Rudolf Steiner(1861~1925), was an education practitioner and education thinker who devoted to cultivation of whole man through Art of education (Erziehungskunst) based on his anthroposophy. The kernel of his education theory is to form an educational ...
Rudolf Steiner(1861~1925), was an education practitioner and education thinker who devoted to cultivation of whole man through Art of education (Erziehungskunst) based on his anthroposophy. The kernel of his education theory is to form an educational foundation for whole man development through harmony of body, soul and spirit.
The education theory of Rudolf Steiner is based on anthroposophical view of providing realistic idea on true nature of human and world to help human being identify the nature of life. The purpose of this education theory is to enhance the power inside the children and let them develop their own lives.
To develop one's own life is closely connected with self discovery, formation and growth. It is very important to help children to form a positive self-consciousness in the period they begin to develop the idea on themselves. Self is a part that explains the actual existence of human being. The true meaning of human can be identified only when he or she is identified based on the self. In other words, human being is an existence controlled by the spirit that lives inside the body. Elementary years are the decisive period that self-growth is made. According to Lowenfeld(1957), art activity is a method of developing self-recognition and self-idea to enhance the relationship with others (Re-ref. Kim, Dong Joon, 2000), which implicates that self can be developed efficiently through art education.
The purpose of this study is to explore why the positive self formation in elementary years is important and how Form drawing can affect self-recognition, formation and development with a view to Form drawing (Formenzeichnen), a creative art education for self-growth by Rudolf Steiner, as a way of self-expression. The study also purposes to review the educational implication of Form drawing to provide an opportunity to find an orientation of art education in Korea.
The study was progressed based on the original works of Rudolf Steiner, translated works that were published in Korea, researches, published theses, and the literatures in the periodicals. As a supplementary study, visits to Form drawing classes in an alternative school in Korea that pursues and practices the education of Rudolf Steiner and interviews with the teachers were performed to collect data which formed a foundation for our discussion.
Form Drawing, a method of art education created by Rudolf Steiner, enables the children to experience the original nature of inside through the lines and experience the self by immersing deeply in such inside world. Children are enlightened with their view, sense of movement, sense of balance, sense of touch, life-sense, and imagination. They are able to solve given problems by their own to grow as a person with unique characteristic. The Form drawing also enlightens the soule of a child and leads it to a level of spirit through a process of internalizing the formed shape. Children can recognize themselves through Form Drawing, and the self strengthened through Form drawing helps the children to face the world and make it their own way.
The educational implications of Form drawing for self-expression are as follows.
Firstly, it helps formation and growth of self. Form Drawing enlightens the personality that exists deep inside. Children are able to identify themselves with the lines to find and experience the new self while drawing. Form Drawing strengthens the self power that lies beneath the self of children, which, in turn helps the children to balance themselves throughout their lives.
Secondly, Form Drawing coexists with body, soul and mind, in other words, with every element of human. Therefore, it forms an integral person who pursues balance and harmony. The educational principal of steiner connotes such educational principal of integral person. Form Drawing is a representative type of educational art that realizes and practices such principal.
Art education in Korea needs to develop from the standardized art classes to an education that is customized to the development stage of children, focuses on the experience of inside and connects such experience to self experience. Form drawing, which lies its foundation on the educational idea of Rudolf Steiner who requests for a new view to human and the world, strengthens the self and enables the harmony of rhythms inside the children. It can be said that Form drawing class by Rudolf Steiner presents a great model to art classes in Korea.
This study is limited to a visit to a classroom in an alternative school that pursues Rudolf Steiner's education and literature research. It is expected that further study on Form drawing will be performed to provide Form drawing class that is in line with our current conditions in educational fields.