Project “Renate Riemeck”

Project “Renate Riemeck”

In the “Marburg Summer Lectures 1981/1982/1983,” Prof. Dr. Renate Riemeck presented “Classical Pedagogy according to Comenius and Reichwein” for the Department of Education at Philipps University in Marburg. This lecture was inspired by and referred to Scheuerl’s earlier work on “Classical Pedagogy” (1979) and highlighted exemplary classical portraits, all characterized by academic excellence, enthusiasm, and authenticity. In contrast to Scheuerl’s medley of specialists, Dr. Riemeck offers a lively and entertaining portrayal of more than two dozen major figures of classical pedagogy. This lecture series represents a synthesis of all these aspects and is therefore a priceless pedagogical treasure that must not be lost.

 

Renate Riemeck was a patriotic pacifist and played a key role in the peace movement in Central Europe; she viewed anthroposophy and Waldorf education with sympathy, but also with constructive criticism. Renate Riemeck regarded pedagogy and schooling as part of a process of comprehensive social reform. All in all, and unsurprisingly, she was a highly controversial figure in her time. Her lecture series was organized and accompanied by Prof. Dr. Christoph Berg, who remains a professor of education at Marburg University to this day. Following in the footsteps of Wagenschein and in the context of classical pedagogical writers, Christoph Berg developed the concept of “the art of teaching” and related it to the great masters of pedagogy.

 

The art of teaching is made up of exemplary moments. These moments consist of composed, rehearsed, varied, and continually refined examples of “moments of eminently human experience” or “timeless historical themes.” By teaching these moments, students learn how scholars and personalities from our cultural heritage arrived at their insights and discoveries. The art of teaching focuses on consolidating learning trajectories into genuine formative processes, thereby emphasizing the aesthetic dimensions of education.

 

In a collaborative project between the universities of Marburg, Paderborn, and Alanus University, we edited lectures by Renate Riemeck. The aim is to supplement these with primary texts, particularly focusing on those that have proven successful in school teaching in recent years within the context of the didactics of the art of teaching. This project is concerned with restoring the concept of teaching within both state and Waldorf education and repositioning it in relation to broader teaching theory. In this context, it becomes possible to analyze the basic principles of anthroposophy and Waldorf education within the broad spectrum of classical pedagogical theory. As a result, it also serves to clarify and further develop the reciprocal relationships between the art of teaching and the art of education.

 

Project management: Prof. Dr. Peter Schneider, Prof. Dr. Christoph Berg

 

Project duration: 2010-2012

 

Project funding: Software AG Foundation