Christoph Jaffke, PhD, attended a Steiner Waldorf school and went on to study English and history at universities in Germany and Great Britain. After finishing the main-stream teacher-training he became an English teacher at one of the Waldorf schools in Stuttgart, where he worked for 33 years. Since 1975 he has also been involved in training Waldorf English teachers at the Waldorf Teacher Training in Stuttgart. He founded the series “Materials for Language Teaching at Steiner Waldorf Schools.” In 1994 he published the first scientific presentation of foreign language teaching in the lower classes of Waldorf schools (ages 6/7 to 10/11) and became a professor in 2010. He has lectured and given seminars to lower school English teachers in more than 30 countries of Europe, Asia and South America. His homepage can be found here: https://christophjaffke.net

Email: christophdrjaffke@email.de

 

One of the striking features of the first Waldorf School, founded by Rudolf Steiner in Stuttgart in 1919, was that all pupils from Class 1 up were taught two foreign languages. Before that, foreign language learning in German schools (starting in Class 5) had been the privilege of children of the middle and upper classes. Steiner’s reasons for introducing foreign languages to all children at this unprecedented early age were certainly very different from the pragmatic reasons for teaching and learning foreign languages which have become increasingly important in society throughout the decades since then.

According to Steiner, the encounter with other languages should not only serve to extend the individual's horizon formally. It should also enrich and diversify his inner life, nurturing his very soul. It was vital, so Steiner maintained, to introduce languages other than one’s own as a means of counteracting whatever one-sided influence any particular language exerted on the developing child. By getting to name and recognize the objects in the world around him in a new way through the medium of a foreign language, every child would be given the opportunity to break free from the confines of his mother tongue. Education of this kind would prevent children from growing up into narrow-minded, nationalistically prejudiced adults. Instead of encouraging attitudes that ultimately separate people and nations from one another, tolerance and mutual understanding between nations should be consciously cultivated.

The fact that the different languages in our world shape the inner life and viewpoints of their speakers in their own ways - revealing unique and varying aspects of human nature - had to be taken into account in education. This view strongly coincides with Wilhelm von Humboldt’s idea that inherent within every single language lies a distinct and characteristic way of looking at the world. The Russian psycholinguist A. A. Leont’ev repeatedly stressed the importance of learning a foreign language not merely as a means of acquiring a new communicative tool, but rather as an opportunity to open up a new world and encounter a new culture.

 

Methodical Approach

Rudolf Steiner gave various indications about the way children could be introduced to foreign languages in the first three years of school. The single most important suggestion is probably that the children should encounter the new language in a direct way, i.e. not through translation, but by “matching the words with the objects”. At the time, this was quite a revolutionary approach, but in the 20th century, it gained almost universal acceptance for the teaching of foreign languages to children of this age [‘Direct Method’: for a more comprehensive presentation see Jaffke (2021)].

Just as children, while learning their mother tongue, proceed from pointing and moving to actually saying things, purposeful movement plays a very important part in learning a second language in the lower school. Teachers will try to find as many opportunities as possible for the children to move and do things in verses and songs. Connecting body movements with language has always been a prominent feature of Waldorf foreign language teaching to children of primary school age. Its legitimate place in this realm has been confirmed by research in didactics during the last few decades and more recently by Hille (2020), and findings in neurolinguistics (Sambanis/Walter, 2022).

 

Poetry before Prose

Rudolf Steiner emphasized the importance of using poetic language in the first three classes. Anyone who has taught pupils of this age for a longer period is bound to have noticed how helpful this advice is. Poetic language, based on rhythm and rhyme, is learned far more easily by children than prose language. Along with singing, poetic language introduces the children to the flow of the new language and also familiarizes them with its prosodic/non-verbal elements: emphasis, intonation, pitch, etc. or, more generally speaking, with that part of human speech which is not expressed by the contents of the words.

To underline the importance of the poetic element in the first few years of language teaching, the collection of teaching material for the Lower School was given the title Rhythms, Rhymes, Games and Songs.

