Overview
Waldorf Teacher Education
Focus Weekends
Summer Intensive
Waldorf Learning Support

Waldorf Learning Support

Waldorf Learning Support (WLS) is a three-year, part-time intensive program designed to train Waldorf teachers and professionals in related fields in learning support theory and practice.

Completion of this 9-session program, all its assignments and mentoring earns the participant a certificate from WLS and the Arcturus Rudolf Steiner Education Program. WLS will pick up where the Remedial Education Program of Rudolf Steiner College left off by graduating its twelfth and last cycle in August 2017.

WLS Fall and Spring sessions generally run from Wednesday morning through Sunday mid-day. Summer sessions take place over two weeks with the weekend off in between.

Theoretical Classes

Rudolf Steiner’s indications for child and human development, for Waldorf and special education.

Audrey McAllen’s elaboration of anthroposophical research relevant to child development and its support, including using children’s drawings as indicators of developmental situations.

Sensory and motor integration according to mainstream research.

Medical, nutritional, neurological, therapeutic and anthroposophical perspectives on learning and behavior difficulties and how to address them.

Career development: exploration of working in learning support for private practice and school settings, with practical applications such as work proposals, contracts, insurance information, and so on.

Exploration of various community resources appropriate for supporting development, such as cranio-sacral therapy and various sensory integration approaches.

Practical Classes

Assessment and exercises of the Extra Lesson.

Movement, form drawing and painting exercises—in support of developing each participant’s own facility in each of these areas as well as in preparation for use with learning challenged students.

Introductions to therapeutic approaches: Therapeutic Eurythmy, Art Therapy, Rhythmical Massage, Spacial Dynamics®, Rhythmic Movement Training.

Mentoring and Independent Research

Between each session there are home assignments consisting of reading, practice of assessment and exercises including movement, drawing and painting exercises.

Year Two participants complete a research project with written and oral reports on a chosen topic with a child development, pedagogical or therapeutic theme.

Mentoring begins in Year Two with 15 hours of observation of learning support teachers in practice. Year Three mentoring consists of 15 hours of the participant being observed by a WLS-approved mentor while working with individual and/or small group lessons and with assessments.

Throughout Year Three each WLS participant completes a case study consisting of weekly lessons with a student, culminating in an oral and written presentation.