シュタイナー教育にみる教育実践の新たな展開可能性 : 身体と言語の視点から

In education, “body” and “language” tend to be captured in a divided and limited context. For example, the body is mainly dealt with in physical education, and the language limitedly within the learning of Japanese and foreign languages, with emphasizing the physical body, language system, and its rules only. They have, however, broader meanings and possibilities. The body is deeply related to emotions, thoughts, knowledge, and learning, and the language with its relevance to images and metaphors can be extended to the bodily dimension. To support this understanding of broader concepts of body and language, somaesthetics and the linguistic theory of Saussure can be considered as a theoretical background. In this sense, this study focuses on the practice of Steiner education. Even though there are raising concerns regarding its controversial “philosophy,” it is undeniable that the practices have excellent implications for contemporary education, especially regarding body and language. For example, Eurythmy in Steiner education reflects the meaning of the body extended to child development, rhythm, music, and language. In this manner, this paper focuses on the practices of Steiner education from the viewpoint of body and language. This study aims to explore the possibilities of “body” and “language” in education as seen in Steiner education practice, and based on this, proposes practical examples for the Japanese curriculum.