The Care And Development Of The Human Senses

An in-depth presentation of Steiner's ideas about the nature of the twelve human senses as he saw them, and their role in education.Although of interest to teachers and parents of students attending Steiner Waldorf institutions, this book is also directed to anyone with an interest in child education and philosophies of teaching.

Willi Aeppli offers an in-depth presentation of Rudolf Steiner's ideas on the nature of the twelve human senses as he saw them and their role in education. This book is written for anyone concerned with children's education and philosophies of teaching. It will be of special interest to Waldorf teachers and parents of students.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

This is a much needed source of information for those wishing to extend and consolidate their understanding of the Steiner Waldorf high scope approach. It will enable the reader to analyse its essential elements to early childhood and its relationship to quality early years practice.

How does the built environment affect children - their health, their behaviour, education and development? To support them, what do we need to consider and what do we need to do? Can our surroundings foster environmental and social awareness and responsibility? Based on Christopher Day's experiences designing schools and early childhood centres in the United States and Britain, this groundbreaking book sets out to answer these questions and to offer solutions. Children all too often find themselves living in alien surroundings designed with the needs of adults in mind, cut off not just from the natural environment but also childhood itself. Society's reaction - to cocoon children from the outside world or to resort to drugs to control behaviour - fails to address the fundamental causes of problems which lie in the environment not the children themselves. One of the world's leading thinkers on the impact of buildings on people, Christopher Day's insights offer new light on one of the most important issues for today's society.

How can theatre and Shakespearean performance be used with different communities to assist personal growth and development, while advancing social justice goals? Employing an integrative approach that draws from science, actor training, therapeutical practices and current research on the senses, this study reveals the work being done by drama practitioners with a range of specialized populations, such as incarcerated people, neurodiverse individuals, those with physical or emotional disabilities, veterans, people experiencing homelessness and many others. With insights drawn from visits to numerous international programs, it argues that these endeavors succeed when they engage multiple human senses and incorporate kinesthetic learning, thereby tapping into the diverse benefits associated with artistic, movement and mindfulness practices. Neither theatre nor Shakespeare is universally beneficial, but the syncretic practices described in this book offer tools for physical, emotional and collaborative undertakings that assist personal growth and development, while advancing social justice goals. Among the practitioners and companies whose work is examined here are programs from the Shakespeare in Prison Network, the International Opera Theater, Blue Apple Theatre, Flute Theatre, DeCruit and Feast of Crispian programs for veterans, Extant Theatre and prison programs in Kolkata and Mysore, India.

This experienced Waldorf teacher allows us to enter his classroom and gain insights that serve as valuable guides for both parents and educators. Aeppli also presents a challenge to teachers: penetrate the subject, grasp its essence, transform it artistically, and present it to the children in a way that fits their evolving inner orientation. This fresh approach is not just another theory about good education. Aeppli writes out of practical experience with the intention of sending young adults into the world who can stand on their own two feet and accept responsibility for their own actions. Previously published as Rudolf Steiner Education and the Developing Child.