Montessori & Waldorf

Two amazing institutions that follow the progressive, holistic movement of education are: The Waldorf Schools and The Montessori Schools.

Waldorf Education

Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf schools, believed that education should embody the human being as composed of body, soul, and spirit- also known as Anthroposophy (founded by Steiner himself).
The first Waldorf school was founded in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany.  Currently, there are 1,023 independent Waldorf schools, 600 kindergartens and  646 centers for special education (statistics for Woldford schools worldwide)
The Waldorf pedagogy focuses on three stages of development, each lasting approximately 7 years. The early years education focuses on providing practical, hands-on activities and environments that encourage creative play. In the elementary school, the emphasis is on developing pupils' artistic expression and social capacities, fostering both creative and analytical modes of understanding. Secondary education focuses on developing critical understanding and fostering idealism. Throughout, the approach stresses the role of the imagination in learning and places a strong value on integrating academic, practical and artistic pursuits.

The philosophy of Waldorf fits into holistic education because it supports the theory of freedom, moral responsibility, and social competence.  The curricula is designed around the student's needs and interests and provides hands-on learning and student-centered teaching.  Waldorf schools are great forms of alternative education for those who oppose public schools, but do require tuition.

http://www.waldorfinspirations.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education#cite_note-schulliste-1
Janni, Nicol (2010). Bringing the Steiner Waldorf Approach to your Early Years Practice. New York,   NY: Routledge.

Montessori Education

The Montessori Schools were founded by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori and characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.

Montessori education spread to the United States in 1911 but it wasn't until the 1960's that it gained popularity and widespread attention.  Today, there are more then 4,000 functioning Montessori schools in the United States.

The philosophy and pedagogy of Montessori schools focus on self-construction, liberty, and spontaneous activity/discovery.  In addition, Montessori allowed for for free activity within a "prepared environment" meaning an educational environment tailored to basic human characteristics, to the specific characteristics of children at different ages, and to the individual personalities of each child.

Key characteristics of this school are : freedom, movement, flexibility, beauty, harmony, order, cleanliness, individual personality, communication, and exploration, among others.
Components necessary for a program to be considered authentically Montessori include multiage groupings that foster peer learning, uninterrupted blocks of work time, and guided choice of work activity. In addition, a full complement of specially designed Montessori learning materials are meticulously arranged and available for use in an aesthetically pleasing environment.

Multiage groupings are a hallmark of the Montessori Method: younger children learn from older children; older children reinforce their learning by teaching concepts they have already mastered. This arrangement also mirrors the real world, where individuals work and socialize with people of all ages and dispositions.  

https://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/Introduction-to-Montessori.aspx