Foundations of the Extra Lesson

Foundations of the Extra Lesson: Beyond What is Seen in the Exercises

The exercises by Audrey McAllen as published in The Extra Lesson are more than examples of what individual teachers can develop when confronted by the needs of their students. Audrey developed an archetypal concept, deeply rooted in Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy, which goes far beyond the level of individuals. The exercises address spirit forces within the human body and integrate the students’ movements into the Earth’s universal movements.

Practicing the exercises oneself reveals their effectiveness, and studying the concepts behind the development of these exercises can deepen one’s understanding of why and how they work.

Topics addressed:

• Human Development
• Lectures on the Senses and Supersensible Currents
• Right-angled Triangle and Threefold Spiral Exercises
• Two Painting Exercises
• Copper Ball and Moving Straight Line and Lemniscate Exercises
• Eye Color Affinity: Blue Moon and Red Sun Drawing
• The Qualities of the Colors
• Colors in the Extra Lesson Painting Exercises
• Mirroring and the Imprinting Process
• Handedness Pattern Assessment and Flower Rod Exercise
• The Cube as Reversal of Three-dimensional Space
• The Divine Architecture of the Structural Physical Body

About the Author

Joep Eikenboom is a Waldorf class teacher and Extra Lesson practitioner in the Netherlands. He has worked extensively with Audrey McAllen and other Extra Lesson teachers to found remedial education teacher training programs in the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Hungary and Ireland.