Our Story

a creative forum for professional learning.

Our professional development courses offer you the chance to experience the positive energy of working in a learning community while choosing your own time and space. We need flexibility and skills in our work with children and young people in order to respond in a cheerful and creative way to the changes and challenges we meet. Elewa combines modern technology with a Waldorf understanding of learning processes and invites teachers to join in, grow and learn professionally. Researching your own lessons and participating in collegial dialogue on the basis of pedagogical knowing and understanding can become a source of energy and inspiration for our daily work.

Our vision

a collegial learning community

Rudolf Steiner’s insight that collegial learning and working together is the basis for a sustainable pedagogical practice has not lost its relevance. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge that is not always fruitfully fulfilled. In this on-line professional development programme, we see an opportunity to facilitate collegial working beyond one’s own school. Additional to the existing courses for practicing teachers – face-to-face meetings of colleagues in many parts of the world – elewa online learning offers us the chance for the first time in almost 100 years of Waldorf practice, to open this dialogue to colleagues in other regions and across national boundaries. Thus we can explore and extend the positive effects of Waldorf education through a global learning community of teachers. The principle of dialogical learning is at the heart of our vision.

inspiration for our daily work.

Blended learning

Meeting people, being open to new ways of thinking, reflecting on practice and developing abilities through artistic work are the core activities in Waldorf teacher development. This can occur both face to face and online. In using digital media we see the opportunity to support the research of our own classroom practice as well providing a platform for ongoing pedagogical dialogue and exchange as sources of energy and inspiration. This does not replace seminars in ‘real time’, it supplements these and enables busy teachers to stay in touch nationally and internationally without having to travel.

elewa-eLearningWaldorf e.V.

Ulrike Sievers and Martyn Rawson have started the platform in 2015 and are responsible for the overall idea and technical management of the programme. Together with Ulrike Barth, who joined the team in 2017, they develop courses on foreign language teaching, inclusion and Waldorf pedagogical topics in general.  These courses are based on their many years of experience of teaching as well as on the rich source of experience made available by friends and colleagues over many years and the contributions they have made in the form of video interviews and material. Over the years, other instructors have joined the elewa team and offer courses in their fields of expertise. The elewa project has been financially supported by the Pedagogical Research Institute of the German Waldorf School Association (Pädagogische Forschungsstelle beim Bund der Freien Waldorfschulen). 

Our partners

In 2020, elewa and the pedagogical research institute (PäFo) have started a cooperation - #waldorflernt: analog, hybrid, digital - in order to widen and deepen the field of online and blended professional learning opportinities for Waldorf teachers. Moreover, elewa is working together with ECSWE - the European Council For Steiner Waldorf Education - and other European institutions in various projects.

Our vision

a collegial learning community

Rudolf Steiner’s insight that collegial learning and working together is the basis for a sustainable pedagogical practice has not lost its relevance. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge that is not always fruitfully fulfilled. In this on-line professional development programme, we see an opportunity to facilitate collegial working beyond one’s own school. Additional to the existing courses for practicing teachers – face-to-face meetings of colleagues in many parts of the world – elewa online learning offers us the chance for the first time in almost 100 years of Waldorf practice, to open this dialogue to colleagues in other regions and across national boundaries. Thus we can explore and extend the positive effects of Waldorf education through a global learning community of teachers. The principle of dialogical learning is at the heart of our vision.

inspiration for our daily work.

want to be part of the team ?

The worldwide Waldorf community holds a huge potential of great ideas as well as profound knowledge and pedagogical understanding. Maybe you are one of those who have something to share?

Should you be interested in contributing to the existing courses or even create your own elewa course, please reach out and contact us:

u.sievers@e-learningwaldorf.de