The distribution, sequences and rhythms that Waldorf pedagogy introduces in the school curriculum responds to anthropological and vital criteria for student’s learning process as well as for a healthy development. The importance of rhythmic learning processes and their balancing effect are carried out at different levels: daily rhythms (with sequences of concentration and expansion or also called inspiration and expiration); teaching subjects by cycles or blocks; and the weekly rhythms for artistic disciplines and foreign languages.
The structure of a school day in Tretzevents is designed keeping in mind an organic connection with teenagers’ bio-rhythmic processes. Considering that students have higher concentration levels for intellectual activities during the morning, the school day begins with subjects that require this level of concentration. The first two hours are devoted to one single subject during several weeks. After this period of time, the Core class is devoted to another “intellectual” subject. After the Core class, students have a break. The classes that follow the first period include subjects such as Foreign Languages, Music, Technology and Horticulture, Physical Education, Handwriting, etc.
The Core class periods, during which a specific subject becomes the center of the pedagogical activity, can last three or four weeks. This periodicity allows a rhythm that combines experience-sleep-memory, which represents the temporary spaces between cycles of the same subject.
In order that knowledge transforms into capabilities, sleeping, plus the ability to remember plus rediscovering the sleeping period, allows a reconstruction of concepts, laws or archetypes on a conscious way. Even concepts that were initially not understood can be easily remembered this way.
The advantages of this methodology are:
- It allows to intensively activate students and focus their interest on certain subjects (process of immersion) without causing disorders or boredom.
- Enables developing and structuring subjects as complete blocks that can be memorized more easily.
- It offers balance and order to the process of acquiring knowledge and skills, without distractions, nor dispersion, nor feeling overloaded by many subjects and stimuli that significantly can exhaust students.
The school goals are:
- To spur individual capabilities with a methodology suited to each student’s level of personal development.
- To provide our students with the necessary tools for learning a developing study habits as well as a healthy lifestyle that will reinforce their self-esteem and personal enrichment, turning them more sensitive towards nature and personal care.
- To promote gratefulness for all the things they have and all the things they receive, attracting their interest in the world in order to stimulate willingness to learn.
- Empower students by means of collaborative teamwork to foster interest between peers
- Encourage students to develop their own criteria taking into account vital facts.
- Promote mentorship both on an individual as on a group basis to enable the mentor teacher to offer a proper educational orientation and to become a positive reference for students.
- Proactive teaching and relationship with students to promote intellectual learning, artistic sensibility, sympathy and solidarity, in order to boost future social and responsible citizens.
We also want to:
- Promote continuous training of our teachers.
- Promote continuous training of school families (on an individual level as well as on being familiar with Waldorf methodology).
- Encourage active engagement with the Board of Directors, enhancing mutual collaboration among teachers and parents. This will clearly benefit our students.
- Contribute to develop an open cultural center that spans out its unique and free cultural atmosphere reflected by students’, families’ and teachers’ creativity.