Making Waldorf recognisable as added value

13.05.2020 - Adriana Stickel and Thilo Erythropel talk in an interview with the Software AG - Stiftung about their Waldorf education studies

From the university

Adriana Stickel and Thilo Erythropel talk in an interview with the Software AG - Stiftung about their Waldorf education studies

Many aspiring educators are looking for part-time degree programmes with a strong practical focus. This was also the case for Ariadne Stickel (31) and Thilo Erythropel (32), who consciously chose the master’s degree programme in “Education/Waldorf Education” in Alfter. Both are currently in their sixth semester and want to work as class teachers at a Waldorf school after graduating. Alongside her studies, Ariadne Stickel works as a group leader in the after-school care section of the Waldorf school in Cologne-Chorweiler. Thilo Erythropel leads an after-school care group at the Rudolf Steiner School Hamburg-Wandsbek and also works in teaching blocks as a classroom assistant in various year groups. In an interview with the Software AG – Stiftung, the main sponsor of Alanus University, they describe how they experience studying at Alanus University.

Why did you choose Alanus University and Alfter as your place of study?
Ariadne Stickel: I looked at various places and institutions to study. After the open day and a conversation with programme director Jost Schieren, I was so enthusiastic that I also sat in on classes. After that, it was clear: I wanted to study at Alanus University. More than at other places, in Alfter I had the impression: here I would encounter content I could truly relate to and that would resonate with me. At the same time, I immediately felt drawn to the way teaching was approached.

Thilo Erythropel: I came here from Hamburg for a taster day and was immediately impressed as well. Another very pragmatic reason for me was that the programme in Alfter is the only option in Germany where you can complete the master’s degree part-time while working.

“People, not student numbers”: your university uses this motto in its communications. What sets it apart from other university institutions?
Ariadne Stickel: Quite a lot. I previously studied at the Free University in Berlin, which is of course much larger. But I experience studying at Alanus University as far more personal. You have no chance to disappear into the crowd – in a positive sense. The close connection with the lecturers makes a different kind of learning possible. I experience genuine interest and a great deal of commitment on the part of the teaching staff.

Thilo Erythropel: That’s true. It feels quite family-like here, and the structure of the programme probably also plays a role in that.

In what way?
Thilo Erythropel: We don’t just sit in seminars and receive theoretical input; we also do eurythmy, paint, or make music. I think all of that fosters the feeling of being a human being here, and not just someone absorbing knowledge.

Ariadne Stickel: Exactly. I experience studying at Alanus University as a very intense period of time. There is a strong sense of community, and intellectually I feel as stimulated as perhaps never before. There is often a lot of laughter, but still – and there’s no contradiction in that – a great deal is learned.

A key concern of the education degree programmes in Alfter is the dialogical connection between reform pedagogy and Waldorf education on the one hand, and general educational science on the other. How do you personally perceive this approach?
Ariadne Stickel:Because we also have lecturers from educational science and not only from the field of reform pedagogy, this creates a discursive space that is sometimes also controversial. That is very helpful in seeing Waldorf education in a broader context. I would find it problematic to study Waldorf education in isolation, without also incorporating current academic insights.

Thilo Erythropel:This engagement is not only important in order to deal well with criticism, for example, but is also something quite special in Germany. It is not common to open oneself up in this way, invite critics, and try to enter into dialogue. The point is to make Waldorf recognisable as added value. And successfully so: many Waldorf educational elements and methods are now also recognised in the state school system.

Your degree programme is not only about academic reflection, but also about acquiring pedagogical practical skills. How does that become visible in concrete terms?
Ariadne Stickel: For this purpose, Alanus University cooperates with the Waldorf Seminar in Kassel. Twice a year, study blocks of three weeks each take place there, during which we practise almost exclusively practical skills that prepare us well for later school practice. But there are also many practical elements and role plays in the rest of the programme. For example, we practise conducting parents’ evenings. Or we imagine ourselves standing in front of a second-grade class and introducing a particular topic. We then prepare something like that in pairs.

Another special feature is the interdisciplinary and cross-year Studium Generale as an essential component of all degree programmes. What is it about?
Ariadne Stickel: Its focus is on engaging with philosophically oriented questions that, in fact, concern all of us as human beings. Basically, that would make sense at any university and in any degree programme, because this kind of study is not subject-specific, but confronts us with questions about philosophy and education, or art and society.

Thilo Erythropel: The Studium Generale is not primarily about educational topics. As the name suggests, the approach is holistic. We paint, for example, in order to experience the artistic process ourselves – for our own development, not in order to learn how to teach art to others.

Alanus University emerged from an art education institution with an anthroposophical orientation. What role do the arts and anthroposophy play in your studies, and also for you personally?
Ariadne Stickel:The artistic element plays a major and foundational role. At first, that surprised me. But it then turned out to be very positive, because art very quickly led to a group dynamic that also has a positive effect in other subjects. Anthroposophy is, of course, also of great importance – Waldorf education is based on it, after all. Although some of it was already familiar to me, I am finding a completely different approach to anthroposophy here. I experience a living, contemporary, and yet by no means arbitrary way of engaging with it, which also helps me in my practical work with children. This becomes particularly clear in our part-time version of the programme, because we can apply anthroposophical impulses, for example in the study of the human being, directly in our daily work. I find that very enriching.

Thilo Erythropel: I feel exactly the same. In my work with the children, I adopt a different gesture as an educator because of it. When I look at the children, I am more inclined to ask what is actually approaching me there, and less what I have to put into them so that the child meets certain social or economic expectations. I appreciate the non-dogmatic approach to anthroposophy and the fact that people also try to translate it to some extent. As for the artistic side: I am exceptionally grateful that I can express that here. And I believe it also helps me professionally, because it fosters creativity and curiosity. The fact that art has such a high status was an important reason for me why I want to become a Waldorf educator in the first place.

