In the pedagogy of the Waldorf School, this nine-year change has a number of important implications. Because the outer world is now separate, it can be observed and investigated, taken back into the inner world via the senses. This should be done in a way that maintains the integrity, the wholeness, and unity of the outer world. For example, plants should be studied in the context of soil ecology and their native ecosystem, and not as a piece of green matter of a given shape, brought in to the classroom for inspection.* This is just one of many examples of how Steiner's theoretical stages of child development are tied to practical pedagogical indications and shape the curriculum of Waldorf Schools.
* Rudolf Steiner, The Kingdom of Childhood. Hudson, NY: Anthroposophic Press, 1995. Page 48, and Rudolf Steiner, The Child's Changing Consciousness. Hudson, NY: Anthroposophic Press, 1988 – the entire book.
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