Vocational education in Waldorf-contexts – a developmental path of the Waldorf curriculum

Abstract

The Waldorf curriculum has seen various developments over the decades one being in the field of vocational education. Most of this has happened in Germany and Switzerland and although much of it has been discussed in writing little is available in English and there is an absence of a complete review where the various initiatives are compared. The main purpose of this article is to review the literature on the topic as well as the practice in the field and these two elements make up the two major portions of the article. The result of this is at least threefold. First, it provides an orientation on the topic making further research and the development of practice easier. Second, it provides a good example of the flexibility of the Waldorf curriculum and access to some of the most extensive work done in developing aspects of it further. Third, it expands on the already established understanding of what the practical (craft) subjects contribute in the Waldorf context, creating a deeper concept of practical Bildung and opening it to a non-German speaking audience.