The fact that our work in the Lower School always rests on these two pillars - pragmatic and poetic language - represents another challenge to us as teachers, as we keep trying to strike an even balance between these two poles.

When we refer to concrete objects such as the parts of the body or things in the classroom, children generally grasp immediately what is being talked about. This also holds true for many of the action rhymes and ‘formulaic/fixed expressions’ or chunks of words that we use when playing games in class.

Poetic language, by contrast, requires the children to be patient and prepared to listen inwardly and to realise that understanding may be a process that takes time. This is where ‘tolerance of ambiguity’ comes into play. Children that keep trying to understand by forming hypotheses are better learners than the ones who give up when they do not understand straight away.

When we manage to give the children, on the one hand, enough language that is easily understood and, on the other, a reasonable amount that “demands patience”, they gradually learn to feel their way into understanding the meaning of even complex poetic forms and structures without these being mentioned. Understanding is prompted by emotion and empathy.

 

Teaching Materials

There is a huge variety of materials to choose from. In Waldorf schools, authentic texts and songs for speaking, singing, playing, dancing and acting in a foreign language are given preference. Here is a survey of what one of the standard collections for English teachers offers:

Action Rhymes - Time and Seasons - Wind, Weather, The Elements - Animals - Plants - Finger Plays - Counting-Out Rhymes - Number Rhymes - Jump-Rope/Skipping Rhymes - Fun in Sound and Rhythms/Tongue Twisters - Little Rhymed Dialogues - People and Occupations - Daily Activities - Classroom Games - Clapping Games - Songs and Rounds - Singing Games. [For details see Jaffke (2016)].

In the present context, only a few concrete examples can be presented. Action rhymes are among the first things the children will learn in Grade 1. They are ideal in that they are self-explanatory, i. e. the accompanying actions do not require a lot of explaining:

 

These are my eyes

And these are my toes.

These are my fingers

And this is my nose.

These are my knees 

And this is my head,

And when I sleep,

I am in bed.

My arms and legs

I use to play,

A happy child

The whole long day.

 

I have two hands,

Two feet, you see.

Two ears, one nose,

And this is me.

My hands have ten fingers.

My feet have ten toes.

I write with my fingers.

I dance on my toes.

 

Right hand, left hand, these are two,

Forefinger and thumb of one hand

Right hand, left hand, I touch my shoe,

Right hand, left hand, I touch my knee,

Right hand, left hand, one, two, three.

Clap hands

Right hand, left hand, I touch the floor,

Right hand, left hand, one, two, three – four.

 

The Value of Playing Games

While at play, children instil meaning, creative imagination, intelligence and joy into their will-power activity …  Play is the activity in which all of the child’s faculties work together in perfect unison (Kranich, 1992, pp. 65, 84).

This is how a renowned Waldorf expert described the value of children’s play. When playing classroom games, the children focus on the actions, not on speaking or on groping for words, and the enjoyment of active participation in a language game removes any inhibitions a particular child might have. There are various activities that start with a rhyme and then move over into ‘conversations’ in prose. Here is an ideal combination, using an English penny as a prop:

The penny is hidden,

Where can it be –

In my right hand,

In my left hand?

Please tell me.

The teacher shows the children the coin and then hides it behind her back. Now one of the children is given the coin, puts both hands behind his or her back and then brings each closed hand to the front in rhythm with the lines "right hand, left hand" with the coin in one of them. Then individual children will ask: "Is it in your [right/left] hand?”

The following action sequence, again in rhythm and rhyme, lends itself to various possibilities for short utterances by individual pupils:

 

I’m standing, I’m sitting,

I’m writing, I’m knitting.

I’m reading, I’m counting,

I’m swimming, I’m shouting.

I’m eating, I’m drinking,

I’m talking, I’m thinking.

I’m giving, I’m taking,

I’m sweeping, I’m baking.

I’m laughing, I’m looking,

I’m washing, I’m cooking.

I’m smiling, I’m weeping,

I’m yawning, I’m sleeping.

I’m driving, I’m rowing,

I’m kneeling, I’m growing.

