Foreign Languages: Spanish and German
The Waldorf approach is based on the idea that the primary purpose of foreign
language acquisition is to develop the ability to communicate. Foreign
language study also raises one’s social conscience and cultivates an interest
in and respect for others as well as opens a window into the soul of another
culture. Because the manner in which we think is expressed through the
languages that we speak, we nurture a cultural understanding of other people
through acquiring their languages.
For instance, the very nature of the way the Spanish language is constructed
and expresses the world is very different from that of the English language.
In the Spanish language, we reflect, words seem to flow together with no
verbal punctuation between them. There is even a tense—the subjunctive—that
infuses verbs with emotion. Taking these ideas to the next level, when
children are exposed to another language, they are building much more than
linguistic agility. Their minds are opening to a very different way of
thinking about and seeing the world.
Central to the Waldorf foreign language approach is the recognition that in
the first grade, the imitative and memory capacities of children are very
strong and spontaneous. Because the speech and auditory faculties of children
at this age are ripe for acquiring foreign languages, Rudolf Steiner, founder
of Waldorf Education advocated that two foreign languages, from two separate
origins, be introduced in the first grade. Further, during the first three
years of foreign language instruction, all learning should occur within an
oral context through verse, song, activities involving rhythm,
dramatizations, and situational dialogues. Through these activities, students
learn vocabulary and language concepts.
The thematic content of the foreign language curriculum is fundamentally
grounded in children’s everyday life experiences, for example, through
nature, colors, the body, clothing, food, the home and family, and the world
of numbers. The structure and flow of the typical Spanish or German lesson
can perhaps best be described as a well-orchestrated concert. The foreign
language teachers lead their students through a wide range of activities in a
relatively short period of time. In each lesson, children are given adequate
room and opportunity to move their bodies, alternating sitting with physical
activity of some kind. After an initial greeting, the class enters an oral
segment that emphasizes a lively, rhythmic pace. This portion of the class
may include song, recitation, counting, question and answer activities, and
movement games; it brings the class together and puts students in a receptive
mood for the next activity in which new material is introduced. The lesson
often closes much like it began, through singing and the recitation of a
verse.
The children learn beautiful poems that come to life for them through the
beauty of the sound and through accompanying gestures. Although the foreign
language teachers often use poetry and verse content that is thematically
simple in order for students to understand each word they’re reciting. It’s
more important that the poetry reflect the richness and beauty of that
language. Young children possess flexible tongues and strong imitative
skills. One can see these strengths at work in any young child who loves to
listen to verse and nursery rhymes. Although children may not have an
immediate understanding of what the individual words mean, they have a clear
understanding of the emotional content of the words, evident through the
teacher’s intonation and gesture.
