Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
First Advisor
Steven N. Fueller
Term of Graduation
Winter 1998
Date of Publication
1998
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Foreign Languages: German
Department
Foreign Languages
Language
English
Subjects
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), Waldorf method of education, Second language acquisition
DOI
10.15760/etd.8179
Physical Description
1 online resource (87 pages)
Abstract
Rudolf Steiner is best known as the founder of the philosophical movement Anthroposophie and as the ideological father of Waldorf schools. The Waldorf school program follows Steiner's education principles in that it teaches children to explore their world with all senses. The goal of Waldorf education is to help children develop their soul and spirit in order to become a conscious, mature adult. Waldorf schools introduce two foreign languages at grade one in order to raise world-awareness in children and young adults.
This study reviews Steiner's biographic background until the opening of the first Waldorf school. It highlights Steiner's spiritual development, projects it against the background of philosophical movements at the turn of the twentieth century, and portrays Anthroposophie as a new cultural direction. It then details Steiner's theory of education and its consequences for foreign language teaching at Waldorf schools and will give meaning to Steiner's ambiguous spiritual language. Respect for humankind in general and teaching students to become balanced, spiritual individuals by nurturing them according to their strengths and weaknesses accent Steiner's educational principles. Finally, this work critically examines Steiner's specific theory about foreign language learning with respect to his theory of speech and language development. It presents Steiner's original ideas, compares them to subsequent developments in teaching at Waldorf schools in regard to goals, content, methods, and contrasts it with the language program at the German American School.
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39738
Recommended Citation
Hashitani, Michaela Wolf, "Rudolf Steiner’s Theory of Foreign Language Learning" (1998). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 6325.
https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.8179
Comments
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