Waldon
is a theory about the most basic elements of human learning and development; about the growth of understanding in the individual. How we learn to adapt, and to survive.
The application of these ideas in education is called the Waldon Approach and it can be used in any setting, with any age or level of ability. It is most frequently used by parents, carers and teachers to help vulnerable people become more self-reliant and more open to others.
People who have a learning disability, for example, can in this way strengthen their core understanding, and become more capable, adaptive and emotionally resilient.
Dr Geoffrey Waldon was a neurologist, and developed his ideas over a number of years of professional practice. Through extensive observation of human behaviour and learning, particularly of young children in free play, he sought to identify the essential processes and mechanisms that shape understanding before culture comes to play its part.
At the heart of Waldon theory is the premise that all human understanding arises directly from the organising of patterns of movement in time and space; that meaning comes from movement.