Working Out of Imitation
About the Course
Rudolf Steiner recommends that those working in early childhood work out of imitation. He considers imitation and example to be the magic words for the education of the young child, whereby the adult is to “give the child the actual physical pattern for [them] to copy.” In other words, we are to model for the child rather than to verbally instruct them in the early period of life.
What does working out of imitation look like in practical terms in the classroom and in the home? What is Steiner’s reasoning behind this practice? How can one explain working out of imitation to parents and colleagues who are not familiar with it?
Steiner speaks about imitation repeatedly, and he places great importance upon the adult’s practice of working out of imitation: “if children are to grow up to meet the needs of the social organism, they must be free. People become free only if they were intensively imitative as children. . . In spite of all political complaining about freedom, and in spite of all the other talk, people will become free only if we ingrain the strength of imitation in them during childhood. Only what we thus implant during childhood can serve as a basis for social freedom.”
In this workshop, we will explore this vital topic. There will be plenty of time for discussion and questions.
Your Instructors:
Jane Swain
Jane Swain is an associate director and core faculty member. She is a pediatric physical therapist & movement therapist, with a special interest in supporting children to integrate their primitive reflexes. Jane is also a certified Level III trainer of Spacial Dynamics and is certified in Bothmer Gymnastics, Sensory Integration Praxis testing for children, and Neuro-developmental Treatment in pediatrics. She has studied the work of Dr. Emmi Pikler at the Pikler Institute in Budapest. She previously taught movement education in the early grades at the Monadnock Waldorf School and has provided classroom consultation and worked privately with children for many years. Jane is certified by the New Hampshire Child Development Bureau as an Early Childhood Master Professional Workshop Trainer. She has taught internationally and throughout the US. Jane has published several articles on sensory motor development in the young child. She has just completed the book, Free Movement from the Very Start: Self-initiated Movement and Sensorimotor Development. It is published by the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America.
