Australian Steiner Curriculum Framework 2018: Steiner Educational & Academic Foundations

The purpose of this paper is to update the earlier Educational Foundations (SEA, 2011) document and expand the review of the indications which underpin the Steiner educational approach. Reference is made to the ACARA Shape papers and the Melbourne Goals but the focus shifts to an identification of the core characteristics of the Steiner educational approach and a more in-depth exploration and explication of key Steiner pedagogical indications. As there are many introductory texts available that explain the Steiner educational approach, the intention of this paper is not to replicate these references but rather to appraise Steiner indications in relation to classic historical and contemporary educational perspectives. The review focuses on philosophical perspectives which underpin Steiner pedagogy and Steiner indications relating to educational psychology (how students learn), praxis (how the philosophical principles are put into practice in the classroom and school), teaching and research methodology and teachers’ professional learning. The indications are drawn from Steiner’s education texts and focus in particular on The Foundations of Human Experience (Steiner, 1919/1996) and A Modern Art of Education (Steiner, 1923/2004).