Public Lecture Series: Fully Engaged in Life with Young Children - Society and Waldorf Education in Dialogue

30/08/2022 - Great adventures on little feet in an ever-changing world: both parents and educational professionals must continually face the social challenges and discourses of their time. The public lecture series at Alanus University in the autumn semester of 2022 aims to shed light on socially relevant contemporary topics, such as digitalization and sustainability, and bring them into dialogue with the assumptions and practical implementation of Waldorf early childhood education. Ten contributors will reveal the exciting aspects this holds for students, educators, parents, and teachers every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the foyer of Campus II.

From the University

Great adventures on little feet in an ever-changing world: both parents and educational professionals must continually face the social challenges and discourses of their time. The public lecture series at Alanus University in the autumn semester of 2022 aims to shed light on socially relevant contemporary topics, such as digitalization and sustainability, and bring them into dialogue with the assumptions and practical implementation of Waldorf early childhood education. Ten contributors will reveal the exciting aspects this holds for students, educators, parents, and teachers every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the foyer of Campus II.

It all begins on 04/10/22 with the opening lecture “Safely Sheltered – Spaces for Children” by Philipp Gelitz, who has been part of the team at the Institute for Childhood Education since this year as a lecturer in Waldorf early childhood education. The lecture series concludes with the talk “Heading Outdoors – Becoming Mobile, Free, and Safe” by institute director Janne Fengler on 13/12/22.

For the remaining Tuesday dates, recognized experts in the respective subject areas have been invited.

They ask

how pedagogical time-related problems can be addressed in the tension between support and allowing children to mature (11/10/22, Stefanie Greubel)
how, in the sense of salutogenesis, it is possible to contribute to strengthening the health of young children (18/10/22, Karin Michael)
what perspectives Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) offers for Waldorf early childhood education (25/10/22, Janina Binner & Lina Masek)
what the concept of learning looks like in Waldorf education and how this reveals a holistic view of the human being (08/11/22, Jost Schieren)
how the topics of digitalization and screen media extend into early childhood and what educational responses are possible here (15/11/22, Paula Bleckmann)
how the topics of speaking and understanding affect us and what tasks arise here for pre-school Waldorf education (22/11/22, Ulrich Maiwald)
how we live together in a migration society and what this requires of (Waldorf) educational institutions (29/11/22, Christiane Adam)
what significance creativity and imagination have for human beings and how unguided free play can contribute here to the experience of self-efficacy (06/12/22, Almut-Angelika Staude).

“We planned the lecture series in order to bring current social issues and the approaches of Waldorf education into dialogue with one another. I am therefore very pleased that we succeeded in representing both our own subject expertise here and involving external experts. The events promise to open up interesting perspectives,” says Philipp Gelitz, who is responsible for the series on behalf of the Institute for Childhood Education.

You can find the poster for the lecture series here.

Admission is free! No registration is required. Larger groups are asked to register informally by email: philipp.gelitz@alanus.edu

We look forward to welcoming you!