Steiner Education 101: Mythbusting and More

Steiner 101: Mythbusting and More

Location: Port Macquarie Library Grant St, Port Macquarie NSW 2444. Meeting Room 2

There is much more to Steiner education than meets the eye. Here is an opportunity to glimpse into the hidden secrets of the natural way in which children can progress from early childhood play to the intellectual rigours of senior high school. Little is widely known about the vertical curriculum of Steiner education and how it meets the developmental needs of children. In this presentation we step beyond the misconceptions of Steiner education and acquire a new perspective of how consciousness emerges and matures in our contemporary society.

On offer is a presentation from the CEO of Steiner Education Australia who outlines how Rudolf Steiner pioneered many of the key defining characteristics of mainstream 21st century education. Whilst Steiner had to use language that was addressed to Europeans at the start of the 20th century, his true message was for the world 100 years later ie now, and beyond. This presentation serves as an introduction to Steiner education for parents and teachers who are new to a Steiner school.

Andrew Hill, CEO Steiner Education Australia

Andrew Hill trained in Anthropology at the University of Sydney. He lived for a year in the rainforest completing a study of the culture of one of the First Nations people of Malaysia, is fluent in their language, and has maintained a lifelong connection with his adopted family there.

He taught Behavioural Science in Medicine at the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle before becoming a Steiner teacher. He was involved in founding and establishing the first ten years of the Newcastle Waldorf School where he took his first Class Teacher cycle.

At Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, Sydney he took two more class teacher cycles, and taught high school up to Year 12. He was Collegiate Chair and Head of School at Glenaeon for 14 years, where he led the renewal of Australia’s first Steiner school. He was one of the original writers of the government approved Australian Steiner Curriculum Framwork, and based on his lifelong connection with Asian and First Nations communities, he has been active in working on a global Steiner-Waldorf curriculum.

He is a regular presenter on Steiner education at schools and conferences in Australia and internationally, and has been involved in teacher training for many years at the January Class Teacher Intensives as well as in Waldorf schools in South East Asia, where he currently mentors a number of developing schools in Malaysia and Indonesia. He joined the Anthroposophical Society at the age of 21, and has been the CEO of Steiner Education Australia since 2023.