Die vier Temperamente

The four temperaments of the human being – the choleric, sanguine, melancholic and phlegmatic temperament – have been spoken of since antiquity; Rudolf Steiner took up this way of looking at things in 1919 when founding the first Waldorf school and gave valuable pointers for teaching with regard to the child's different temperament colourings.

Helmut Eller, for many years a class teacher at a Waldorf school, gives a vivid and comprehensive introduction to this subject here. Through characteristic descriptions he sharpens the eye for individual temperament traits and conveys an understanding of the different psychological dispositions. On this basis a wide variety of ideas for teaching at the Waldorf school are then given – from the oral style of presentation in 1st grade to individual school subjects such as geography or chemistry in 7th grade. This opens up the possibility of perceiving individual children more precisely and of designing lessons in a differentiated way.