Program of Instruction
Star Lotus Center offers an academically rigorous and arts-integrated, interdisciplinary education designed to promote the growth and development of the whole child. It incorporates experiential learning and sustainable living practices.
Steiner’s model of education fosters the intellect, nurtures the imagination, recognizes the emotional life of each child, and teaches children capacities to actively create with their hands. Steiner Education’s aim is to inspire children to live engaged and successful lives, prepared to meet the demands of their world.
One of the highest aspirations is to create free human beings, who are able of themselves, to impart purpose and direction to their lives.
Developmental Model
Steiner Education uses a developmental model that follows 3 distinct stages from 0-7, 7-14, and 14-21. Through the use of this methodology, Star Lotus Center nourishes the children’s cognitive development and their natural love of learning by incorporating the unique developmental stages each child experiences into the curriculum and instruction.
The Steiner developmental model engages the child in a healthy developmental and psychological way, which leads to children thriving intellectually, emotionally, and socially.
Philosophy
The philosophy of Steiner education is founded upon the conviction that children are innately curious about themselves and the world. They inherently want to learn, discover, and create. The role of education is to nourish and guide this natural exuberance, energy and delight in the quest for meaning and knowledge.
Creative approaches in which the arts are integrated into academic learning serve to wholly engage the child and provide an experiential, multi-sensory context for understanding intellectual concepts.
The experiential study of world cultures enriches the student’s expanding world-view of multicultural education, giving an appreciation for diversity, flexibility of thinking, and an intrinsic empathic understanding of social and cultural issues.
Star Lotus Center’s educational approach is designed to instill in its students not only high standards for academic achievement, but also promote intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, problem solving, & creative self-expression. These attributes lead to valuable life skills & an innate sense of well being.
The intent of this educational model is that children will attain cognitive, emotional, social, and creative capacities that will serve them to develop themselves to their highest potential and to open up discovery of their own unique interests, talents, & life path.
Steiner Education Core Values
- Every child develops at their own pace in a developmentally appropriate way.
- Importance of rhythm, reverence, & responsibility.
- Students create their own “main lesson book.”
- “The child is the curriculum.”
- Use of natural materials when available.
- “Screen time” is discouraged for young children.
- Focus on developmental stages.
- Emphasis on creative & critical thinking.
- Celebration of festivals & community involvement.
- Co-operation valued over competition.
- Subjects taught through arts-integration & experiential learning.
- Children’s intellectual, emotional, physical, & social life are nurtured.
- Education offers a rigorous, relevant, balanced, & memorable education.
- Academics are infused with the lively arts which include movement, modeling, speech, story-telling, singing, drama, painting, etc.
- Lesson blocks of 3-4 weeks aids deeper learning & comprehension.
- Nature & sustainable living practices are incorporated into learning.
- Teacher looping establishes long term relationships which aids child development.
- Children are inspired & prepared to live and act in the world in a proactive way.
- Moral development in children is best taught by learning from adults engaged in inner self development that conduct themselves in a high ethical manner.
- The child engages in meaningful activities to care for others & the world around them.
