Rudolf Steiner

a theory of imaginationFall 2008

Presentation Overview• Steiner’s Background• Steiner’s Theory• Waldorf Schools• Overview of Terms• The Basic Issue• Procedure• Background on Children• Findings• Conclusion• Implications• Evaluation

Rudolf Steiner• Born February 27, 1861 in Kraljevec, Croatia• As a young child, the beauty of nature greatly influenced

him. As he said: “ I was surrounded by two worlds: a spiritual world and a world of sense.”

• At age 8 he said upon reading a geometry textbook, “one can live within the mind in the shaping of forms perceived only within oneself”

• From 11-18 attended a secondary school for science, called Realschule, in Austria and discovered Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.

• 1879 Studied Math and Science at the Techincal College of Vienna (here he developed and interest in many subjects)

• At the same time he began tutoring a family of four boys• While attending College in Vienna, he became deeply

interested in Philosophy.• 1884 began to study Goethe’s natural science writings in

Vienna

Rudolf Steiner • Met many of the leading personalities of his time such as Herman Grimm (art historian and

Goethe scholar), Ernst Haeckel (scientist), Luwig Leister (author).• 1891 Received his PhD at the University of Rostock• 1894 Wrote the Philosophy of Spiritual Activity• After receiving his PhD he began writing and lecturing. • 1919 Founded the first Waldorf School in Stuttgart, Germany• 1923 Founded the instituted the School for the Science of the Spirit to further knowledge of

Anthroposophy.• By the end of his life he had written 50 works and had given over 6,000 lectures. He had

founded or had established a formation for: homes for children in need of special care, biodynamic farming and gardening, the art of Eurythmy, and a Clinical and Therapeutic Institute.

• 1925 Died

Steiner’s Theory

Anthroposophy– “The Science of the Spirit” from the

Greek: Anthropos and Sophia meaning “human” and “wisdom” respectively.

– “Steiner believed in the possibility of applying the clarity of scientific thinking to spiritual experience, which he saw as deriving from an objectively existing spiritual world. Steiner identified mathematics, which attains certainty through thinking itself, thus through inner experience rather than empirical observation [is] the basis of his epistemology of spiritual experience.”

Steiner’s Theory• How Imagination Connects to Anthroposophy

– Imagination allows the person to exercise his or her spiritual/ intuitive/ feeling capacities.– “Man consists of body, soul, and spirit and that in the child body soul and spirit are still in

unity.”– Steiner also describes this unity as body, feeling-life, and intellect. The imagination,

“constitutes a link between the two ends of human existence, thought and action…spiritualism and materialism” (Nielson 19, 20).

– Imagination theorist “Rugg points toward Einstein as a scientist and philosopher in whom the rational, scientific way of thinking was epitomized, but who nevertheless often explained that none of his ideas emerged out of analytic thinking. Rather, they came as intuitive flashes, feeling-thoughts, which then he might try to express logically in words afterwards.” (Nielson 20).

Waldorf Schools• From Theory to Practice:

Steiner’s theory of imagination is fundamental to his pedagogy. There are seven teaching methods that use imagination:– Drama: creates emotional-aesthetic links with learning content.

• Pretending/ Role-Play• Play-Acting

– Exploration: allows the child to construct ideas, feelings, images, concepts via imagination and direct experience.• Making Tools• Building • Gardening

– Story-Telling: enables the child to live in emotions and to arrive at values • Myths• Fairy-Tales

– Routine:• Festivals• Chores• Morning Verse• Lunch and Grace

Waldorf Schools– From Theory to Practice:– Arts: develop beauty, harmony, balance within the child in such a way as to speak to his

or her imagination and feeling-life• Drawing• Painting• Woodworking• Blacksmithing• Eurythmy• Music• Calligraphy

– Discussion: assists in forming pictorial images that may or may not fit existing schemas and thus aids the pursuit of abstract or deeper truths. (Nielson 17).

– Empathy: The teacher’s fundamental drive must be love of children or empathy. Empathy and imagination belong to the same realm of feelings. The relationship between teacher and pupil is highly dependant on the teacher’s ability to…embody and physically display empathy. Thus the child’s imaginative capacity is dependant on that of the teacher. (Nielson 19). • One class teacher (grades 1-8)

Important Terms • Anthroposophy: science of the spirit• Imagination: the use of the powers of the soul to create inner images, feelings, and thoughts in a

non-literal way. These inner images, feelings and thoughts may be based in reality, but are not necessarily re-capitulations of things already seen or heard. By being actively and inwardly imaginative the child is able to make sense of his practical experience and thus eventually bridge the gap between experience and more rational abstract thought.

• Non-Literal Toys: without great amounts of detail or definition; not “task-specific,” able to be used in a variety of ways; often the origin or source is recognizable by its simplicity.

• Literal Toys: highly detailed and prescribed features; having a specific function or associated with a specific story, time-period, game, television show etc…

• Pedagogy of Imagination: the seven imaginative teaching methods used in waldorf schools: drama, exploration, storytelling, routine, arts, discussion, empathy.

