Deep Dive Workshops - 2026 Association Conference

Key Generative Principles of Waldorf Education
Martyn Rawson

These sessions will address the nature of the relationship of Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical anthropology (shared principle 1) to pedagogical practice and how this can be enriched by more recent compatible science through the use of core generative principles, particularly in relation to the development of the young human being (shared principle 3). They will also address the nature of transformative and holistic learning and the development of potentialities (shared principle 2). All these themes involve aspects of diversity, the mutual relationships between the individual and the other; as other person, as other cultures, and the natural world as other (shared principle 8).

Waldorf High Schools at a Turning Point: Anthroposophy, Adolescence, and the Work Before Us
David Barham, Brooke Natzke, Stephen Sagarin

What is the purpose of a Waldorf High School? Waldorf high schools are facing a moment that calls for innovation and renewed clarity of spiritual and educational purpose. This five-session workshop series invites high school faculty, leaders, and administrators into a shared inquiry grounded in Rudolf Steiner’s picture of the human being, particularly as articulated in Study of Man (1919) and Education for Adolescents (1921). How can anthroposophy, understood as a living path of knowledge, actively inform our educational work today and renew the meaning of Waldorf high school education in a modern world? What does it mean to educate for independent judgment in adolescence, so that young people learn to act out of their own highest, freely chosen ideals? Through keynote presentations, dialogue-rich sessions, and findings from the 2025 Waldorf High School Research Project, participants will explore how to take up this work to support the future of Waldorf high schools.

Facilitated by David Barham, Stephen Sagarin, and Brooke Natzke, the series weaves esoteric study, curriculum reflection, and lived school experience. One session, developed collaboratively with Martyn Rawson, draws on his forthcoming book Crafting a Curriculum of Coherence to examine how educational anthropology can inform coherence, meaning, and discernment in curriculum work today. The workshop offers spiritual deepening and practical orientation—creating shared ground for renewal and future collaboration across Waldorf high schools.