Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Dirk Rohde
Adjunct Professor of Educational Science and Waldorf Education
Field: Educational Science, Early Childhood Education, Art and Waldorf Education / Department of Educational Science
CV
| 1986 – 1988 | botanical research work and additional qualification as a Waldorf teacher |
| 1988 – 2021 | teacher of Biology, Chemistry, and interdisciplinary Natural Sciences; Freie Waldorfschule Marburg |
| since 1990 | Head of the Natural Sciences Department; Freie Waldorfschule Marburg |
| 1995 – 2000 | Deputy Head of School; Freie Waldorfschule Marburg |
| 1999 – 2021 | Responsible for the annual Chemistry conferences of the German Waldorf schools, including the organization of subject-specific and subject-didactic professional development for Chemistry teachers |
| 2001 – 2008 | Head of School; Freie Waldorfschule Marburg |
| 2003 | Doctorate (Dr. phil.) at the Department of Educational Sciences at Philipps University of Marburg; dissertation topic: “What Does ‘Living’ Teaching Mean?”; supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hans Christoph Berg; second reviewer: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Klafki |
| since 2003 | Lecturer at the Department of Educational Sciences at Philipps University of Marburg |
| since 2003 | Board member of Bildungsfaktor Abitur (association of Hessian grammar school principals) |
| since 2003 | State subject advisor for Biology and Chemistry; State Working Group of Hessian Waldorf Schools; regular organization and implementation of subject-specific and subject-didactic professional development for Hessian Biology and Chemistry teachers |
| 2008 | Successful completion of the procedure for determining equivalence with teaching qualifications for grammar schools |
| since 2008 | subject-specific and subject-didactic teacher training at the Kassel Seminar for Waldorf Education, an affiliated institute of Alanus University Alfter |
| since 2010 | subject-specific and subject-didactic international training and continuing education courses for Waldorf teachers, with a focus on Eastern Europe and Asia |
| 2012 – 2022 | academic studies on the state Abitur, with a focus on Hesse; publication of the results in 2022: “Waldorf Schools and the State Abitur. A Comparative Study Using the Example of Advanced Biology in Hesse” |
| since 2013 | Responsible for the annual Biology conferences of the German Waldorf schools, including the organization of subject-specific and subject-didactic professional development for Biology teachers |
| since 2013 | Subject advisor for education policy; State Working Group of Hessian Waldorf Schools; responsible for questions and tasks relating to education policy and educational science |
| since 2019 | Member of the graduate school at Alanus University Alfter |
| 2021 | Habilitation at the Department of Educational Sciences at Philipps University of Marburg; award of the Venia Legendi for the field of Educational Science with a focus on School Pedagogy |
| since 2022 | Adjunct Professor for the field of Educational Science and Waldorf Education at Alanus University Alfter |
Publications
Rohde, Dirk (2026): Chemie in Waldorfschulen. Chemie aus der Perspektive von Prozessen unterrichten. Kassel: edition waldorf, Pädagogische Forschungsstelle.
Rohde, Dirk / Sommer, Wilfried (2025): Elective Lessons in the Online Upper School Campus. Pilot Project: Context-based Approaches to the Atom. – Elective Lessons in the Online Upper School Campus. Pilot Project: Context-based Approaches to the Atom. Article in both – German and English – versions. RoSE, Vol 15 No 2.
Rohde, Dirk (2025): Chemistry in Waldorf Schools. Teaching Chemistry from the Perspective of Processes. Kassel: edition waldorf, Pädagogische Forschungsstelle.
Rohde, Dirk (2024): The Worldwide Waldorf Curriculum – Proteins as an Example of its Adaptation to Present Teaching. RoSE, Vol 14 No 2.
Rohde, Dirk (2023): Lead responsibility for the Chemistry chapter and collaboration on the Biology chapter in the revision of Tobias Richter (ed.): Educational Mission and Teaching Goals – from the Waldorf School Curriculum. Stuttgart: Pädagogische Forschungsstelle beim Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen.
Rohde, Dirk (2013/2023): Chemistry Reader. Introductory guide to developing Chemistry teaching at independent Waldorf schools. Compilation of professional articles. German, English, Spanish and Russian version.
Rohde, Dirk (2022a): Biology in Waldorf Schools. Teaching Biology from the Perspective of Life. Stuttgart: edition waldorf, Pädagogische Forschungsstelle beim Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen.
Rohde, Dirk (2022b): Natural Sciences and Waldorf Education in Adolescence. In: Wiehl, Angelika / Steinwachs, Frank (eds.): Handbook of Waldorf Youth Education Studies. Bad Heilbrunn: Julius Klinkhardt.
Rohde, Dirk (2022c): Waldorf Schools and the State Abitur. A comparative study using the example of advanced Biology in Hesse. Habilitation thesis. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa.
Boland, Neil / Rohde, Dirk (2022d): The development of Steiner / Waldorf education: Looking through the lens of time. RoSE, Vol 13 No 1.
Rohde, Dirk (2021): Waldorf Education – A Review. Studies in Educational Science. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa.
Rohde, Dirk (2019): Overview of Natural History and Biology teaching, grades 1 to 12. Also: Teaching concept at Waldorf schools in Hesse, Biology in grades 11 to 13 under Abitur conditions. Both articles in Zimmermann, Ylva-Maria / Wallmann, Reinhard (eds.): Biology in the Waldorf School. A Practical Handbook for Upper School Teachers. Stuttgart: Freies Geistesleben.
Rohde, Dirk (2018 a): Biology. In: Sigler, Stephan, Sommer, Wilfried, Zech, M. Michael (eds.): Handbook of Upper School Teaching at Waldorf Schools. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa.
Rohde, Dirk (2018 b): Chemistry Teaching in the Waldorf Upper School. In: Landl, Richard (ed.): Setting Out into the World. Waldorf Educational Foundations of the Upper School with Teaching Examples. Dornach: Verlag am Goetheanum.
Rohde, Dirk / Wunderlin, Ulrich (2016): Chemistry. In: Richter, Tobias (ed.): Educational Mission and Teaching Goals – from the Waldorf School Curriculum. Stuttgart: Freies Geistesleben.
Götte, Wenzel M., Loebell, Peter, Maurer, Klaus-Michael (2009): Developmental Tasks and Competencies. On the Waldorf School Curriculum. Co-responsibility for the chapter on Chemistry. Stuttgart: Freies Geistesleben.
Rohde, Dirk (2003): What Does ‘Living’ Teaching Mean? Faraday’s Candle and Goethe’s Plant Metamorphosis at a Freie Waldorfschule. Dissertation. Marburg: Tectum. https://www.forschung-waldorf.de/publikation/was-heisst-lebendiger-unterricht