• Socailly-Inculturated Themes: Externally-imposed ideas from media, some adult attitudes (includes certain ways of dressing, acting, speaking).

• Detail: high levels of precision in description and imagination of arranging materials.• Wonderment: a quiet inner sense of awe and fulfillment (rather than curiosity which asks question

upon question without being sated)• Fuidity: moving easily from one idea, image, feeling to another.• Compound-Ideas: combines many other aspects of imgination including: detail, feeling/ emotion,

fuidity, and naration in order to create a complex story, scene or image.• Re-Capitulation: telling a story that was prevously seen, heard, or read. Acting out a scene

according to a pre-established set of roles, schemas, ideas.

Our Study

• The Basic Issue• Steiner Says• Hypothesis• Procedure• Background• Data• Conclusions• Implications• Evaluation

The Basic Issue• Many young children today seem to have lost what Steiner calls, “spiritual knowledge”

or a sense of wholeness— an inner life. While this inner life is deeply and intuitively accessible for children, they must be given opportunities to exercise their spiritual nature.

• One exercise opportunity can be found in imaginative forms of play. However, these exercises should, according to Steiner, use certain types of materials, namely, simple, natural, or non-literal toys. Through using these versatile materials the child can deepen his or her inner life.

• Today in many areas, the child’s opportunities for exercising imagination tend to be limited due to the nature of the toys they use and their exposure to television. They come to expect high levels of detail and are intolerant of abstraction.

Steiner Says: Steiner often gives the following example regarding a rag doll, “Give a child a handkerchief or piece of cloth, knot it so that a head appears above, and two legs below, an you have made a doll or a kind of clown. With a few ink stains you can

give it eyes, nose, mouth, or better still allow the child to do it…it is far better if you make a doll out of a linen rag than if you give the child one of those perfect dolls, possibly with highly colored cheeks, smartly dressed, a doll which will even close its eyes when put down horizontally…for what are you doing if you give a child

such a doll? You prevent it from unfolding its own soul-activity.”

Our Hypothesis

Providing a child with non-literal play materials will produce greater imaginative

focus, creativity, and more apparent interest than standard literal toys that are

comparable.

Procedure• Schulze Elementary• Interviewed 11 children 6-7yrs of age

– Six children were interviewed with non-literal toys– Five children were interviewed with literal toys

• Three parts to each interview:– Preliminary Questions: name, age, birthday, toys, play habits– Free Play: children had opportunity to look at the toys, touch them,

play with them, or ask questions about them. – Follow-up Questions:

• Where did your ideas come from?• What books do you enjoy?• Any media influences?

The ChildrenGroup 1: Non-Literal Toys

Name Age B-Day Toys Play Books T.V./ Media

Ideas

Emma 7 10/18 stuffed animals, cars, Tinkerbell, Hanna Montana

park, with friends, zoo, cat and dog

Tinkerbell and Princess Books

Disney channel, H. Montana, H.S. musical

From friends

Marcus 6 11/8 board games, monkeys, starwars, legoes, mario brothers

With friends, video-games

n/a Star Wars and Ben 10

In my mind

Mikaela 6 8/26 Cars, stuffed animals, giraffes, elephants, Hannah Montana

With dogs, outside, tag

Tinkerbell, Sealed with a Kiss, Ariel and Flounder, Fancy Nancy

The Little Mermaid

My brain

Jocelyn 6 12/22 Stuffed animals, koalas “animal time”, plays with cousins

The Case of the Climbing Cat

n/a From my head

Emily 6 7/18 brats, chihuauas, cats, lions

n/a Princess books n/a From books

Nathan 7 1/21 Cars, snakes, dinosaurs, play-station: god of war and guitar hero

Plays with two dogs, imagines he’s a lion and a big red horse with fire

Dinosaur Club Video games From my brain and from outside

Group 2: Literal Toys

Name Age B-Day Toys Play Books Media Ideas

Kayani 6 6/29 Animals, kitties, barbies, dogs, snowglobes, dolphins

With friends, soccer with dad, barbies do gymnastics, riding horses, pretends barbies and stuffed animals are real, pretends she’s a princess

Henry Mudge, Silly Sally, Skippy John Jones

Disney movies, Shrek, Sponge Bob

From my Head and T.V. shows

Majidah 6 12/26 Brats, cars, dolls, princesses

dress-up dolls, building blocks, riding bike, dress-up with friends, imagining she’s a princess with sisters, Mac Donald’s playground, cat and dog

Crazy Hair Day, fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella

Cinderella, Disney, Hannah Montana

From Disney Movies

Hector 6 2/14 Cars, robots, pokemon cards

Brother, pretends he’s Batman

Crazy Hair Day (no books from parents)

Pokemon, Sta Wars

From my Brain“I don’t know”

John 6 4/12 Puzzles, animals, lions

Plays outside, Battle gun?? Ben 10, Alien Forest, Star Wars, Pokemon

From Toys

Mario 6 1/12 Batman, Superman

Plays doctor and firefighter with brother

Silly Sally, P.J. Funny Bunny

Batman, Superman cartoons

From my Brain

A Scale of ImaginationZero One Two Three Four Five

While the child may be

willing to answer

questions about his or

her play habits, the child does

not engage with the toys

provided.

