New Approaches to Learning

Image above: Student projects on the topic of 20th-century dictatorships, including the Gulag system in the Soviet Union and poems they wrote themselves about Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile.
Image below: Object from a history class: a map with barbed wire.

«If you focus too much on exams, you limit the students’ potential.»

There are many ways to acquire knowledge, such as short role-playing activities—for example, in biology class to illustrate the structure of a plant cell. Or portfolio work, presentation formats, video productions, and podcasts. The teachers at the gruuna School in Chemnitz do not want to limit learning to a single form of expression; they aim to make access to knowledge broad and multifaceted—both in the classroom and outside of school. «Learning in Life » is one of the school’s central focuses. Students regularly venture outside the classroom—to museums, businesses, and on field trips. The educators are convinced that real-world experiences have a deeper impact than purely theoretical content.

«We are development facilitators. We help students develop and create opportunities where they can shine », says Susanne Kempe-Fenton. She is an eighth-grade class teacher, a tutor in the upper school, a teacher of German and history, and a member of the school administration. Offering students various forms of learning is the starting point of the school’s educational concept.

Living inclusion

The gruuna School is an independent Waldorf school currently in development. It was founded in 2018. From the very beginning, the focus has been on inclusion: children with dyslexia or other learning differences learn together with everyone else in the same classroom. Class sizes are around 25 students in the lower grades and about 15 in the upper school.

«People with dyslexia are visual thinkers and visual learners », explains Susanne Kempe-Fenton. This means alternative approaches to the material are needed—beyond purely written content. Here, the school specifically uses digital tools to decouple reading, listening, and comprehension. Starting in fifth grade, students work with the school’s own tablets. However, these do not replace the traditional subject notebooks. «The tablets are just another tool in the toolbox», says Kempe-Fenton. Students with reading difficulties benefit greatly from this technical support: texts can be read aloud, assignments are available digitally, and are also accessible via audio. The school’s own app, Leseheld, reads text aloud while simultaneously highlighting it visually to facilitate comprehension.

The school not only provides technical aids but also strives to incorporate different forms of learning into its overall approach. This includes early instruction in Chinese as a second foreign language. The idea behind this is that visual-language systems may be more accessible to some learners. «Every class is like a colorful bouquet of flowers. We want to give each flower the environment in which it can bloom», says Kempe-Fenton.

Decoupling learning progress from reading

Project-based learning is a key component of the upper school curriculum. One example is the history course on dictatorships in the twentieth century. Students choose individual areas of focus, such as Italian fascism, the Soviet Union, the gulags, or the dictatorships in Spain or Chile. The results are expressed artistically and presented in an exhibition, supplemented by a short written paper and an oral presentation. «One student composed a piano piece as part of a history project on prehistory and early history, in which he attempted to musically express humanity’s first depiction of the stars—the Nebra Sky Disk from the Bronze Age», reports Susanne Kempe-Fenton. «That was very impressive.»

Projects are designed not only to impart subject-specific knowledge but also to foster independence and responsibility. The leadership skills project, for example, is part of the curriculum. Students organize guided tours on Open House day, lead workshops for younger students, or design their own programs, such as in sports or animal-assisted education.

Teachers also provide educational guidance for independent project work outside of regular subject classes. An integral part of the upper school is the weekly Learning Café: two hours during which students can work on their projects in a quiet atmosphere. Four teachers from different subject areas are available to assist them. «The Learning Café is a great way to get into independent work», says Raphael Ries, a twelfth-grade student. «You’re not sitting alone at home; instead, you can meet with teachers to discuss individual projects or even put them into practice.»

These changes in learning methods are also reflected in the school’s grading system. The assessment culture is deliberately broad in scope. While written exams still play a role, they are not the main focus. «If you focus too much on exams, you limit the students’ potential», says Kempe-Fenton. Instead of a traditional exam, students create installations, visual works, or multimedia presentations that help them illustrate connections. The exhibition itself becomes part of the learning process: Students present their work, answer questions, and discuss their projects with classmates and teachers.

The goal is to highlight students’ diverse strengths. Assessment is based on transparent evaluation forms and detailed feedback. The results are documented digitally and can be viewed at any time.

Certificate of Steiner Education

This broad understanding of learning and achievement is also reflected in the upper school’s graduation system: Students earn the Certificate of Steiner Education (CSE), an internationally recognized credential from New Zealand that is part of a global network. The gruuna School is a member of this CSE network. The program spans three years—grades 10 through 12—and consists of three levels. Through project-based work, students earn a total of 150 credit points. The projects are not only evaluated internally but also reviewed by external assessors from the network. At the same time, students have the opportunity to earn state school diplomas such as the Hauptschulabschluss (primary school), Realschulabschluss (secondary school), or Abitur (higher education).

Together, the school and students are working to raise awareness of the CSE in the region, for example at a business conference in April. The event was well attended, with strong interest from business leaders and positive reactions to the learning concept.

The gruuna School views upper secondary school not merely as preparation for exams, but as a phase of increasing personal responsibility. A wide range of opportunities are designed to help young people find their own approach to learning—and to highlight skills that are often overlooked in traditional classroom settings.