The methodology for science instruction in Waldorf Education is based on observation and Socratic Inquiry. Students of all ages are immersed in observation and manipulatives, experienced during regular nature walks, gardening, cooking, form drawing and experimentation, to name only a few. By the time they enter middle school, Waldorf students begin the study of Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Geology, Astronomy, Meteorology, and Botany, which is first introduced in fifth grade. At this level, Waldorf teachers begin not by lecturing on rules and formulas, but by showing those rules in action through experiments, the natural world, art and music.
These real world examples and applications are used to then guide students to use Socratic inquiry and observation to connect logical parts to the whole, which helps them deeply understand the science within our world.
At Susquehanna Waldorf School, the seventh grade recently reinforced that science can come to life as they demonstrated their Physics and Simple Machine experiments to the student and parent body at a school assembly. Using themselves as weight, force, and motion, they were able to affect balance through a fulcrum, lifting through pulleys, force from a small wedge, and motion with the help of wheels and axles.