Summer Waldorf Teacher Training Program

Modeled after the full-time, Residential Program, the Summer Teacher Training Program provides an opportunity to gain a Waldorf Diploma for early childhood, elementary and high school teachers already in the classroom, and for those who are unable to participate in our full-time residential program. Here you will work side by side with active teachers under the guidance of our experienced faculty in order to enrich and deepen your understanding of Waldorf Education. You will be provided with year-round mentors throughout the program, who will be reachable by phone and will be available to visit your classroom to offer support and feedback.

Our summer program happens during the most vibrant period of activity at Rudolf Steiner College. Because of the multiplicity of programs offered in the summer, you will mingle with educators in many different fields and find an opportunity to have lunch conversations with colleagues and faculty from Europe, Africa, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Summer students can live in our beautiful dorms and eat healthful and delicious organic and biodynamic meals. Additionally, campus life is punctuated with evening entertainment and concerts.

This program emphasizes the practical approach to the pedagogy introduced by Rudolf Steiner and is focused on giving the practicing teacher the tools necessary to his or her craft. Through an integrated program of Foundation Studies, the arts, human and self-development, and curriculum studies, the teacher will be well prepared to become an independent practitioner of the principles of Waldorf Education.

Course Prerequisites

• Foundation Studies: This prerequisite is designed to be taken concurrently through the Summer Foundation Courses, or through a Community Learning Center. In some cases, equivalency will be granted for foundation coursework done at another institution. This requires an assessment, transcripts, and documentation of equivalency. Please contact Admissions for more information.

Elementary Grades Concentration

• B.A. or B.S from an accredited college or university.
• Current, passing CBEST Scores: These must be completed prior to entry into the second year. (Those with an M.A. or Ph.D., or with passing GRE or CSET scores, are exempt).

Early Childhood Concentration

• A.A. or A.S. degree (or equivalent) from an accredited college or university.

Program Overview

This is a three-year, part-time program, and includes a summer session at our Fair Oaks, CA campus each year for three years, as well as online course work, observation and practice teaching during the fall and spring of the first and second year. Summer sessions are 4.5 weeks in length if the Summer Foundation Courses are taken concurrently, and 3 weeks if the Foundation Courses have been completed elsewhere. Summer session classes are from 8 AM until as late as 9 PM, Monday through Friday and some weekends, with adequate time for breaks throughout the day.

This program begins with the Summer Foundation Courses on Thursday morning, June 20, 2013. If the student has been granted an exemption for equivalent foundation studies work, the curriculum weeks will begin with an orientation on Sunday evening, June 30, 2013.

Summer Foundation Courses

| The Path of Self Knowledge | The Evolution of Consciousness and Culture | An Introduction to Waldorf Education | Epistemology and Phenomenology | Self-Transformation through the Arts | Topics in Anthroposophy |

Summer Teacher Training for Early Childhood or Elementary Grades (1-8)

| The Philosophical Foundations of Waldorf Education | Time and Visual Arts | Waldorf Pedagogy | Human Growth and Development | The Artistic Approach in the Practice of Teaching | Curriculum: Development, Differentiation, and Delivery | Field Experience* | Applied Research |

Early Childhood courses will include: storytelling, singing, circle and craft activities; carving and kinderharp; the fundamentals of establishing kindergartens, preschools, parent-child programs, childcare programs, and working with licensing agencies and the community at large; and much, much more!

Elementary (grades 1-8) courses will include: The fundamentals of teaching reading, writing and arithmetic; phonics, whole language, and composition techniques; methodologies for teaching history, geography and science; and much, much more!

Summer High School Teacher Training Program  Please see this program’s page for all details, by clicking here.

Culmination

Successful completion of our Summer Teacher Training Program culminates in a Waldorf Teaching Diploma (with a concentration in either Early Childhood, Elementary Education, or Secondary Education). An M.A. option is available*.

How to Apply

For information about the Admissions process, Tuition and Fees, and Financial Aid, go to our Admissions page or contact us.

Program Directors

Astrid Schmitt-Stegmann, MA, directs the Summer Foundation Courses and the Summer Teacher Education Program for the Grades at Rudolf Steiner College. Recognized internationally as a leading Waldorf educator, she lectures and mentors teachers in Waldorf schools in the United States, as well as in Germany, Russia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Lauren R. Hickman, MA, directs the Summer Teacher Training Program for Early Childhood, and she is the Early Childhood Department Chair. Lauren is a passionate advocate for young children and their families. She holds a M.A. in Education from Touro University, an Early Childhood Teaching Diploma from Rudolf Steiner College, a B.A. in International Relations from U.C. Davis and an A.A .in Chemistry from American River College. An alumna of the Sacramento Waldorf School, she has been a Waldorf Educator for over nineteen years, as a Parent-Infant, Parent-Child, Nursery and Kindergarten Teacher. She is a former Waldorf school administrator and has served on several non-profit boards. Lauren is an early childhood mentor and a Licensed Preschool Director. One of Lauren's particular interests is bringing Waldorf education into everyday life, by teaching parenting classes to homeless mothers, working with at risk families and by bringing festivals, puppetry and storytelling to the greater community.

*M.A. in Waldorf Education: The Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Waldorf Education from Rudolf Steiner College has been reviewed and found acceptable by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), by which Rudolf Steiner College was awarded Candidacy for Accreditation as of 3/08/12. RSC has institutional approval. For further information, please visit steinercollege.edu and click on Admissions, College Catalogue. See section four of the Catalogue for requirements and course descriptions. If you would like one of our faculty or staff to contact you about our MA options, please e-mail rsc@steinercollege.edu.