THE BANK STREET

APPROACH

(DEVELOPMENTAL INTERACTION APPROACH)

In 1916, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, the Bureu of Educational Experiments.

Since 1920s, Bank Street College of Education, New York

Also known as Developmental Interaction Model

→ concerned with all aspects of children’s development

→ places emphasis on interactions, both between the child and

environment and between the cognitive and affective areas

of the child’s development.

The underlying philisophy of the program

→ fostering both intellectual and social-emotional development ● self-esteem ● impulse control ● identity ● autonomy ● competence ● relationship with others

Children can become lifelong learners by interacting with the environment around them, including other people, different places and various things, and then interpret what they've just experienced.

MISSION OF BANK STREET

MISSION OF BANK STREET

To improve the education of children and their teachers by applying to the educational process all available knowledge about learning and growth, and by connecting teaching and learning meaningfully to the outside world.

→ seek to strengthen not only individuals, but the community

as well, including family, school, and the larger society in

which adults and children, in all their diversity, interact and

learn. We see in education the opportunity to build a better

society.

The progressive movement of the early twentieth century, John Dewey

→ Study on how children learn and how to create classrooms- and a school-

that would become a microcosm of the ideals and practices of a democratic

community. School was seen as a place to study child development and as

a vehicle for social change.

→ The intellectual and social life of the individual was considered inseparable.

→ As opposed to rote learning practices prevalent in schools at that time, the

founders of Bank Street established classrooms in which children were

active: venturing out and inquiring about the world around them.

The Bank Street method employs a child-centered education program focusing on diversity of curriculum.

Students are offered active educational opportunities in areas that develop cognitive, emotional, physical and social growth.

Learning often includes more than one subject and in groups, allowing

that children learn at various levels and using different methods.

The Environment

The classroom is arranged into conventional

interest areas such as music, art, reading, science

and dramatic play.

→ purpose is clearly defined by the materials the

area contains.

→ hand-made materials both by teachers and children

The Curriculum The curriculum and the functioning of the classroom should

be integrated. Curriculum based on unifying theme.

→ specific concepts

→ a sense of integration

Help children understand and master their school environment

Learning is extended beyond to the community to understand meaningful elements affecting their lives.

Therefore;

Interaction Integration Sense of community Children as individuals Active participation in learning Developmental and age appropriate learning

General Teaching Techniques

Encouraging

Facilitating

Feedback

Listening

Grouping

Questioning

Specialist teaching techniques

Co-constructingCommunity Building

Empowering

CO-CONSTRUCTING

WHY?

Bank Street approach asserts that the main part of the education should include that children and staff to form the meaning and build the knowledge together.

Direct approach to the education ignored and making sense, interpreting and understanding objects and events is supported.

WHY? As co-construction method claims, Bank

Street approach focus learning about the world through interactions with family members and significant adults with their own exploration.

Interaction with others is so important that enable children to explore and experiment their own world.

WHY?

Children are supported by presenting integrated curriculum and this curriculum grows out of interests of the children and collaboration of the teacher.

Curriculum focus on different subjects, by the way, sharing increases in class setting and social constructivism occurs.

WHY?

As co-constructing claims, Bank Street approach includes active engagement with the environment.

As children grow, they construct more and more complex ways of making sense of the world.

HOW?

Teacher’s role is to set up classroom mindfully that children come to preschool with diverse learning style.

By the way, children learn there are multiple worlds and multiple ways to explaining the worlds.

HOW?

To create constructive environment, Bank Street teachers observe children to determine children’s interests.

By recording observations and reflecting on patterns, teachers can create environment that support child active participation.

HOW?

As co-constructing method requires sharing and negotiating, teachers of Bank Street Approach set up rich environment for child to expand their knowledge.

Rich setting enhances children to organize their thoughts and build their own knowledge.

HOW?

Morning meetings are appropriate to focus on specific subjects;

Teacher sit together and talk or conservations about new experiences shared over dramatic play, but they are always done in the excitement and enthusiastic of children’s experiences.

