Chronological snobbery, a term coined by friends C. S. Lewis and Owen Barfield, is a logical argument (and usually when thus termed, considered an outright fallacy) describing the erroneous argument that the thinking, art, or science of an earlier time is ”inherently” inferior when compared to that of the present. As Barfield explains it, it is the belief that “intellectually, humanity languished for countless generations in the most childish errors on all sorts of crucial subjects, until it was redeemed by some simple scientific dictum of the last century.” The subject came up between them when Barfield had converted to Anthroposophy and was persuading Lewis (an atheist at that time) to join him. One of Lewis’s objections was that religion was simply outdated, and in ”Surprised by Joy” (chapter 13, p. 207-208) he describes how this was fallacious:

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Chronological snobbery, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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*Mexico’s first penetentiary and correctional facility was opened at San Lazaro, northeast of Mexico City, as the most modern detention facility in the nation up to that time, and with a goal of rehabilitation of the inmates.

*In London, Parliament approved the annexation to New Zealand of Rarotanga, Mangaia, Aitutaki, Mitiero, Atiu in the Cook Islands group, Rakakanga and Manahiki in the Penrhyn Island group, and Savage, Palmerston and Pukapuka islands.

*Rudolf Steiner began work on his book about anthroposophy, ”Mysticism at the Dawn of the Modern Age”, selecting “the first Michaelmas Day of the new age of light”, following the end of the 5,000 year long dark age of Kali Yuga.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article September 1900, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Sunbridge College, is an accredited college located in Chestnut Ridge, New York. The college specializes in teacher training for Waldorf education and programs in related fields inspired by anthroposophy. Programs offered include:

* Foundation Studies

* Early Childhood Education (full-time and part-time)

* Elementary Education (full-time and part-time)

* Biography and Social Art

* Remedial Education

* Waldorf School Administration and Community Development

* Applied Arts

Many programs, including the elementary and early childhood education courses, include either a certificate or a master’s degree track. The master’s programs offer an M.S. Ed. in either Early Childhood Teacher Education or Elementary Teacher Education. Sunbridge College recently linked with the Barfield School to offer a master’s degree in Liberal Studies. Sunbridge College is presently the only accredited anthroposophical college in North America. Its undergraduate enrollment in 2004-05 was 102.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Sunbridge College, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms, emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, animals as a self-nourishing system without external inputs insofar as this is possible given the loss of nutrients due to the export of food.

Regarded by some as the first modern ecological farming system and one of the most sustainable, biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, such as emphasizing the use of manures and composts and excluding of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical sowing and planting calendar. Biodynamics originated out of the work of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the spiritual philosophy anthroposophy.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Biodynamic agriculture, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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The Christian Community ( ) is a Christian denomination. It was founded in 1922 in Switzerland by a group of mainly Lutheran theologians and ministers led by Friedrich Rittelmeyer, inspired by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher and founder of anthroposophy. Christian Community congregations exist as financially independent groups with regional and international administrative bodies overseeing their work. There are approximately 350 worldwide. The international headquarters are in Berlin, Germany.

The Christian Community is led by the “circle of priests,” with leaders known as coordinators appointed within the circle. A first coordinator (Erzoberlenker) is consulted by two second coordinators (Oberlenkers). There are also third coordinators (Lenkers) on the regional level and a synod of priests. There is no additional ordination for the leadership. The priesthood of the Christian Community has always been open to women.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Christian Community, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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In 1909 Mortensson-Egnund was diocese curate in Hamar, and he was ordained as a priest in Norway the following year. Beginning in 1919 he was involved in translating the Bible into landsmål. He received a Government stipend from 1929 forward.

Mortensson-Egnund’s friend Garborg had an interest in Theosophy, and another of his closest friends, Marta Steinsvik, joined Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy movement. After Steiner in 1913, broke out of the Theosophical Society and founded the Anthroposophical Society, Mortensson-Egnund and his wife Karen were among Steiner’s followers in Norwegian ”Vidar” group. In 1915, when ”Vidar” was the first magazine for Anthroposophy published in Norway, it opened with an article by Mortensson-Egnund that drew relationships with the mythological ”Víðarr”.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Ivar Mortensson-Egnund, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Born in 1890, he joined the German navy in 1910; in 1916, with the rank of ”Oberleutnant zur See”, he transferred to the U-boat Arm.

