What's up with Waldorf Education's tech approach?

According to an article on Parents.com, “A 2016 study found that college students spend more class time than ever using smartphones and other devices. The study found that students spend up to 20% of their classroom time engaging in the following: Texting, Emailing, Surfing the web, Checking social media and Playing games” This data is over 8 years old and the percentages have only increased! The numbers, research and data to show that tech in the classroom is a major distraction have exploded in the past decade as research has caught up to human action. Not to mention, the impact of social media and technology on child development, brain development and mental health for students is ringing loud and clear today. Recent headlines read:

New York Times: Get Tech Out of the Classroom Before it’s Too Late (April 2024)
US Surgeon General Calls for Warning Label on Social Media (June 2024)
The Atlantic: Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation? (September 2017)
Guardian: A groundbreaking study shows kids learn better on paper, not screens. Now what? (January 2024)

The slew over coverage and research arising is endless. The stories and opinions keep rolling in but the consensus is clear: devices in the classroom cause distractions and phone-free environments are more supportive for learning, connection, engagement. and long term joy and mental well-being for our children.

According to Social psychologist and author of the recently published book, The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt, schools and communities need to follow 4 key guidelines to changing the norm when it comes to tech and the well being of students (source, CNN)

No. 1: No smartphones before high school. We must clear them out of middle school and elementary school. Just let kids have a flip phone or phone watch when they become independent.

No. 2: No social media until 16. These platforms were not made for children. They appear to be especially harmful for children. We must especially protect early puberty since that is when the greatest damage is done.

No. 3: Phone-free schools. There’s really no argument for letting kids have the greatest distraction device ever invented in their pockets during school hours. If they have the phones, they will be texting during class, and they will be focused on their phones. If they don’t have phones, they will listen to their teachers and spend time with other kids.

No. 4: More independence, free play and responsibility in the real world. We need to roll back the phone-based childhood and restore the play-based childhood.

What’s the Waldorf Education approach to tech?

WSRF has been a phone-free campus for over 30 years (since our founding in 1991). This means while many schools, including those in our local area are scrambling to figure out how to have a distraction-free environment, on our campus, this is the norm. Students do not have phones or smart devices on campus or nor do they use them at any point during class time or breaks, eliminating potential distractions from tech. Plus: our lunch times, recess times and everything in between are opportunities for connection for our students. Real conversations and real human interactions are the core of our campus life for students.

Because we deeply understand and believe technology and media are prevalent and important forces in the world today, we introduce our three-year Cyber Civics program starting in 6th grade. Students begin working with technology as a tool, while learning to question and navigate ethical, responsible technology use and media engagement. Our Middle School students can often be seen using laptops for research projects and building their typing and skills when it comes to navigating tech as a tool in our world. The cyber civic curriculum also brings in industry leaders and professionals to share a first hand and engaging perspective with our students on how technology and social media in particular, can impact human behavior. How do we work with it and build for the future? Our students are challenged to engage with tech intentionally and build longterm, helathy relationships with this critical tool.

Our tech approach is intentional and community based. The impact is alumni who say:

Where is Isaac Today? Soaring, truly.

Isaac is currently a senior at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and will graduate in the Spring of 2025 with a Bachelor of Science.

Fun Fact: He's a member of the elite squadron of the Wings of Blue Air Force skydiving team. They compete amongst the other military academies and civilian schools with flight programs. The competitions involve creating 4-way and 6-way formations before deploying their chutes. This is a photo of the Air Force team called Mixed Tape. Isaac is soaring horizontally on the far left and pointing to the camera. As the team says... Blue Skies Ahead! Members of the Wings of Blue also teach skydiving to other members in the military, as well as future astronauts. Isaac's main summer job has been as a Jump Master for this program.