ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part discusses the learning theory behind the Waldorf educational method. Various theories of teaching and learning offer different approaches to understanding human learning; thus, the part explores how far such theories can offer theoretical clarification for the distinctive features of Waldorf education. It offers a detailed overview of the various scientific positions that developed in the last hundred years. The part then presents different approaches to human learning and contrasts them with the pedagogic concepts of Waldorf education, referencing Steiner's Study of Man with special consideration of his relevant legacy of lectures. It also develops the epistemological foundations of Waldorf education's concept of learning and reiterates once again some core aspects of learning such as transformation, forgetting, abilities, wholistic orientation, truth, and meaningfulness.
