Investigating Binary Opposites in a Waldorf Classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to discover how the use of binary opposites and affective engagement facilitated conceptual understanding in a Waldorf Health and Nutrition main lesson. Special attention was paid to the work of story and the universal story form. Kieran Egan’s Story Form Model was used as a loose guide for both the construction of the research design and for guidance during observation and data collection, which took place in a class seven Waldorf classroom over a period of two weeks. During this time both the children and the class teacher were carefully observed whilst field notes and tentative interpretations of the data were journalled. In order to be able to dissect and understand the data and observations it was necessary to have both formal and informal guided conversations with the class teacher. It was found that the use of the universal story form plays a significant role in creating an effective main lesson. Both binary opposites and affective engagement were used to facilitate conceptual understanding for the class as a unit and for each individual. It was also found that binary opposites were not only present in the curriculum and the planned lesson structure and content, but also in the general classroom discussion and social dynamic.