Moscow, 5th — 7th October 2018
Key takeaways from the Council meeting in Moscow
The ECSWE representatives worked on three topics, the centenary of Waldorf education, school leadership and quality care.
The Council meeting in Moscow dedicated considerable time to the upcoming centenary of Waldorf education in 2019. A public conference was held at the Moscow Pedagogical University and featured lectures on the role of Waldorf pedagogy in education, its artistic approach to teaching, the role of foreign language teaching, impulses and visions for the future of European schools, the cross-curricular core of Waldorf education, the importance of physical education and the healthy cooperation of children, teachers and parents. The internal work on the matter included an update on the planned conference in Brussels and an exchange on national level activities that were presented in one-minute “pitches” before entering the discussion.
The Russian Association facilitated a working session on school leadership and organizational management. Four groups discussed how schools can be run effectively and collaboratively, how the Waldorf trademark can be protected, how new Waldorf initiatives can be supported and how a national association working with volunteers can manage the transition towards a professional organization. ECSWE representatives were invited to support their Russian colleagues with their national expertise.
To better support our advocacy in the ET 2020 Working Group Schools, an explorative survey and an exchange on quality care systems in Europe were organized. Representatives were asked to describe and discuss how school evaluation is organized at national level, what role the national and the Waldorf curriculum plays in quality care, how national tests and school leaving certificates come into play, if and how other stakeholders like e.g. parents are involved and what role of the professional development and appraisal of teachers play in quality care.