Educar para a vida, através da vida: a base teórico metodológica da pedagogia Waldorf e o ensino de História no Brasil contemporâneo como exemplo de educação emancipatória

Abstract

This research investigated the thinking of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner and his contributions to the construction of a theory of knowledge at the end of the 19th century that would serve as a basis for some practical initiatives in different fields of knowledge, including the field of Education. Such methodological bases of this Steinerian theory of knowledge would be used to support the foundations of a pedagogical proposal that would emerge in post-war Germany, in 1919: Waldorf pedagogy. In this thesis, we will see how Steiner's approaches to the processes of human knowledge in relation to natural phenomena and the entire sensory world constitute principles for the practice of Waldorf pedagogy and, mainly because of this, make it a unique educational proposal. We will be able to see how much Steiner was a thinker of his time and space and how his historical and philosophical context are represented in his works, highlighting Goethe's influences on his theory of knowledge and later on Waldorf pedagogical practice. Waldorf pedagogy is based on intentions that are absolutely committed to contemporary issues and has entered the 20th and 21st centuries, growing throughout the world and contributing to social transformations in the communities in which it operates through educational processes that seek to promote human emancipation and the practice of citizenship based on awareness raising as a result of a methodological-didactic process that aims to strengthen the human being as a whole. We understand that, for this reason, in 1994, UNESCO declared Waldorf pedagogy as capable of responding to educational challenges, especially in areas of great cultural divergence and social conflict. We will illustrate this methodological proposal through examples focused on teaching History in High School, so that we can see Steiner's theory of knowledge alive in the practical methodological bases of a class of this subject in Brazilian Basic Education. We will demonstrate how these pedagogical intentions, anchored in a deep interest in human beings, in Steiner's theory of knowledge, in phenomenology and in Goetheanism, constitute an educational proposal committed to the emancipation of students in the teaching-learning process so that they can act in their life context, promoting civic practices and social transformations.