Type of the Paper (Article, Review, Communication, etc.)

Environmentalization and Waldorf Education: Dialogues and Practices in Brazilian School

Sandra Sylvia Santana Ziegler ¹ and Dayane dos Santos Silva ^2,*

¹ Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon, Portugal; sandra.ziegler@edu.ulisboa.pt

² Departament of Biology, Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil; dayanessilva@academico.ufs.br

* Correspondence: sandra.ziegler@edu.ulisboa.pt; Tel.: +351927167875

Abstract:

Owing to concerns regarding human relations with the environment and the degradation and exploitation of nature, various Environmental Education initiatives have been developed over the years in the context of formal basic education to contribute to a harmonious coexistence between them and addressing the environmental crisis. This study aimed to understand the environmentalization process of a Brazilian Waldorf school in dialogue with Steinern principles and with the concepts and practices linked to the socio-environmental issue. We opted for qualitative research and approximations adopting ethnographic approach strategies. Systematic observations of daily life, document analysis of the Pedagogical Political Project, and semi-structured interviews with teachers, students and employees were carried out. Based on the data analysis, we concluded that the Waldorf educational concept contributes to: valuing inter-trans-disciplinary work; equal importance given to curriculum disciplines in cognitive, biological-technological and practical-artistic development; a sustainable infrastructure; a participatory and cooperative management, without hierarchies, including the active participation of parents and teachers in implementation and school evolution. These experiences throughout the educational process of children and young people provide training for citizenship and sustainability.

Keywords: Environmental education; Brazilian Waldorf School; Educational process; Socio-environmental issue.

1. Introduction

The field of Environmental Education (EE) has received “considerably more attention in recent years as contested notions of environment and Sustainability have become common topics of conversation among the public, the subject of media interest, and the focus of much political debate and legislation” [1] (p.1). Over the years, different initiatives have been developed with and in the context of formal basic education [2-4], aiming to contribute to a harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature and to face the environmental crisis [5].

We highlight Waldorf Education (WE) as it is considered an educational orientation, based on the anthroposophic philosophy, proposed and developed by the Austrian philosopher and educator Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Anthroposophy, which originally comes from Greek and etymologically means, knowledge of human beings, can be characterized as “a method of knowledge of the nature of human beings and the universe, which expands the knowledge obtained by the conventional scientific method, as well as its application in virtually all areas of human life” [6]. Considering this, Steiner contributed to sectors of human knowledge such as education, medicine, economics, architecture, ecology, agriculture, social organization, art, among others [7].

The anthroposophic conception of education is based on the assumption of “[...] a profound knowledge of the development of human beings upbringing [...] goes from the total unconsciousness of the newborn to the total consciousness of the twenty-one year old [. ..] allowing the individual to be a completely responsible and free entity” [8] (p.58-59).

Steiner Anthroposophy conceives human beings, consisting of four bodies: the physical, the ether, the astral and an ego or I [7]. The physical body is common to the mineral, animal, vegetable and human kingdoms, while the ether body or the vital body is the impelling force of vitality and against the deterioration of the physical body and the astral or sentient body, present in animals and humans, is expressed through sensations [7]. And finally, the I, carries within itself the human soul, which is called, its interior, the spiritual identity of the individual [7].

In addition to these, the human anthroposophic conception establishes the twelve senses through which the individual relates to the world and to him/herself, such as: human nature, touch, life, movement, balance, smell, taste, sight, temperature, hearing, perception of speech, thought, the ego and the seven vital processes such as: breathing, warming, nutrition, circulation, maintenance, growth and maturation, and reproduction explained in detail in Steiner's book “The Twelve Senses and the Seven Vital Processes”( “Os doze sentidos e os sete processos vitais”) [9].

Anthroposophy divides human life into seven-year cycles known as seven years, marked by physical, psychic and spiritual characteristics. Considering this, it is through education that one seeks to develop and harmonize the three human activities through which man relates to the world: thinking, feeling and willing. Thinking would be developed through cognitive language, feeling through images in dreams or through imagination, and willing through body language [9]. However, the relationship in and with the world based mainly on the “rational” dimension is one of the challenges for the development of these activities [9].

Based on Steiner educational principles, the first school was founded in 1919 called “Freie Waldorfschule Uhrlandshöhe” in the city of “Stuttgart, Germany, to initially serve workers’ children at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory (which gave rise to its name), and later expanded to other regions and continents of the world” [10] (p.96). One of the main characteristics of a Waldorf school is “[...] that of being a living body, susceptible to assuming different forms and aspects, according to the concrete circumstances of a certain social environment of a country, of a current legislation in terms of education, etc.” [8] (p.115).

