Teaching World Languges in Waldorf Education
In our world language sessions we will focus on the connections between all new language learning in middle school. All languages are welcome!
Living language: The importance of maintaining orality in the middle school (with Alexandra Spencer and Kavita Desai)
Waldorf language learning and teaching is entirely oral in the first three school years. But what happens in the middle school? In this session we will experience how the principle of “orality before literacy” still holds true in the middle school. We will see how oral work continues to expand students’ sense of self in the new language, and how it can provide a foundation and a support for reading and writing activities.
The following two sessions (see below) will build on the principles explored in this introductory session. We will look at tangible examples from lessons, and participants will have space to discuss and adapt these ideas for the different languages they teach.
Classroom acting as a supporting method for reading and writing (with Kavita Desai)
Acting things out is fun and can be a wonderful tool for language learning. In this session we will explore the potential of classroom acting as a supporting method for reading and writing, and as inclusive practice which can accommodate the diverse needs of students.
Incorporating poetry as a way for children to experience themselves in the foreign language (with Alexandra Spencer)
Poetry carries within it the core beauty and uniqueness of a language. By reading and reciting it, students can experience that language as part of themselves and access the gifts it brings for their inner development. In a turbulent time like the middle school and no matter what individual educational needs each student brings with them, poetry can help them understand language, the world around them, and also themselves!
Meet the World Languages Team!
Meet the World Languages Team!
We are honored to be working with an amazing team of world language teachers who are coordinating and leading this portion of the conference!
Kavita Desai
Kavita Desai grew up in England and has spent 20 years teaching English and French, primarily at Steiner Waldorf schools in Germany. She currently lives and teaches in Freiburg. In addition to her classroom work, Kavita is active in teacher education both within Germany and internationally. She has published articles on incorporating creative activities such as blackboard drawing, classroom acting and interactive storytelling into English lessons. Her courses often include hands-on workshops in which these methods are explored.
Beyond teaching, Kavita enjoys writing and illustration. She is the author of Miracle on the Mountain, a traditional Indian tale retold from a different perspective. Her creative work draws inspiration from the spontaneity of children’s drawings, her interest in own-voice narratives, and her desire to make traditional folk tales and classic literature engaging and accessible to contemporary audiences.
Alexandra Spencer
Originally from the UK, Alexandra Spencer has been a language teacher at the Freie Waldorfschule Kreuzberg in Berlin since 2009. Her particular focus is on creating an authentic space for children to experience themselves speaking, singing, and playing in the English language. Through the rich tradition of nursery rhymes as well as the use of gestures and actions, children in the lower school are invited to *do* rather than *think*, to play rather than work.
In the middle school the careful choice of topics, poems and songs engage the children's interest and nurture their development. Alexandra Spencer has been working in the field of teachertraining, mentoring and coaching in Germany and internationally for several years. She has also created a wide array of online resources for Waldorf English teachers.
