Waldorf News

The Keys to Literacy Capacities: Online, On-Demand Courses that Unify Best Practices and Steiner’s Indications

By Jennifer Militzer-Kopperl

Do you have students who are struggling with basic reading and spelling skills? Are some students lagging behind their classmates, despite your best efforts? Are you unsure how—or whether—to help?

Introducing “The Keys to Literacy Capacities,” a bundle of three online, on-demand courses from Renewal of Literacy® that show how to teach reading and spelling capacities in a way that aligns with Steiner’s indications and modern best practices.

Literacy Capacities

Waldorf teachers know that they are supposed to educate the soul capacities (i.e., thinking, feeling, and willing). What is less well known is this: Steiner also told teachers to train three capacities that pertain to literacy. The literacy capacities Steiner identified are as follows:  1) Clear Listening; 2) Precise Seeing; and 3) Mental Picturing.

Modern research confirms that these three literacy capacities are the key to teaching reading and spelling skills. However, the capacities go by different names:

• Clear Listening = Phonemic Awareness

• Precise Seeing = Symbol Imagery

• Mental Picturing = Concept Imagery

“The Keys to Literacy Capacities” bring modern best practices and Steiner’s indications together to help Waldorf teachers and homeschooling parents help all students learn to read and spell. There are three courses, one course for each capacity. Each capacity is the key to the acquisition of specific literacy skills:

• Phonemic Awareness: The Key to Decoding, Encoding, and Phonics

• Symbol Imagery: The Key to Sight Words and Spelling

• Concept Imagery: The Key to Comprehension 

Each course contains the following:

• Introduction to the Capacity (i.e., Phonemic Awareness, Symbol Imagery, or Concept Imagery)

• Test Your Capacity—Including Advice on How to Improve

• How to Teach the Capacity—Including Separate Sections on Exercises and Fun and Games

• How to Assess the Capacity

• How to Help Struggling Students

• Material for Faculty Study or Book Study Group

• Glossary of Terms

Teachers who train the literacy capacities in addition to teaching literacy skills find that students have an easier time learning to read and spell. Faculties that study the literacy capacities together can create a school-wide culture of academic excellence based on Steiner’s indications and modern best practices.

Introducing Renewal of Literacy®

“The Keys to Literacy Capacities” are the first support courses from Renewal of Literacy®.

Renewal of Literacy® is a language arts program for Waldorf schools grades 1–8. It is comprised of The Roadmap to Literacy Books and support material such as online courses and mentoring services.

“The Keys to Literacy Capacities” are the first support courses for The Roadmap to Literacy and The Roadmap to Literacy: Renewal of Literacy® Edition, which is coming soon. The Renewal of Literacy® Edition contains new research into Steiner’s indications and shows teachers how to correct the number one thing teachers are doing wrong when they use The Roadmap to Literacy so they can get up to 95% of future Waldorf students reading and spelling at grade level by the end of third grade—and teach and assess in a way that aligns with Steiner’s indications.

“The Keys to Literacy Capacities” were designed for Waldorf teachers and homeschool parents in grades 1–3, but they can be used in any grade to help students who are struggling with basic literacy skills. They are also good for Waldorf parents who want to learn more about Waldorf education and/or ways to support their children in a way that aligns with Steiner’s indications and best practices.

Each individual course costs $99 for 6 months’ access, but the bundle “The Keys to Literacy Capacities” contains all three courses, which are available for $250 for a full year’s access. Visit the website https://renewalofliteracy.teachable.com/ for more information.

Request for Beta Testers

I am looking for beta testers, people who agree to provide useful feedback on an accelerated timeline in exchange for a reduced price. Ideal beta testers are people who are dedicated to renewing literacy for the 21st century, including:

• Waldorf teachers

• administrators

• mentor teachers

• teacher trainers

• curriculum designers

• literacy specialists/remedial teachers/tutors

• homeschooling parents

• parents of Waldorf students

• representatives of Waldorf-Steiner oversight committees and accreditation boards

• representatives of Waldorf teacher training institutes

I am looking for diverse opinions so I can design courses that meet the needs of the greater Waldorf community and possible collaborations to improve Waldorf teacher training and continuing education. I would like to get the first courses for the sequel Continuing the Journey to Literacy available by summer 2023.

If you are interested in becoming a beta tester, please fill out the contact form at Renewal of Literacy renewalofliteracy.com/contact/ and I will be in touch.

Please join me in renewing literacy—for the 21st century and beyond.

Jennifer Militzer-Kopperl is the creator of Renewal of Literacy® and author of The Roadmap to Literacy Books. She brings the best of Steiner’s indications together with the best of modern research to renew Waldorf education, starting with a renewal of literacy.