According to the Steiner theory of the Threefold Social Organism based on the motto of the French Revolution (Liberty, Equality and Fraternity), liberty refers to schools that are self-managed and independent from each other; equality concerns the political and legal dimension, both in relation to the law, guidelines and national regulations and to teacher remuneration; and fraternity refers to the economic sphere, in which the school must be maintained by associations constituted by its founders and parents of students enrolled in the school, in addition to being non-profit [8].

Since its creation to the present day, Waldorf schools have grown continuously, despite having been banned during the Second World War and in Eastern European countries during the communist regime [6]. Currently, Europe is the continent with the highest number of Waldorf schools, in which 21% are in Germany, followed by the Netherlands with 9%, on a global scale [11]. On the American continent, the United States of America has 10% [11], while in Brazil, according to the Federation of Waldorf Schools (FEWB in Portuguese) in Brazil, there are 84 registers of schools affiliated with the Federation, mostly concentrated in the State of São Paulo. However, there are some educational institutions that “adopt Waldorf Education, but that have not yet met all the requirements demanded by FEWB, which are, therefore, denominated “Waldorf inspired” or “in Waldorf construction” schools [10].

Based on the Steiner educational conception, Waldorf schools emphasize human development continuously and intensely throughout a student's school life, raising awareness and interacting with nature. This process aims to emphasize interdisciplinary practices in a school routine that contribute to critical reflections regarding the relationship between human beings and nature.

The Waldorf pedagogical practice and EE complement each other in their ethical, participative and solidary principles by the thematization of nature, the social and subjective aspects conveyed in the socio-educational processes that reverberate in the school community and lead to a proposal that contributes to the environmentalization process.

Waldorf education has enabled pedagogical experiences that can support human formation in the search for a new paradigm that enables changes in relationships in and with the world. This research aimed to understand the environmentalization process of a Brazilian Waldorf school in dialogue with Steiner principles and with the concepts and practices linked to the socio-environmental issue.

2. Methodological procedures

2.1. Type of research

This is qualitative research [12] (p.11), which can be understood as “an investigation methodology that emphasizes description, induction, grounded theory and the study of personal engagement”. In addition, we carried out approximations with the strategies of the ethnographic approach [13,14]. These made it possible to analyze the multidimensionality involved in the educational proposal of the Brazilian Waldorf school investigated in this study.

2.2. Research setting

The research was carried out in a school located in the Brazilian coastal region, in the Atlantic Forest biome. The school offers places for students from kindergarten to the 8th grade of Junior High School, in which teachers, employees and some parents of students work who offer their skills as volunteers.

Structurally, the school has spaces such as a large outdoor courtyard and another covered patio, a reception, a meeting room, a canteen, bathrooms for students and staff, a kindergarten in an anthroposophical architectural construction with two kindergarten classrooms and one classroom for each year of Junior High School. Classes take place in the morning, and there is recess for children to have a healthy snack and lunch. In the afternoon, extracurricular activities are offered.

Following the self-management principles of Waldorf pedagogy, the school belongs to a non-profit association, responsible for its financial provision, which relies on investments from companies and a child sponsorship system. In this system, members of society can partially or fully fund the education of some students, with a voluntary contribution, in addition to monitoring the development of these sponsored students.

The school serves 204 children from different social classes who live in the region, and about half of them live in unfavorable economic conditions and receive a full scholarship.

Our research involved students from the 7th and 8th grades of Junior High School, teachers, education specialists (Tutors) and employees (Table 1). The choice of these series is due to the seven years of human development of the students, in which profound physical and emotional transformations take place and in their relationships with the world, “it is from this moment on that they are fully part of the outside world” [15] (p.238).

Table 1. Number of participants involved in the research.

2.3. Data collection procedures

After presenting the research in more detail, it was approved by the school management.

Data collection focused on the pedagogical process, the school setting and the management dimension, obtained from the following data collection strategies and instruments:

• Documentary analysis of the school's Pedagogical Political Project (PPP) and the 7th and 8th grade curriculum, as well as secondary data such as public and/or school documents.

• Carrying out systematic observations of classes in selected groups, school routine and forms of internal and external community interaction over two weeks in 2016.

• Conducting semi-structured interviews with participants involved in the pedagogical process (Table 1).

Afterward, considering the dialogue extracted from the data regarding the investigative focus and the principles of the Steiner educational conception, five thematic cores were developed that guided the data systematization, such as:

A) a vision of the world, human beings and education - refers to the ways of perceiving and conceiving the world based on experiences and the different social institutions that influence this vision on a daily basis, as well as the different ways that people interact and give meaning to these experiences and spaces.

B) vision of EE and environmentalization – this is related to understanding and approaching the socio-environmental theme and Environmental Education in the everyday life of the school.

C) interdisciplinarity and complexity of disciplines – this refers to the dialogues established with the different areas of knowledge and dimensions of the curricular contents addressed, opposing a fragmentation of knowledge in the teaching and learning process.