English Version

Many aspiring educators would like to have part-time, practical courses of study. This is also the case for Ariadne Stickel (31) and Thilo Erythropel (32), who deliberately opted for the master’s degree course in Pedagogy/Waldorf Education in Alfter. Both are currently in their sixth semester and would like to work as teachers in a Waldorf school after they graduate. Parallel to her studies, Ariadne Stickel also works as a group leader in after-school activities at the Waldorf School in Cologne-Chorweiler. Thilo Erythropel heads an after-school activity group at the Rudolf Steiner School in Hamburg-Wandsbek and is committed as a teaching assistant in block teaching courses for various grades. In the interview with Software AG – Stiftung (SAGST), the main sponsor of Alanus Hochschule, they both report on how they experience studying at Alanus University.

Why did you choose Alanus University and Alfter as your place to study?
Ariadne Stickel: I looked at various colleges and places to study. After the open day and a meeting with the course director Jost Schieren, I was so inspired that I even sat in on lectures. After that it was clear that I wanted to study at Alanus University. More so than in other places, I had the impression in Alfter that I could expect course content I could get to grips with and would strike a chord with me. At the same time, I immediately felt how appealing the method of teaching was.

Thilo Erythropel: I came here from Hamburg to check it out and was also immediately impressed. One very pragmatic reason for me was also that studying in Alfter is the only master’s degree course in Germany that you can do part-time.

“Real people instead of registration numbers” – your university uses this motto to advertise itself. What makes it different from other university institutions?
Ariadne Stickel: Quite a few things. I previously studied at the Free University in Berlin, which is of course a lot bigger. But I feel studying at Alanus University is much more personal. You have no chance to escape – in a positive sense. Our close connections with the lecturers enable us to learn in a different way. I notice real interest and a lot of commitment on the part of the teachers.

Thilo Erythropel: That’s true. Everything’s done in a fairly informal way here and the course structure probably plays a role in this too.

In what way?
Thilo Erythropel: We don’t just sit in seminars taking on theoretical input, but we also engage in eurythmy, painting or music. I believe all of this promotes the sense of being a human being and not just someone absorbing knowledge.

Ariadne Stickel: Exactly. For me, studying at Alanus University is a very condensed time. There’s a whole lot of community activities and I’m mentally so stimulated as I may never have been before. We laugh a lot but still – and there’s no contradiction here at all – we learn a lot too.

A major concern of the educational courses in Alfter is the dialogical connection of reform and Waldorf education on the one hand and general educational science on the other. How do you see this approach personally?
Ariadne Stickel: The fact that we also have lecturers from educational science and not only from the reform pedagogy sector creates a discursive, sometimes even controversial environment. This is very helpful in seeing Waldorf education in a broader context. I would find it difficult to study Waldorf education in isolation without including current scientific knowledge as well.

Thilo Erythropel: This discussion is not only important in order to be able to deal with the corresponding criticism, for example, but also something special nationwide. It doesn’t often happen that you open up in this way, invite critics and attempt to enter into a dialogue. It’s about making Waldorf identifiable as added value. And successfully, as many Waldorf educational elements and methods are also recognised in the state school system today.

Your studies are not all about academic reflection but also about attaining practical educational skills. How is this demonstrated specifically?
Ariadne Stickel: Alanus University cooperates with the Waldorf Seminar in Kassel. Study blocks of three weeks each take place there twice a year, in which we practise almost exclusively skills that prepare us well for our subsequent jobs in schools. But there are also many practical elements and role games in the rest of our studies. For example, we practise holding parent evenings. Or we imagine being in a second class and introducing a specific subject. We then prepare something like this in pairs.

Another special item is the interdisciplinary and mixed grade general studies, called Studium Generale, as an essential part of all the courses. So, what does this involve?
Ariadne Stickel: The focus here is on dealing with philosophically oriented issues that actually affect us all as human beings. This would basically make sense at every university and for every course, as this kind of studying is not subject-specific but confronts us with questions about philosophy and education or art and society.

Thilo Erythropel: The general studies programme is not primarily about educational issues. As the name says, access to it is holistic. We paint, for example, in order to experience the artistic process ourselves – for our own development, not to learn how we can communicate art to others.

Alanus University emerged from an anthroposophically oriented art studies site. What role do the artistic and anthroposophy play in your studies, but also for you personally?
Ariadne Stickel: The artistic element plays a major and significant role. That surprised me at first. But it turned out to be very positive, because the art quickly led to a group dynamic, which also has a positive effect in other subjects. Anthroposophy is of course also of great importance – Waldorf education is based on it after all. Even though some things were familiar to me, I find a completely different approach to anthroposophy here. I experience a lively, contemporary but by no means arbitrary way of dealing with it, which also helps me in my practical work with children. This becomes particularly clear in our part-time version of the course, as we can implement the anthroposophic propositions in anthropology, for example, directly in our everyday routine.

Thilo Erythropel: I feel exactly the same way. In my work with children, I adopt a different attitude as an educator. When I consider children, I tend to ask myself how they are actually going to impact me rather than what I have to invest in each child so they will live up to certain social or economic obligations. I appreciate the undogmatic way of dealing with anthroposophy and that we make an attempt to reinterpret it to some extent. As far as the artistic element goes, I’m exceptionally grateful that I can live through this. Plus, I believe it also helps me in my job, because it promotes creativity and inquisitiveness. The fact that art has such an important significance was a major reason for me why I want to become a Waldorf educator in the first place.