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The Evolving Child: Theories Of Human Development In Waldorf Education, Sara Wright

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Due to its strong emphasis on spiritual development in conjunction with physical and cognitive development, Rudolf Steiner's educational philosophy and its role in Waldorf schools have been relegated to relative obscurity within the educational establishment. Steiner's theories have been perceived as too radical and unusual for incorporation into traditional educational practices. However, upon closer examination, the organizational structure of Steiner's developmental theory bears significant similarities to better-known models of human development. For example, the division of children's cognitive growth into a hierarchical series of stages is also found in Piaget's celebrated model of human development. Furthermore, parallel revelations concerning children's …