D) school-community relationship – this deals with the relationships established between the school community and the community in which the school is inserted.

E) Sustainable Management and Buildings – this is related to the planning, organization and development of sustainable actions, as well as coefficient buildings in the school institution.

2.3. Data Analysis

For the systematized data analysis from the thematic core mentioned previously, we dialogued with Steiner educational assumptions and their relationship with nature during the educational process that was developed and observed in the analyzed Waldorf school.

3. Results

3.1. Vision of the world, human beings and education

When analyzing the school's PPP regarding the understandings and relationships established by human beings in the world, one can see the emphasis on the contribution of the educational process to action in society, according to which:

[...] the key lies in achieving live and global thinking that can act with independence and capacity of initiative, with competence for adequate decision-making and autonomous action based on social responsibility. Considering this, the environmental and multicultural aspect of education should be emphasized [16] (p.12).

Regarding the approach to the curriculum contents developed in these series at school, the teachers and tutors who were interviewed indicate the need to articulate the contents with the context in which the students are inserted from a multidimensional perspective offered by an integral formation that involves the cultural, artistic, environmental, social and aesthetic aspects (Table 2).

Table 2. Interview excerpts with research participants.

3.2. Vision on EE and environmentalization

The PPP presents the school's educational proposal, which aims to consider training that enables the school community to be involved and help understand the relationships established in and with nature. Thus, according to the document, the aim is to “lead the participants of the school community to the vision of human evolution, in its interrelationship with nature and other human beings, aiming at the awareness of their being as a transforming subject of the world and creative” [16] (p.18).

Regarding the curriculum content approach and its relations with the understanding and approach of socio-environmental themes and EE, according to the teachers, these aspects have been developed since kindergarten and aim to establish different harmonious and transformational relationships with nature. For the school tutor, the development of affectivity in daily activities represents an important way of relating to nature. When interviewing the students, it was observed that they understand human beings as part of nature (Table 3).

Table 3. Interview excerpts with research participants

3.3. Principles of interdisciplinarity and complexity

The PPP presents the need to work with the contents according to the anthropological needs of the students in a transdisciplinary way, based on rhythms and times that make the educational practice dynamic, procedural, giving it vitality. This movement stimulates and motivates the student to develop schoolwork, aiming at the quality of knowledge conceived in multidimensional aspects, as can be seen in the following excerpt:

The selection of contents according to the evolutionary needs of the students and their transdisciplinary treatment in the time and rhythm considered as ideal gives meaning and vital meaning to the educational task. This naturally increases the student's interest in his/her schoolwork, optimizes the quality of knowledge, increases involvement, favors the appearance of elements of satisfaction, such as pleasure in learning, enjoyment of work and positive attitudes towards learning in general [16] (p.22).

According to the school's teachers and tutor, the approach to curriculum content should be developed from an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspective, also involving aspects of the student's social and cultural context (Table 4).

Table 4. Interview excerpts with research participants.

3.3. Dynamics of the School-Community relationship

In the school's PPP, the articulation between the school and the local community is part of the institution's principles, mainly in view of self-management practices and encouraging community interaction. According to the document, “the vision of human beings and society nurtures everything that is done in Waldorf schools around the world, both in pedagogical action and with regard to their institutional organization of collegiate self-management and socio-community interaction” [16] (p.25).

The school's teachers and tutor indicate that the participation and cooperation of the local community in school activities contribute to the maintenance and construction of the school, as well as to the strengthening of relations between the school community, families and their surroundings (Table 5) .

Table 5. Interviews excerpts with research participants.

3.4. Sustainable buildings and management

The school is located in an area of the Atlantic Forest and its physical facilities were planned and built to take advantage of natural lighting and ventilation. It also has open and outdoor areas used for activities developed with students, including the forest that surrounds the school.

It was observed that the school has a small garden/vegetable garden based on the principles of permaculture, in which herbs and vegetables are grown for use in the school (Gardening and Consumption school discipline). Composting and recycling practices are also carried out, as well as small craft productions (Woodwork discipline) that are sold at events with the local community. The maintenance, cleaning and care of all school spaces rely on the contribution of all school members (Table 6).

Table 6. Interview excerpts with research participants.

4. Discussion

The observed and analyzed results corroborate the statement that the Steiner educational conception, in the way it is developed in the investigated context, contemplates an understanding of the world, of the human being and of multidimensional education, emphasizing cooperative and community work in the school management and its environmental context. Thus, a human being is understood as an integrated, organized and indivisible system, body/mind, without the separation between thinking, feeling and acting. Therefore, this understanding, based on the broad and complex totality of human reality, nature and society are interconnected and interdependent.