The child selects

material to play with,

but uses the material in a literal way;

recapitulates a previously heard story, uses media-references.

Does not display much

fluidity, detail, or

emotional content.

The child selects one or more

materials and arranges them in

a literal and a non-literal way. Child begins to

use some compound ideas, displays fluidity of ideas, uses

emotions. However, there

may be indications of

outside influences and

the child appears to lose interest/

is distracted after a short period of

time.

The child selects one or

more materials and arranges/

plays with them for a

longer period of time in a

predominantly non-literal way. With increased fluidity of

ideas, detail, emotional

content and wonderment.

Little or no outside

influences are aparent.

The child selects one or more

materials and arranges/ plays with

them with focus and apparent

enjoyment. Many of the ideas

represented are non-literal. The

child may narrate a story aloud or reveal a story afterward. In

general the child displays complex

imaginative thought, elaborate images, fluid ideas, high levels of detail, emotional content, and wonderment.

The child selects one or more

materials and arranges/ plays with them with intense focus, interest and an unwillingness to

stop. The ideas represented are non-literal. The child may try to

engage observers in the imagined story. The child displays

highly complex imaginative

thought, elaborate images, fluid ideas, high levels of detail, emotional content, and wonderment.

Group 1: Non-Literal Toys Group 2: Literal Toys

Name & Score

Description of Play Name &Score

Description of Play

Emma5

Made a house with blocks, wool on top of block to make a tree, rocks used to make a mouse house, family sitting in backyard, grandmother cooking, had the fox jumping into the “bath”

Kayani1

Played with princesses and explained who the characters in the corresponding movies were. Dressed the dolls. Recalled when Cinderella lost her slipper and wondered what happened to Cinderella’s father in the movie.

Marcus0.5

Played with magnets, told story about his dad picking up nails with a magnet, “I don’t usually play with old-fashioned toys.”

Mario0

Did not engage with the toys, seemed reticent and uncertain. Although able to respond to questions.

Mikaela0

Did not engage with the toys, seemed somewhat uncertain as to what she should do.

Majidah1

Dressed dolls, put on shoes. Played with Belle b/c favorite, then played with Cinderella. Difficulty with some of the accessories. Placed toys back in proper boxes and containers. Arranged the materials.

Jocelyn2.5

Began arranging blocks and placed magnets in a circle on top of one of the blocks. Displayed evidence of fluidity and non-literal uses of materials. Interview time was interrupted

Hector0

Did not engage with the toys, seemed reticent and unsure. Was able to respond to questions when asked, but did not offer any additional information.

Emily3

Referred to magnets as “a crayfish,” asked, “is this real wood?” also asked about the shells, the rocks she said, “are too soft and smooth.” Talked about one of the dolls as Little Red Riding Hood.

John2.5

Began by running up to the table and saying, “woah awesome.” Said “the one with the green sword is happy.” Attacked the chickens with the sword fight. Played with pokemon. Arranged the animals. Began sword-fighting again. Says they remind him of Star Wars, but did not know their names. Piles animals on top of each other. Uses the fences as bridges places the tree at the end of the bridge and Luke escapes up the tree. Uses the fence as a trap.

Nathan0.5

Played with magnets, said of the shells, “they’re like my mom’s.” Asked if Katie made the swing. Showed Katie how magnets stick together.

Data Analysis

Conclusion

• Conclusion: Results were highly variable. It is clear that every child has the capacity for imagination.

• In general the children in group 1 seemed to display more non-literal uses of toys. This would seem to suggest that non-literal toys at least offer the opportunity for increased exercise of of non-literal thought. Also, group 1 displayed a greater sense of wonderment at the toys. This was evidenced in their frequent questioning and awe at the new kinds of toys in front of them.

• However, group 2 showed greater evidence of media-influenced play and tended to re-capitulate previously heard stories and images. This would seem to suggest that literal toys elicit an externally imposed or socially-inculturated theme rather than a deeper interior response.

Implications

• Imagination lays the foundation for the spiritual and intellectual growth of the person and thereby leaves the possibility for progress within society.

• In education, teachers should provide opportunities for the exercise of the imagination.

• Educators should be aware that media, because it imposes an external influence on the child which he receives passively, it does not allow the child to develop an inner-life.

Evaluation• During Interviews

– Noise in room/ distractions– Variable temperaments/ personalities– Inconsistency in following script verbatim– Uneven distribution of children to person interviewing

• After Interviews (while analyzing data)– Data was highly variable– Sample size too small to be statistically significant– Time was limited

– Although our study may not be scientifically accurate, it can provide the foundation for further research.