Ways to Experience the World

For author and education activist Bob Blume, reading and writing are «superpowers». He says: «It’s about the understanding and insight we gain through reading and that we arrive at when we write for one another. We must turn our attention to our superpowers so that they do not wither away—and with them, the very thing that holds our society together.» Blume recently wrote a book on the subject, published by Dudenverlag, which quickly became a Spiegel bestseller: Lesen. Schreiben. Ein Plädoyer für ein besseres Miteinander. (Reading. Writing. A Plea for Better Coexistence.)

Cornelia Arnodt also shares the conviction that both reading and writing need to be given more attention—both at school and in leisure time. She has been a class teacher at the Waldorf School in Potsdam for six years. Arnodt believes that the cultural skills of reading and writing form the foundation of all learning and, consequently, of a self-directed life. After all, «The written word is our gateway to the world today.» However, she has noticed increasing difficulties in learning to read and write, both among her own three children and among her students. Referring to her children, who also attended a Waldorf school, she puts it casually: «Learning to read went more or less well.»

Take the requirements into account

Arnodt took her observations as an opportunity to seek out and pursue new approaches to promoting reading. She considers starting earlier to be an important step. «My goal isn’t for the children to reach their goal faster, but more easily», she says. She observes that many children have different learning needs these days. For example, she notes that attention spans are shorter than they used to be. That’s why it’s important to practice for shorter periods but more frequently. To do this, Arnodt sets aside ten minutes every day from her main lessons. In doing so, she’s consciously setting aside some long-standing traditions of Waldorf education. «I simply find it outdated to introduce letters primarily through stories over the course of an entire school year—and to use only uppercase letters in the process. This way, the children have no chance to recognize what they’ve learned in the real world and practice it there. After all, there’s no book that consists solely of uppercase letters, and aside from advertising posters, there’s very little in the world that’s written in all caps.»

According to Arnodt, students’ ability to maintain interest is also less pronounced than it was a while back. She aims to address this by changing teaching methods more frequently. In Arnodt’s class, students can explore letters not only through stories but also, for example, using modeling clay, sandpaper, and flashcards. «Ultimately, the goal is to link the sound of a letter with the abstract symbol that the written language provides for it and to anchor this connection in the brain. In this way, syllables, words, sentences, and entire texts can gradually be mastered», explains the class teacher.

Light, smooth, and fluid

In his writing, Arnodt advocates for introducing wax crayons at an earlier age. This is because, in order for the results to be neat and legible when using the crayons, children have to apply a lot of pressure. «As a result, they usually adopt a tense posture while writing, and that’s anything but good for learning—and especially for enjoying the process. Writing should feel light, smooth, and fluid», says Arnodt.

However, the school alone cannot teach reading and writing, even using other methods. For Arnodt, half an hour of extra practice at home or at after-school care is an absolute must. The same goes for creating incentives to read. Arnodt has already taken her class to the city library for a book scavenger hunt, and she’s happy if that has encouraged parents to take their children to the library more often themselves.

Abstraction and craftsmanship

Among her colleagues, reactions to Arnodt’s unconventional approach have been mixed. «Some are curious and interested because they, too, feel that something new is needed. Others are skeptical», reports the class teacher. A common objection is that engaging in an activity that requires as much abstract thinking as reading would place too great a strain too early on the very abilities a child still needs for physical development at this stage, and that this could come at the expense of creativity. Arnodt suggests other fundamental components of Waldorf education that can provide a balance. Craft activities for gross and fine motor skills, for example, and time spent in nature. «These two things are, in any case, the most important foundation for all learning. Because the connections formed in the brain through these activities are later needed to understand complex and abstract relationships», says Arnodt.