Remedial Education Program

When there is a lack of completed development, students struggle to learn. Teachers looking for a deepened understanding of child development as a foundation for learning, as well as practical pedagogical approaches, will find this program helpful. By relating the individual learning differences to students’ developmental situations, teachers can develop appropriate activities that meet the needs of their students whether in the classroom, small groups or in individual lessons.

The Remedial Education Program is a part-time course of study designed to educate Waldorf teachers and related professionals in educational support theory and practice. This support includes assessment, individual drawing, painting, and movement exercises, creative tutoring, as well as classroom strategies to aid challenged students with their daily schoolwork. Graduates of this program work as classroom teachers, educational support teachers, resource teachers, educational therapists, therapeutic educators, or educational consultants.

The program is designed to give participants the opportunity to:
• Deepen their understanding of human development with emphasis on the foundations for cognitive learning skills
• Develop a capacity to “read” the children in our care
• Learn to perform remedial assessments
• Develop and implement an educational support program
• Enhance classroom work

The Extra Lesson™, developed by Waldorf educator Audrey McAllen, is a program of movement, drawing, and painting exercises for students with learning and/or behavioral challenges. Extra Lesson assessment and exercises are the foundational material in the Remedial Education Program. Rudolf Steiner’s indications for curative education, including the soul and constitutional types, are also covered. The sources of students’ learning and behavior challenges are thoroughly explored from developmental, educational, and medical/neurological/therapeutic perspectives. How to use children’s drawings as indicators of their developmental level is another vital topic. Various educational and therapeutic Waldorf, anthroposophic, and mainstream support resources are included as well.

Movement classes include: developmental movements, hygienic and therapeutic eurythmy, Spacial Dynamics™, pedagogical exercises, Move-in-Time and Extra Lesson exercises

Artistic classes to help deepen faculties of perception include: painting, drawing, clay modeling, folk-dance, music (singing) and speech.

Therapies covered include: chirophonetics, therapeutic eurythmy, anthroposophical medical interventions, rhythmical massage and an introduction to art therapy, music therapy, vision therapy, and cranio-sacral therapy.

Schedule

This program meets three times a year for three years. Sessions are held over a four-day weekend each spring and fall and for two weeks in the summer of each year. Each session includes theory and practical activities. Between sessions, students have extensive reading, research, movement, painting, form drawing, and observation assignments. The second and third years include work with a mentor. A new cycle of studies begins every two years; the next one begins November 2012.

Admission

This program is designed for teachers who have completed a Waldorf teacher training or the equivalent. In situations where the student has previous teaching or other professional experience working with children, Foundation Year studies or the equivalent is prerequisite to entering the program. Professionals who have been trained in Therapeutic Eurythmy, Spacial Dynamics™, Speech Formation, or anthroposophically oriented Art or Music Therapy will also be considered. For information concerning Admission, Tuition and Fees, and Financial Aid, go to our Admissions page or contact us.

Learn More

For more information, download our informational flier: Remedial Education Program (PDF).