He served as Watch Officer on ”U-3” and ”U-57”, before being given his own command in July 1917, first of ”UB-34”, then, in March 1918, of ”U-54”.

He earned a reputation as an overly aggressive commander, which caused him to be placed on a black-list of officers that the Allied powers considered to have breached the laws of war. This contrasted with his artistic and cultured nature. He was an avid reader and loved classical music, and was a student of Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy.

After the war, he left Germany to escape the harassment suffered by former submariners at the hands of the victor nations. He lived in Sweden and Lapland for several years, earning a living as a lumberjack and a surveyor, before returning to Germany in the early 1930s.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Helmuth von Ruckteschell, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Walter Johannes Stein (February 6, 1891, Vienna – July 7, 1957, London) was an Austrian philosopher, Waldorf school teacher, Grail researcher, and one of the pioneers of anthroposophy.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Walter Johannes Stein, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Student-Directed Teaching is not the only alternative teaching method in existence, though it is arguably the most progressive. Following are some key differences between Student-Directed Teaching and other popular alternative ideologies.

Montessori

The Montessori method is a progressive teaching technology that, like Student-Directed Teaching, places the child at the centre of the educational ecology. While Montessori does allow for the child’s learning experience to be adapted to his or her own capabilities, it still retains some vestiges of the mainstream education philosophy in its apprehension over giving the child complete freedom and ownership. Student-Directed Teaching is distinguished from Montessori in the availability of the five Teaching Styles and the Community of Learners.

Waldorf

The Waldorf method of education is based on Rudolf Steiner’s concept of anthroposophy, where learning is interdisciplinary, integrates practical, artistic and conceptual elements, and is coordinated with the rhythms of life. Similar to Student-Directed Teaching, the Waldorf method is hesitant in recognizing hard boundaries between subjects, passion areas and experiential learning; additionally, the Waldorf method places heavy emphasis on imagination, much like Student-Directed Teaching.

Where Student-Directed Teaching differs is, again, in its progressive approach to student accountability. The Waldorf method, despite its efforts to improve education holistically, does not allow for wide spectrums of student individuality: there is still a set program

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Student-directed teaching, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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Anthroposophy’s role

Both historically and philosophically, Waldorf education grows out of anthroposophy’s view of child development, which stands as the basis for the educational theory, methodology of teaching and curriculum. This includes the belief that humans possess an innate spirit that, having passed through previous lives, in the current life develops in a karmically appropriate environment before returning to the spirit world where it will prepare for a future reincarnation. Waldorf pedagogy views the teacher as having “a sacred task in helping each child’s soul and spirit grow”.

While anthroposophy is not generally taught as a subject, the degree to which anthroposophy is described by the schools as the philosophical underpinning of Waldorf education typically varies from school to school. At times this has led to parents objecting that the role of anthroposophy in the educational method had not been disclosed to them, prior to enrollment. The pedagogy’s reliance on a single theory of child development has also been questioned and some Waldorf teachers’ uncritical attitude toward anthroposophy criticized. Ullrich put Steiner’s “extra-sensory anthropology” in question: “Can any solution be found to this fundamental paradox of Steiner’s pedagogy — the creation of a beneficial practice on the foundation of a dubious theory?” His answer is to draw a distinction between Steiner’s disputed “living logic of images… an attempt to rehabilitate mythical thinking and ritual lif

Spirituality, religion and festivals

Waldorf education is implicitly infused with spirituality throughout the curriculum, which includes a wide range of religious traditions without favoring any single tradition. The extent to which Waldorf theories and practices have been modified from their traditionally European and Christian orientation to meet the historical and cultural traditions of their local communities varies widely. Examples of such adaptation include the Waldorf schools in Israel and Japan, which celebrate festivals of their particular spiritual heritage, and classes in the Milwaukee Urban Waldorf school, which have adopted traditions with African American and Native American heritages. Such festivals, as well as assemblies generally, play an important role in Waldorf schools and are generally celebrated by showing students’ work.

Religious classes are a mandatory school offering in some German federal states, whereby each religious denomination provides its own teachers for the Waldorf schools’ religion classes; such schools also offer a non-denominational religion class. Religion classes are universally absent from American Waldorf schools.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Waldorf education, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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