Dear Friends,
On the weekend of April 7, 8, 9, and 10, 2011,the Waldorf School of New Orleans is hosting an AWSNA Board meeting. We're calling on all Waldorf Alumni of all kinds (parents, teachers, alumni, grandparents, et all) to come to New Orleans to join together to help the school and the city of New Orleans to rebuild and to celebrate the Waldorf community in service, reunion, and in fun.
The timing coincides with the famed French Quarter Festival, so if you're planning to be in New Orleans anyway, please join us. There's more information to come, but save the dates and plan to roll up your sleeves in New Orleans!
Frances Kane Patrice Maynard
Administration Development & Outreach
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Why Waldorf Works: From a Neuroscientific Perspective
Until MRIs and other sophisticated measures of the brain were developed, we had no way to prove or disprove any of Steiner's theories, at least not with the kind of precision and accuracy we can now. An overwhelming body of evidence from the last 20 years of neuroscientific inquiry supports Steiner's theories, including some of the most fundamental foci of Waldorf Education. Dr Reggie Melrose is interviewed on this subject in an excellent piece published in The Magic Onion, October 7, 2010.
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How Handwriting Trains the Brain - Forming Letters is Key to Learning, Memory, and Ideas
In many schools, handwriting is hardly taught any more. At Waldorf schools it is a mainstay of the curriculum throughout the elementary grades. New research shows that the fading art of handwriting can benefit children's motor skills and their ability to compose ideas and achieve goals throughout life. An article in the Wall Street Journal describes how, by using advanced tools such as magnetic resonance imaging, researchers are finding that writing by hand helps with learning letters and shapes, can improve idea composition and expression, and may aid fine motor-skill development. Another recent study demonstrated that in grades two, four and six, children wrote more words, faster, and expressed more ideas when writing essays by hand versus with a keyboard.
Read more
Why Waldorf Works. |
Global News About Waldorf Education
Check out stories about international Waldorf alums and other news items in our "Global News" section of the Why Waldorf Works website. .
Read more: Why Waldorf Works.
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Alumni Corner
Alumni Corner on the Why Waldorf Works pages are waiting for you! Sign up now and join the many Waldorf alumni, alumni parents, alumni grandparents, and alumni teachers and staff, who have already signed up to be on a protected site for our Waldorf Community. Stay in touch with others, find the latest news on alumni from Waldorf schools, and be among the many identified as part of the Waldorf community. Also, find the many friends (over 1,000!) on our Why Waldorf Works FaceBook page.
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Waldorf Education Events and Conferences
Please visit Why Waldorf Works for registration and contact information or for more details. If you have a conference you'd like posted on the site, send the information to webeditor@awsna.org. November 5-6, 2010: Toronto, Ontario Convergence: How Science Supports the Wisdom of Waldorf EducationKeynote Presenters: Patrice Maynard and Douglas Gerwin Hosted by the Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto, Ontario November 5 -7, 2010: Wilton, NH
AWSNA Northeast-Quebec Region
Coming into their Own: The Forces of Destiny in Adolescence
Conference on Adolescence for High School & Upper Grades Teachers
Keynote Speakers: Jon McAlice and John Wulsin,
joined by David Sloan and other friends.
Hosted by the High Mowing School - Wilton, New Hampshire
February 24-26, 2011 Chicago, IL Great Lakes Regional Conference Keynote speaker: Michael D'Aleo Hosted by the Chicago Waldorf School February 18, 2011: Chicago, ILTeaching Sensible Science The Research Institute for Waldorf Education, SENSRI and the Chicago Waldorf School are offering Michael D'Aleo's course on Teaching Sensible Science beginning in February 2011 at the Chicago Waldorf School.(2nd and 3rd sessions will be held on June 24 and October 10.) June 13, 2011: Great Barrington, MA Winning with Waldorf VI - featuring our champion, PGA touring golf pro, Duffy Waldorf, will be hosted by the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School, which is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. June 24-27, 2011: Garden City, NYAWSNAź SUMMER CONFERENCE 2011Rudolf Steiner's Unique Understanding of AdolescenceChild Development and the Spiritual Intentions of Waldorf EducationKeynote Speaker: Dr. Peter Selg, M.D.Dr. Peter Selg, MD, is a youth psychiatrist and spiritual scientific researcher working out of anthroposophy as director of the Ita Wegman Institute in Switzerland. From his deep study of and work with adolescents, he has developed a picture of the profound context out of which true Waldorf Education comes. This conference will delve into Rudolf Steiner's attitude towards the child and into the whole pedagogical challenge which childhood presents, creating a kind of basic reflection about the spiritual core of Waldorf Education. This conference will be of inestimable value for high school teachers, but it will speak just as much to educators of all levels who are fortunate enough to participate!Please inform your communities and mark your calendars!Hosted byWaldorf School of Garden CityGarden City, New YorkMore events can be found at Why Waldorf Works.
You are welcome to send us Waldorf-related
events for posting on our web site.
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AWSNA provides leadership to schools by facilitating resources, networks and research as they strive towards excellence and build healthy school communities. The Association performs functions that its member schools and institutes could not do alone, including:
· Outreach and advocacy
· Accreditation and school support services
· Professional development activities
· Research and publications
Please contact us if you have any questions about AWSNA or this newsletter.
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