Teaching to the Four Realms of Thinking in a Waldorf-Inspired Homeschool
by Sarah Barrett
In a Waldorf-inspired homeschool, the goal for each lesson is to provide nourishment to four realms of thinking within the student. Keep in mind, none of these four areas are higher than, or valued more than another.
The four realms of thinking are:
The child’s rational thinking. This is where the “academics” lie and needs little explanation because it is the primary focus of most conventional lessons. A child’s rational thinking really begins to blossom around the age of 10, when we add formal science lessons. However, the “Three R’s” (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic) would fall under this umbrella beginning in first grade.
The child’s imaginative thinking. It was Einstein who said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” Allowing a child to think imaginatively and fostering creativity are vital to brain development and encourage children to explore the unknown.
The child’s moral reasoning. We have the honor and responsibility as grownups to both model and teach about integrity and good character. Education of this nature shapes the future of humankind in positive and powerful ways.
The child’s capacity for awe and wonder. The University of California at Berkeley conducted recent research on awe and found that “awe experiences may bring with them a host of physiological, psychological, and social effects. For example, studies have found that feelings of awe can be accompanied by heart rate changes, “goosebumps,” and the sensation of chills, and there is some evidence that awe may even decrease markers of chronic inflammation. When it comes to psychological effects, studies have found that awe can create a diminished sense of self (an effect known as “the small self”), give people the sense that they have more available time, increase feelings of connectedness, increase critical thinking and skepticism, increase positive mood, and decrease materialism. Multiple studies have found evidence that experiencing awe makes people more kind and generous.”
Read the full UC Berkeley research: The Science of Awe: GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Awe_FINAL.pdf (berkeley.edu)
At Lotus & Ivy, we believe all main lessons must teach to these four realms of thinking. Here is an example of what this looks like with the Human and Animal blocks in fourth grade.
Rational Thinking
During these science blocks, we present facts and figures about the animals to nourish the child’s desire for real-world information. We bring to the student new vocabulary such as siphon, cephalopod, and ruminant; information about many animals and their habitats; their specializations; as well as animal classification. We research and write expository essays and more. All of this educates the child’s rational thinking.
Imaginative Thinking
Stories about the animals, though factual, must be told in imaginative ways to enliven this part of the child’s thinking. Wild tales about octopi in captivity or the story of Ms. Rowena Farr who kept her pet seal, Lora, for seven years and even taught it to sing! Poems such as “The Octopus” by Ogden Nash, “A Cloak for a Fairy” by Anonymous, and many more strengthen the creative forces along with original drawings and artwork.
Moral Reasoning
Educating the moral life of the child is often overlooked in conventional lessons, but so important for the child and for our world. In the fourth grade Human and Animal blocks, the teacher should spend time in discussion with the children about the differences between humans and other animals. Humans must not be presented as “better than”, but our spine is upright, freeing our hands for good work. Think of all the wonderful work we do with our free hands – we write books, we build, we paint, we grow food, we perform surgeries, we create, we invent, we hug, and we help each other in many ways. During this discussion, one little girl once said, “We have a responsibility to the animals, but they do not have a responsibility to us.” The children often bring their own moral depth and truth to the conversation.
A common activity during this block is to collaborate on a list (that becomes a main lesson book page) of “Gifts from the Animals”. It is easy to generate over 25 gifts humans receive from the animals, like honey, pearls, violin bows, love, pollination, silk, chalk, down feathers, service animals, eggs, wool, medicines, and much more. This activity lends to a greater awareness and appreciation for the creatures with whom we share this planet.
Awe and Wonder
And finally, each lesson must inspire the child to find awe in our world. The snail creates a spiral shell with more exactness than any human can replicate. The two-inch harvest mouse builds a spherical nest using 100 blades of grass that is exceptionally stronger and more precise than a human could build with the same materials. The octopus’s ability to camouflage in color and texture is amazing – and these sea creatures knew how to camouflage long before humans did. And one of my favorite narratives for instilling wonder is about the blackbird. The blackbird is one of the primary predators of the garden snail. These snails reproduce at such an incredible rate, that if it were not for the blackbird, the snail population would be large enough to eat every leaf available, leaving humans with quite the bleak future. Students look at the blackbird from here on with such awe and admiration, for we owe our existence to them in a sense!
The fourth grade curriculum, like the other grades, provides abundant nourishment for these four realms of thinking. My favorite fourth grade block is certainly Norse mythology. It lends itself so beautifully to speaking to the moral life of the child. These classic tales are full of fallible gods whose imperfections speak loudly to the child with great humor and adventure. You know all is right when you hear the child say adamantly, “Why would they do that?! They should have done <this> instead!” Yes, child, you already know the better way.
Do you need support in your homeschool journey? Lotus & Ivy’s Waldorf-trained teachers educate students with the goal in mind that each lesson must nourish the child’s four realms of thinking – rational thinking, imaginative thinking, moral reasoning, and awe -- opening the child to her highest self.
Lotus & Ivy offers main lesson blocks, math, and complements for grades K – 8. For more information, email us at lotusandivyvirtualclasses@gmail.com.