I show my right hand,

I show my left hand,

I show both my hands,

And now I will stand/sit still.

Through the fixed expressions, this sequence of actions offers a whole series of possibilities to give children the appropriate expressive tools for guessing games. To begin with, the children work their way into the context of the chain of actions by speaking them in chorus, accompanied by the appropriate gestures. Then this context is broken up and leads over into various question-and-answer games:

1. The teacher asks: “Am I sitting?” The children answer, initially in chorus: “No, you’re not, you are standing.” As soon as the children have understood what it is all about, individual children can make up three questions, encouraged by the teacher: “Who would like to do three things/ask three questions?” – ‘Obvious’ questions are very popular, like: “Am I driving?” “No, you’re not, you are sleeping.”

2. One child leaves the classroom and does something in the corridor. Another child stands at the door and observes. Initially, the children limit themselves to actions they know from the above verse. By and by, new ones are added. The children in the classroom now ask the ‘reporter’ in turn:

“Is she (he) looking?” “No, she isn’t/is not.”

“Is she counting?” “No, she isn’t.”  etc.

Finally, perhaps, “Is she jumping?” “Yes, she is.”

3. One pupil goes out and comes back a short time later. Now he or she is asked:

"Were you looking?” “No, I was not/wasn’t.”

“Were you laughing?” “No, I wasn’t.”

“Were you running?” “No, I wasn’t.” etc.

Finally, perhaps, “Were you lying down on the floor?” “Yes, I was.”

4. The fourth variation is more appropriate for Class 2 or 3 when the pupils have acquired a basic vocabulary about clothing. One child stands with arms outstretched in front of the class and slowly turns so that all the children can see the details of his clothing. Then the child goes out and changes three things (e. g. opens a shirt button, changes her/his hair or rolls up one trouser leg a little). When he comes back, the others ask questions like:

“Have you rolled up your trousers?”

“Have you pulled up your socks?”

“Have you taken off your watch?”

“Have you changed your hair?”

“Have you changed your shoes?”

“Have you opened your shirt?”  

This part may seem too challenging because the children perhaps do not have the necessary vocabulary at their disposal yet. Experience has shown that the following approach can easily overcome this problem: Children point and the teacher formulates the question for the child, e. g. “Have you unbuttoned your shirt?” If the child in question is too shy to repeat the question on her own, the teacher will say, “Let’s all ask her/him together …”

The following dialogue –a short role-play – is another typical example of the use of fixed expressions: “Please, Mr Crocodile, may I cross the water?”

To be able to play this game, the children must first have learnt several colours. The child representing Mr or Mrs Crocodile stands at the front of the room directly facing the door. At the opposite end, close to the window, five or six children stand next to each other. One after the other, they call out:

“Please, Mrs/Mr Crocodile,

May I cross the water

To visit your fair daughter?”

The answer is:

“Yes, you may, if you’re wearing something … ”  (blue, grey, pink, etc.)

The child in question then replies, for instance:

“There is some pink in my socks”,

and is allowed to take one step forward. If he does not have the particular colour on him he says:

“I’m not wearing anything  …” (that colour) 

and stays put. The child that gets to Mrs/Mr Crocodile first, pats her or him on the back and assumes the role of the crocodile in the next round.

Movement becomes even more important in the following version of the game:

“Grandmother (-father), may I come?

Yes, you may …” (sometimes also: “No, you may not!” )

“How many steps?”

“Take two … ” (baby steps, giant steps, grasshopper steps, frog steps, etc.)

One group of material deserves special mentioning, role play, and scenic play. Apart from the two collections of plays [Jaffke (1984, 1985)], many poems and dialogues can be used, some of them requiring slight adaptation. Short dialogues such as The Postman are absolute favourites in some classes:

 

Every morning at eight o’clock,

We can hear the postman knock:

Knock, knock, knock,

Knock, knock, knock,

Here comes the postman,

Knock, knock, knock.

“Good morning, Mr Postman,

Tell me, tell me true,

Have you any letters

For number twenty-two?”

