schedule
–Younger children
|
Time
|
Detail
|
Remarks
|
|
9.00
|
Bread Dough Shaping
|
Hands – Breathing in with oneself
|
|
9.20
|
Circle
Time & Yoga
(Yoga
Animals)
|
Heart – breathing out with the group
|
|
9.35
|
Nature Walk
|
Hands – breathing out with nature
|
|
10.00
|
Snack
Time
Bread,
Fruit & Juice
|
|
|
10.20
|
Story Time
|
Head – breathing and resting
|
|
10.40
|
Crafts
|
Hands – breathing out with the group
|
Enrichment schedule – Older Children
|
time
|
detail
|
|
3.30
|
Arrive – chop ingredients for community soup. Work on knitting squares until everyone
has arrived.
Squares should be 2 inches square and when finished
with one squares it should be put in community basket. When enough squares
are gathered they will be made into blanket and donated to a local shelter or
hospital or given as a gift to a mother in the program who is expecting a
child.
|
|
3.45
|
Circle Time
|
|
4.00
|
Zither Lesson
|
|
4.15
|
Craft / Project
|
|
4.45
|
Story time / play
|
Hasil Pendidikan Waldorf
v 1/. Jennifer Aniston …..Early life
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High
School, where Aniston trained to be an actress
Jennifer Aniston was born on February 11,
1969, in Sherman
Oaks, Los
Angeles, California[7] to actors John
Aniston and Nancy
Dow. Her
father is Greekand a
native of Crete,
while her mother was born in New
York City. One of her maternal great-grandfathers was an Italian immigrant, and her mother's other ancestry is Scottish, Irish, and
a small amount of Greek. Aniston
has two half-brothers, John Melick, her maternal older half-brother, and Alex
Aniston, her younger paternal half-brother. Aniston's godfather was actor Telly
Savalas, one of her father's best friends.
As a child, Aniston lived in Greece for a
year with her family. They moved to Eddystone, Pennsylvania,
then to New York City. Despite
her father's television career, Aniston was discouraged from watching TV,
though she found ways around the prohibition. When she was six, Aniston began
attending the Rudolf Steiner School, a Waldorf
educational school that applied the Rudolf Steiner philosophy. During
that time, Aniston's father and mother split when she was nine years old.Meanwhile,
after discovering acting at eleven while attending Rudolf Steiner, Aniston enrolled
and graduated at the Manhattan's Fiorello
H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where
she joined the school's drama society.
v 2/.
v
Name : Kenneth Chenault
v
Occupation : Business Leader
v
Education : Waldorf School, Bowdoin College, Harvard University Law
School
v
Full Name : Kenneth Irvine Chenault
v
3/. Albert Watson (photographer)
Albert Watson (born 1942) is a
Scottish photographer well known for his
fashion, celebrity and art photography, and whose work is featured in galleries
and museums worldwide. He has shot over 200 covers of Vogue around the world
and 40 covers of Rolling Stone magazine since the mid-1970s. Photo District News named Watson one of the 20 most
influential photographers of all time, along with Richard
Avedon and Irving
Penn, among others.[1] Watson has won numerous
honors, including a Lucie Award,[2] a Grammy Award, the Hasselblad Masters Award and three ANDY Awards,.[3] He was awarded The Royal Photographic Society's
Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS) in recognition of a
sustained, significant contribution to the art of photography in 2010.[4]
He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the
son of a physical education teacher and a boxer. He grew up in Penicuik, Midlothian, and
attended the Rudolf Steiner School in Edinburgh and Lasswade High School,
followed study at the Duncan of Jordonstone College of Art in Dundee and the Royal College of Art in London.
v 4/. James Shipman
History Department,
Marin Academy
San Rafael, California
[Explanatory Note: The Marin Waldorf School ends at Eighth
Grade. A number of its graduates have gone on to the Marin Academy---not a
Waldorf school---for their secondary education.]
What I like about the Waldorf School is, quite simply, its
graduates. As a high school teacher at Marin Academy, I have seen a number of
students who come from your program, and I can say that in all cases they have
been remarkable, bright, energetic and involved.
v
5/. James Shipman
History Department, Marin Academy
San Rafael, California
[Explanatory Note: The Marin Waldorf School ends at Eighth
Grade. A number of its graduates have gone on to the Marin Academy---not a
Waldorf school---for their secondary education.]
What I like about the Waldorf School is, quite simply, its
graduates. As a high school teacher at Marin Academy, I have seen a number of
students who come from your program, and I can say that in all cases they have
been remarkable, bright, energetic and involved.
Kesimpulan
Pendekatan
Waldorf jika di teliti dan dikaji merupakan sebuah pendekatan yang amat berorientasikan
kanak-kanak.Pendekatan ini juga banyak memberi peluang kepada kanak-kanak untuk
memperkembangkan perkembangan mereka mengikut keupayaan dan minat kanak-kanak
itu sendiri.Malah melalui pendekatan ini juga kanak-kanak di asuh dan di ajar
mengenai kemahiran hidup secara tidak langsung melalui aktiviti harian di
sekolah mereka bersama guru-guru yang terlatih.
Suasana
persekitaran yang merangsang kemahiran dan minat kanak-kanak amat memainkan
peranan yang penting di dalam memberi ruang kepada kanak-kanak untuk menjadi
diri mereka sendiri dan mengasah bakat-bakat yang boleh diketengahkan seperti
bermain alat muzik, bernyanyi, bercerita, memasak, awal sains, awal matematik
dan sebagainya.Ini bermakna pelbagai pendekatan boleh kita ambil dan implementasi
untuk beri yang terbaik kepada kanak-kanak.
Rujukan ;
5.
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