The limited research available on writing in Grade 1 led to the development and implementation of... more The limited research available on writing in Grade 1 led to the development and implementation of an intervention for students who were performing below expectations. Ten students participated in a writing intervention for 11–13 weeks. A multiple baseline design across three units of instruction was focused on (a) paragraph structure, (b) sentence structure and handwriting, and (c) vocabulary and spelling allowed for analysis of the effects of the intervention. Treatment effects were evident from visual analysis, nonoverlap statistics, and multilevel modeling. Descriptive data collected on literacy measures administered before and after the intervention also indicated growth. Educator ratings of student writing and social validity surveys provide further evidence that improvements in student writing were apparent. Students also provided favorable input. These results indicate the malleability of writing behavior in at-risk first-grade students. Although preliminary findings are prom...
This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of C... more This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of Common Core and other policies. An overview of some of the curriculum highlights are presented and several questions are asked: what are the key differences between the curricula? Is Waldorf a “slow” approach, making Common Core too “fast?” What does research, both neurobiological and developmental suggest in terms of how and when children should learn? And finally, why can’t all children experience joy in education? These questions are explored, as are the results of developmental and neurobiological research and the history of public education in the United States.
This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of Co... more This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of Common Core and other policies. An overview of some of the curriculum highlights are presented and several questions are asked: what are the key differences between the curricula? Is Waldorf a “slow” approach, making Common Core too “fast?” What does research, both neurobiological and developmental suggest in terms of how and when children should learn? And finally, why can’t all children experience joy in education? These questions are explored, as are the results of developmental and neurobiological research and the history of public education in the United States.
Written for Antioch University New England, 2013.
This paper examines the innate human acts of th... more Written for Antioch University New England, 2013. This paper examines the innate human acts of thinking, feeling, and willing and how they are viewed within Waldorf Education. What does it mean to educate the “head, heart, and hands?” Rudolf Steiner emphasized the importance of balancing the flow of thinking, feeling, and willing and how each of those correspond to the cycles of child development. As many Waldorf schools advertise as an education of “head, heart, and hands” or as being a balanced or holistic education, this paper seeks to uncover the mystery of why reaching the child through thinking, feeling, and willing bears significance. The importance of this balance in the classroom via the medium of the teacher is also explored.
The limited research available on writing in Grade 1 led to the development and implementation of... more The limited research available on writing in Grade 1 led to the development and implementation of an intervention for students who were performing below expectations. Ten students participated in a writing intervention for 11–13 weeks. A multiple baseline design across three units of instruction was focused on (a) paragraph structure, (b) sentence structure and handwriting, and (c) vocabulary and spelling allowed for analysis of the effects of the intervention. Treatment effects were evident from visual analysis, nonoverlap statistics, and multilevel modeling. Descriptive data collected on literacy measures administered before and after the intervention also indicated growth. Educator ratings of student writing and social validity surveys provide further evidence that improvements in student writing were apparent. Students also provided favorable input. These results indicate the malleability of writing behavior in at-risk first-grade students. Although preliminary findings are prom...
This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of C... more This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of Common Core and other policies. An overview of some of the curriculum highlights are presented and several questions are asked: what are the key differences between the curricula? Is Waldorf a “slow” approach, making Common Core too “fast?” What does research, both neurobiological and developmental suggest in terms of how and when children should learn? And finally, why can’t all children experience joy in education? These questions are explored, as are the results of developmental and neurobiological research and the history of public education in the United States.
This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of Co... more This research paper looks at the Waldorf curriculum and the current public school standards of Common Core and other policies. An overview of some of the curriculum highlights are presented and several questions are asked: what are the key differences between the curricula? Is Waldorf a “slow” approach, making Common Core too “fast?” What does research, both neurobiological and developmental suggest in terms of how and when children should learn? And finally, why can’t all children experience joy in education? These questions are explored, as are the results of developmental and neurobiological research and the history of public education in the United States.
Written for Antioch University New England, 2013.
This paper examines the innate human acts of th... more Written for Antioch University New England, 2013. This paper examines the innate human acts of thinking, feeling, and willing and how they are viewed within Waldorf Education. What does it mean to educate the “head, heart, and hands?” Rudolf Steiner emphasized the importance of balancing the flow of thinking, feeling, and willing and how each of those correspond to the cycles of child development. As many Waldorf schools advertise as an education of “head, heart, and hands” or as being a balanced or holistic education, this paper seeks to uncover the mystery of why reaching the child through thinking, feeling, and willing bears significance. The importance of this balance in the classroom via the medium of the teacher is also explored.
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Papers by Meaghan McKenna
This paper examines the innate human acts of thinking, feeling, and willing and how they are viewed within Waldorf Education. What does it mean to educate the “head, heart, and hands?” Rudolf Steiner emphasized the importance of balancing the flow of thinking, feeling, and willing and how each of those correspond to the cycles of child development. As many Waldorf schools advertise as an education of “head, heart, and hands” or as being a balanced or holistic education, this paper seeks to uncover the mystery of why reaching the child through thinking, feeling, and willing bears significance. The importance of this balance in the classroom via the medium of the teacher is also explored.
This paper examines the innate human acts of thinking, feeling, and willing and how they are viewed within Waldorf Education. What does it mean to educate the “head, heart, and hands?” Rudolf Steiner emphasized the importance of balancing the flow of thinking, feeling, and willing and how each of those correspond to the cycles of child development. As many Waldorf schools advertise as an education of “head, heart, and hands” or as being a balanced or holistic education, this paper seeks to uncover the mystery of why reaching the child through thinking, feeling, and willing bears significance. The importance of this balance in the classroom via the medium of the teacher is also explored.