Binetti, Giuseppe (2020) Steiner Education: freedom, spirituality and creativity. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/81642/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Steiner Education: Freedom, Spirituality and Creativity Giuseppe Binetti, BA, MSc Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education College of Social Sciences University of Glasgow January 2020 2 Abstract Although various aspects of Steiner Education and of Steiner’s philosophy and its related teaching approach have been explored in the literature, there appears to be few holistic studies into the ways in which this philosophy is practised and understood by teachers. This thesis moves from the available literature and explores Steiner’s philosophical background with the intention of shedding light on the pedagogical theories created by Steiner and how these are implemented in one Steiner school. The main focus of the research is on how Steiner’s philosophical notions of freedom, spirituality and creativity are enacted and understood in practice. The objective was to elucidate the nature and significance of these elements to learning, as well as understanding the physical context, conditions and arrangements in which they occur and are developed. To do this, an ethnographic study was conducted over a period of 9 months in a Steiner school in the UK. Qualitative data were collected through observations of participants, focus group and vis-a-vis interviews with staff, students, and parents, before being thematically analysed. The findings display a complex picture: on the one hand it appears that Steiner’s philosophical background provides a common set of shared perspectives on what education is and this theoretical background appears to inform the practice of the teachers in the school. On the other hand, the three notions of freedom, spirituality and creativity do not emerge as separate domains, but rather as different elements of a unified educational practice represented by a holistic understanding of children’s development. 3 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 3 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ 4 List of Tables ............................................................................................................... 9 List of Figures ........................................................................................................... 10 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... 11 Declaration ................................................................................................................ 13 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................ 14 1.1 Research journey: background ................................................................................. 14 1.2 Genesis of the project ................................................................................................. 16 1.3 Challenging my assumptions ..................................................................................... 18 1.4 Finding my role .......................................................................................................... 20 1.5 Research questions ..................................................................................................... 24 1.6 Outline of chapters ..................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 2: Perspectives on Steiner .......................................................................... 27 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 27 2.2 Overview of published perspectives on Steiner ....................................................... 29 2.3 Evaluating critique of Steiner ................................................................................... 34 2.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3: Steiner’s Intellectual Journey — the Roots of his Educational Theory ................................................................................................................................... 44 4 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 44 3.2 Steiner’s life ................................................................................................................ 47 3.3 The nature of the spiritual and material reality ...................................................... 50 3.4 The nature of knowledge and human consciousness .............................................. 61 3.5 Theosophy and the development of Anthroposophy .............................................. 66 3.6 Steiner and the progressive educational movement ................................................ 69 3.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 4: Educating the Human Being ................................................................. 78 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 78 4.2 The three-fold and four-fold views of the human being ......................................... 78 4.3 Development and education ...................................................................................... 87 4.4 Education and spirituality, freedom and creativity ................................................ 90 4.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 93 Chapter 5: Steiner’s pedagogy and Steiner Schools ................................................ 95 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 95 5.2 What is Steiner’s pedagogy and curriculum? ......................................................... 96 5.3 Steiner schooling and the developing child ............................................................ 101 5.3.1 Early Childhood — Developing the limbs through doing ................................................ 102 5.3.2 Middle Childhood — Developing the heart through imagination .................................... 102 5.3.3 Adolescence — Developing the mind through discernment of the world ........................ 106 5.4 The role of the teacher: ensuring balance and rhythm in learning ..................... 108 5.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 114 Chapter 6: Methodology ......................................................................................... 115 6.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 115 5 6.2 The importance of the philosophical assumptions underpinning social science research ........................................................................................................................... 117 6.3 Why qualitative research? ....................................................................................... 118 6.4 Phenomenology ......................................................................................................... 120 6.5 Research design ........................................................................................................ 122 6.6 Literature review ...................................................................................................... 124 6.7 Data gathering .......................................................................................................... 128 6.7.1 Observation ....................................................................................................................... 129 6.7.2 Focus Group ...................................................................................................................... 131 6.7.3 Interviews .......................................................................................................................... 133 6.7.4 Document Interrogation .................................................................................................... 135 6.8 Ethical issues ............................................................................................................. 135 6.8.1 Preventing harm to participants .......................................................................................