“Yes, I have,

One for your father,

Three for your mother,

One for your sister,

Two for your brother,

Seven altogether

For number twenty-two.”

“Thank you, Mr Postman,

That’s very kind of you.”

A few props such as a postman’s cap and a bag, and seven letters (with genuine foreign stamps!) will make it much easier for the girl/boy to enter into this particular role.

 

Rounding off the lesson

In the course of each lesson, every teacher will aim at a good balance between speaking and singing, shouting and whispering, speaking in chorus and individually, moving about in the classroom and sitting quietly. When the current repertoire of a class has been practised - with individual children’s requests integrated as far as possible - the lesson slowly comes to a close.  Concentration levels are usually lower at this advanced stage of the lesson. This is the ideal time for the children to settle down to listen to a story or part of one. This does not necessarily have to happen in every lesson, but it is, generally speaking, one of the essential ingredients of foreign language teaching in the lower school. Storytelling gives the children the chance to practise comprehension and gist-understanding and – to develop tolerance of ambiguity. Language-teaching experts have long come to consider it to be one of the characteristics of a good learner that she/he can happily accept the fact that she/he does not understand every single word of a context or story, and yet realises that she/he can understand the gist of it.

All the non-verbal means of mimicry, gesture, and changing the tone of voice and pitch offer many clues to the listeners. The stronger the teacher's own inner images are, the more easily will they be communicated to the children's imagination.

                                                                                  *

The foreign language curriculum comes in the form of a widening spiral and is geared to the topics that the children cover with their class teacher. Here are some suggestions for attainment targets in a third grade:

By the end of Class 3, most children should ideally

• be familiar with basic items of food, clothing, furniture
• be familiar with forms of transport, places and directions (on the left, to the right)
• be familiar with times of the day, clock times
• be aware of the different genders
• take an active part orally (e.g. be able to supply the next step of a story that the teacher is retelling)
• apply often-practised vocabulary more freely (transfer)
• recognize the most common question words
• be able to use the main spatial prepositions in context
• be able to use the main personal and possessive pronouns
• have learnt the alphabet

In most Waldorf schools, foreign languages are only taught orally during the first three years. The written mode is usually introduced towards the end of class 3 or in class 4. Children write selected verses and poems that they learned during the first three years and illustrate them to create their own “First English Book”. After several months into grade 4, the first printed reader will be introduced. Authentic children’s books from English-speaking countries are the preferred choice. [For details see (Jaffke, 2021, pp. 44-49)].

Some Waldorf schools have native speakers of English teach the lower classes because they represent the language and the cultural background most authentically. In other schools, foreign languages in the lower school are taught by the class teachers being the ones who know their children best. In either case, a specific training and good performative skills are required and thus taught in Waldorf teacher education programmes around the world.  

 

References

Hille, K. (2020). Embodiment braucht Hand und Fuß. In Brägger, Gerold et. al. (eds.), Bewegung und Lernen. Konzept und Praxis Bewegter Schule (pp. 87-96). Beltz.

Jaffke, C. (2021). The First Four Years of English. A Hands-On Approach to the Waldorf Way. Pädagogische Forschungsstelle Stuttgart.

[www.waldorfbuch.de]).

Jaffke, C. (2016). Rhythms, Rhymes, Games and Songs for the Lower School. 5th reprint. Pädagogische Forschungsstelle Stuttgart. [www.waldorfbuch.de]

Jaffke, C. (1984). Plays for the Lower and Middle School. Pädagogische Forschungsstelle Stuttgart.

Jaffke, C. (1985). More Plays for the Lower and Middle School. Pädagogische Forschungsstelle Stuttgart.

Kranich, E-M. (1992). Entwicklung und Erziehung in der frühen Kindheit. In Leber, S. (Ed.), Die Pädagogik der Waldorfschule und ihre Grundlagen (pp. 65 - 84). Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.

Sambanis, M. & Walter, M. (2022). Make it work! - Interaktive Impulse zum Sprachenlernen - Von neuesten Befunden der Neurowissenschaft zu konkreten Unterrichtsimpulsen. Cornelsen Pädagogik.

 

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