Steiner Waldorf education draws on the ideas of the early 20th Century philosopher, Rudolf Steiner on how to educate children in a way that enables them to become their true selves, be equipped to lead a life of their own choosing, contribute positively to society and be a strong force for good in the world. He recommended that to enable this it was important to take account of children’s age and developmental stage in shaping what and how to teach them. Central is understanding that in early years children learn best through imitation and play, from around age 6 to the beginning of secondary school, engaging the imagination and artistic activity inspires strong learning and from secondary school age onwards, cognitive learning engages in earnest. Hence Steiner schools are generally divided into four stages: Early Years (3 – 6); Lower School ( 6 – 11); Middle School (11 – 14): Upper School (16 – 18). Steiner also recommended the integration of the arts and physical movement in all learning, giving them equal status to the academic as a way to support the development of well balanced, multi-skilled, robust and emotionally strong adults. These ideas, developed 100 years ago, largely correspond to understanding of child development today

[Te Whāriki’ woven mat analogy] [Te Whāriki’ woven mat analogy]

The Principles

The curriculum is built around four main principles. They are:

Empowerment (Whakamana) – The curriculum empowers the child to learn and grow.
Holistic Development (Kotahitanga) – The curriculum reflects the holistic way children learn and grow.
Family and Community (Whānau Tangata) – The wider world of family and community is an integral part of the early childhood curriculum.
Relationships (Ngā Hononga) – Children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places, and things.

From here, there are five strands of child development which form developmental, cultural, and learning goals.

Strand 1. Well-being – Nurture and protect the health and well-being of the child.
Strand 2. Belonging – Children and their families feel a sense of belonging.
Stand 3: Contribution – Opportunities for learning are equitable, and each child’s contribution is valued.
Strand 4: Communication – The languages and symbols of their own and other cultures are promoted and protected.
Strand 5: Exploration – The child learns through active exploration of the environment.

The content is age appropriate for three different age groups: infants (birth to eighteen months), toddlers (one to three years) and young children (three years to school-entry age).

The name ‘Te Whāriki’ comes from the Maori language and means ‘woven mat’. This can be visualised as learning and development being woven from the foundational principles, strands and goals. It can also be understood in a way that nursery teachers can ‘weave their own mat’, as Te Whāriki does not set any guidelines for content or methods. Lastly, it develops the idea that children interact with their environment, and there's an opportunity to learn in every environment.

The Montessori method of education is a non-traditional approach to learning that focuses on fostering a sense of independence and personal development in the classroom. Some of its unique components include three-hour time blocks for activities, mixed-age classrooms, and specific learning materials and curricula.
This educational philosophy was created by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator who strengthened her views on education while working in Rome in the late 1890s with developmentally delayed children.
Many incredibly talented individuals learned and grew with the Montessori method. These individuals have gone on to be hugely successful in a wide range of disciplines, from politics to the tech industry, to the arts.
Famous Montessori graduates include: Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com; Sergey Brin and Larry Page, co-founders of Google; Anne Frank, World war II diarist; Prince William and Prince Harry, sons of Charles, Prince of Wales; George Clooney, Academy-award winning actor; Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Although there are many benefits to the Montessori method and several empirical studies reveal promising results, there are some downsides to this type of education, such as expensiveness and lack of structure. Nevertheless, there are still tens of thousands of Montessori programs all over the world.

The Montessori method of education, named after its founder Maria Montessori, is an approach to classroom learning that emphasizes independence and choice.

This theory of teaching understands that children have an innate interest to learn and will be able to do so in a suitable environment. It strives to create a classroom that is filled with order, cleanliness, beauty, and harmony.

Contrary to the goal of most educational settings, which is to have its students reach maximum achievement in certain academic subjects, the Montessori method creates an environment that promotes a child’s optimal intellectual, physical, emotional, and social development to occur.

A Montessori classroom will definitely look different from what you may envision a normal learning environment to look like.

Nevertheless, there are many benefits to this approach to education, and Montessori schools still exist all around the world more than a century after the first classroom was created