This multidimensionality is also present in the view on EE and school environment addressed and developed in the investigative context, where students experience the uniqueness of the human being's relationship with nature. This Steiner educational principle is based on the reflections carried out by Steiner based on the works of Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), as the author states:

Just imagine how Göethe, like a fragment of culture placed in the midst of Nature, from early childhood opposed the educational principle around him. He could never separate the human being from the environment. He always considered it in its connection with Nature, feeling himself, as a human, one with her [17] (p.87).

The Steiner cosmovision enables Waldorf students to learn about the laws of life and the universe, forming concepts through experiences conducted by the natural processes of the environment in relation to human beings and their transforming possibilities.

The principles of interdisciplinarity and complexity are fundamental elements of the Waldorf curriculum. They are presented at a suggestive and guiding level for the teacher who defines the contents and the level of depth based on several factors, individual and collective of the class [18].

Waldorf schools, characterized by a multidisciplinary methodology in terms of the content, relate them to the student's age, within a pedagogically prepared space to encourage learning, creativity and personality formation, through cognitive knowledge in equality of importance with biological-technological and practical artistic matters.

As for Steiner's Pedagogical Practice, a systemic and transdisciplinary approach is observed in its development, which operates in interdisciplinary dialogues in thought and action schemes.

The articulation between the school and the local community is present in the curriculum and in the pedagogical practices developed by the students to build a cooperative environment. School-community integration occurs formally and informally, based on educational, social, cultural and environmental aspects that aim at social and individual transformation.

Regarding management practices and sustainable buildings, there is no sense in having aesthetic care between teachers and students in the idealization and use of external spaces and green/forest areas for pedagogical purposes, in an interdisciplinary way, according to the Waldorf methodology itself. Interdisciplinary projects are carried out to have contact with nature and develop management actions, involving the school community. Everyday educational practices are developed to avoid waste and encourage selective collection actions. There is a direct/indirect community commitment to ecological and sustainability values.

We believe that the Waldorf educational principles contribute significantly to rethinking the human relationship with nature, in a critical way, explaining the possible ways of facing the hegemonic modes of production in our society. We understand that “if education alone does not transform society, neither does society change without it” [19] (p.67). Furthermore, the school, as a favorable space for creation and transformation, can also be the stage for an educational process that makes it possible to educate children and adolescents committed to fairer socio-environmental relations.

5. Conclusions

The main aim of this study was to understand the environmentalization process of a Brazilian Waldorf school in dialogue with the Steiner principles and with the concepts and practices linked to the socio-environmental issue. Data analysis was carried out based on a thematic core, such as the vision of the world, human beings and education, the vision of EE and environmentalization, the interdisciplinarity and complexity of disciplines, the school-community relationship and management, as well as sustainable buildings.

The educational conception of the proposed Waldorf school is based on the following principles:

• valuing inter-trans-disciplinary work.

• equal importance given to curriculum disciplines for cognitive, biological-technological and practical-artistic development.

• encouraging the development of new knowledge on current issues and innovative perspectives, that is, a living curriculum (theory transformed into practice), which encourages spontaneous learning, an investigative spirit, creative and participatory activity in the formation of society.

• the teacher's commitment to the student, his/her family, the school and local community.

• the rhythmic sequence recognition-comprehension-mastery of the content (to experience, observe, experience, remember, describe, characterize, annotate, process, analyze, abstract and generalize, developing theories).

• participative and cooperative management, without hierarchies in school construction.

• the presence of the aesthetic and artistic element throughout the educational practice, as a means of enabling a loving bond between knowledge and the student.

• eco-efficient buildings and sustainable management of educational spaces and actions.

The teaching and learning process is developed from a humanizing perspective, which considers the student individually: his/her potential, talents, abilities and qualities that contribute to his/her integral formation. To this end, it aims to develop further than the curriculum content, continuous thought, feeling and acting that corroborate the connection of the human being, with him/herself, with the other, with nature, with the world, in a loving way, observing the rhythms of nature of which the human being is a part.

The analyses contributed to generating more discussions in the area of Environmental Education, as well as carrying out further research.

When considering that in 2019, seventy-four countries adopted Waldorf Education, “how will Waldorf/Steiner education look in another century?” [11] Or even, what challenges and possibilities have arisen to reflect upon Waldorf pedagogy from the different social, cultural and economic contexts and the problems arising from relations of exploitation and social and environmental degradation?

Author Contributions: S.S.S.Z., carried out the conceptualization, data collection and analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. D.S.S. contributed to the writing and revision of the second version of the manuscript, both authors contributed with suggestions in this version of the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: This research was funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), grant number 0003.

Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee em Pesquisa do Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal da Paraíba na cidade de João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brasil (protocol code 57780416.4.0000.5188 and 20 October 2016 of approval).

Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}