Module No: 10 PAKISTAN MONTESSORI COUNCIL
ASSIGNMENT No: 10
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Question No: 01. Write a note on the significance of handwork. Handwork and crafts are to have a specific task within the context of the curriculum, namely to awaken creative powers which would find fruitful and useful application in as many Ways as possible in later life lif e and work !he practicin" of handwork is not meant to provide #ust a pleasant past$time but to specifically help the youn" child to develop a healthy ima"ination and harmonies his unfoldin" will and feelin" life %or the older child, the teena"er, teena"er, the enhancement enhancement of these soul faculties will form the basis for an active thinkin" life and possibility to form sound #ud"ment &"ain and a"ain 'udolf (teiner points out those adult )ualities*for instance, sound #ud"ment, to have balanced thinkin"* depend far more on whether a child was tau"ht to use his hands, his fin"ers in a ri"ht and practical way !his leads to the exercisin" of lo"ical thinkin" in later life !he reason for this is based on one of the fundamental precepts of true teachin", namely that when we en"a"e the child in physical, practical activity, such as handwork or +raft work, we are workin" on the soul spirit nature- of that child However, when we address the soul spirit nature-, for instance, in story$tellin", the healthy results are to be found in the bodily or"anism- .t is conse)uently no less important for the handwork/craft teacher to be familiar with the nature of soul life and the development of the child than for the class teacher oth should work in accordance with how the child is at any time, how he or she perceives him or herself and the world !he three phases of development from play in which the child experiences the world is ood 2up to the a"e of 34, throu"h the experience of beauty 2the school child from 3 to 154 to the attainment of truth truth 2the 2the adolesc adolescent ent years4 help the child transform transform what was play play into into the basis for his/her his/her motivation in the realm of work !his olden 6ath in education forms the "uideline in handwork as well !he youn"er child learns by play to fashion simple toys, developin" what he or she makes out of stories !he handwork teacher then "radually leads the child to the awareness of color and form in order to create artistic forms and to have a sense for what is beautiful 7ater with the older child and the teena"er, the sense for what is practical is awakened and developed out of the artistic way of workin": by learnin" to respond to the materials, by the development of manual skills and the correct use of tools !hat all articles made in handwork should express beauty in some form "oes without sayin" .t is however, e)ually important that the functional aspect, the way to use the article, is also apparent apparent in the particular particular desi"n "iven to the article !his is a new and ob#ective ob#ective discipline discipline inherent in all practical 8 activities and is essential to all true +raft 6ractice What follows is an attempt to outline the essential elements and practice of the %ormal Hand Work Work +urriculum .t is one with which we may be familiar However, . believe due to chan"in" circumstances of today, we could benefit from a rethink and adaptation into our present time 'enewin" !he +raft +urriculum in view of the increasin" occurrence of many basic learnin" and behavioral problems presented by children c hildren throu"hout the school, are we not challen"ed to provide an education more consciously focused on the experiential-9 &n education that is artistic, practical and intellectually stimulatin"9 6erhaps too much of our education is directed at the !hinkin" Man and rarely descends to creatively satisfy the Will Man !he renewed +raft +urriculum is an attempt to lead the child/pupil on a path of education that ascends from below upwards .t is essentially a path that offers an education of the Will .t would appear that if we are to address the 1
lameness of the Will that is so apparent we would need to be more creative in adoptin" and applyin" a practical approach to our teachin" in all classes throu"hout the school . have therefore taken the liberty to au"ment the traditional hand work curriculum with su""estions for a variety of practical activities that could be seen as part of a New evelopmental +raft +urriculum, see & escent .nto Matter (oft and Hard Handwork (ome confusion has, unfortunately, arisen re"ardin" the different areas of handwork Handwork refers to the soft material work usin" mainly unprocessed raw materials Handcraft includes clay, wood, paper, leather etc and is mainly tau"ht to children from 18 years onwards +raft is a specific type of work and only applies in Waldorf Waldorf schools schools where pupils have already achieved achieved a "eneral "eneral knowled"e knowled"e and ran"e of skills in the use of different materials and tools, which they now apply to a specific craft, such as weavin" Handwork +hildren are first introduced to handwork by way of soft natural materials Here, in response to the subtle direction of the teacher, the child creates out of his or her feelin"s, whilst bein" shown and "uided how to care for the materials and the simple tools used !he sensitive use of colour plays an important part in the child-s en#oyment of the handwork lessons: les sons: helpin" the child form a meanin"ful, personal relationship to color can also serve to brin" that child-s feelin" nature into harmony !his in turn can work beneficially on the breathin" and blood circulation of the child ; Hand +raft 7ater in handcraft, usin" harder materials, for instance various types of wood, wood, stron"er forces of will are needed !he limbs and the whole body are en"a"ed in this activity !here is a difference in the experience of makin" soft toys, a stuffed animal, for instance, to that of an animal carved out of wood .n the first instance, soft material, flat pieces of material, receive their nature from inside inside .n the case of carvin" an animal out of wood the hard material material receive sits nature from outside &"ain in the first instance, the child makes manifest in the stuffin" of the animal, the fillin" out processes in his or her own body .n woodwork, however, however, a person works like the action of water, sculptin" the rock over which it flows & child is only really ready for this sort of activity from about the twelfth year on, after the child-s formative forces have developed his or her body
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HANDWORKAND CRAFTS CURRICULUM 4 WHY: WHY: !rue education aims to serve the needs of the whole human bein": Head, Heart and Hands are brou"ht into a particular relationship with each other in the practice of handwork and crafts .n these lessons, pupils have the opportunity to tan"ibly "rasp- the world and "ive expression to their latent creativity Handwork and craft activities not only serve to educate the pupils in the nature and processes involved with the different materials, the use of tools and e)uipment, etc, but there is also inherent the therapeutic aspect from which the pupils benefit %or it is in the very nature of handwork/crafts to rin"
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QUSTION ! Creatively make any ten handwork items discussed in the module and send to your tutor.
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