COMMUNITY BUILDING

Developing a sense of community and of social responsibility is a recurring theme in our classroom curricula from the 3 years to the 14 years (Nursery –Eighth Grade). It extends from small workgroups or playgroups to the larger group of the class itself, and then out of the classroom into the School Community as a whole. Helping children learn to strike a balancebetween their needs as individuals and the needs of the group as a whole is an important part of our work. Children share and learn from each other’s uniqueabilities and needs. They become social individuals who care for, respect, and contribute to the well-being of others.

(Bank Street College of Education School for Children)

WHY?

Emphasize co-operative learning, Use dialogue as a tool for learning, Build adult-child and child-child relationships, Include each child in positive social exchanges, Use materials for children to work and think

together.

WHY?

Focus on the process of learning while learning specific concepts,

Learn social experiences in school environment,

Challenge with real-life problems, Ask questions, arouse curiosity, enhance the

children’s thinking. In this way, they also learn about rights, rules,

and the negotiation of relationships.

HOW?

Encouragement Small and large groups Co-operative problem solving Ask questions for curiosity and wonder Collect diverse resources

HOW?

Provide an environment for everyone’s having equal chances,

Collaborate with parents, children, and other teachers while applying this curriculum,

Prepare small and large group activities to work together.

HOW?

Experiences that require group to work, Experiences to teach children to focus on

other’s actions, words, and feelings, Avoid games that require competition, Prepare an environment in which children can

work in groups.

HOW?

While writing group stories, in the beginning of the year, teacher can use children's literature to teach conflict resolution strategies. They identify conflicts in the story plots and discuss how the characters resolved the problem. Children soon learn how to apply these strategies to their own conflicts when they arise in the classroom.

In their classrooms, children have daily opportunities to discover the physical properties of the various materials they work with, such as sand, soil, water, blocks, paint, collage, clay, and wood. They use all their senses in their work with these open-ended sensorial materials, and learn how their efforts produce change and possibly a final product.

EMPOWERING

WHY?

Bank Street approach aims to grow up children who have self-respect and respect for others.

Bank Street's developmental-interaction approach to education stresses the importance of giving ability to children equally in the classroom.

WHY?

This approach supports the idea that when more power or ability is given children who have been educate unequally and unjustly they can take greater control over their lives so this makes them to participate more equally in their classroom’s life.

So Bank Street approach emphasizes the crucial role of

empowering as a teaching technique.

WHY? Children should be supported by making them feel

that they have the power in the activities.

Each classroom has different potential and characteristics. Knowing these vital differences helps teachers while understanding children’s abilities and facilitating them in an activity.

Here, teachers should work as social and cultural workers to make children be aware of the differences and similarities between them and respect each other.

WHY?

Interaction with others is so important in Bank Street approach. To make healthy and correct interaction between teacher and children or between all children

empowering should be key element for staff in all areas

of the school.

As empowering claims, Bank Street approach includes

trusting and respectful relationships with others and how

to be a part of a group.

Children should also begin to understand how they are different from, and similar to, others. Learning about their community is also an important aspect of social-emotional development in Bank Street approach.

Therefore, they realize that they are equal and they can challenge to be equal because they are aware of differences between them and these differences should be treated with respect.

WHY?

HOW?

Educators should know that they have a moral, social and political responsibilities to create a more just and equal social world.

Therefore, they give children equal rights in the classroom where is smallest community for children.

HOW

Teacher’s specific role is to encourage each children individually.

Teachers should help children learn to stand up for themselves and others in an unfair condition.

Teacher should make the atmosphere of the classroom respectful and appropriate for expressing feelings, thoughts of children.

By the way, children should aware of all of them are valuable and important.

Bank Street teachers should build children’s capacity to think critically

Actually, teachers should help children to feel good about themselves

HOW?

To create equal environment, Bank Street teachers observe children to determine children’s needs, interests, inabilities or the passive and dominant characteristics.

By recording observations and reflecting on patterns, teachers can create an equal environment that makes all children have equal chances to express themselves.

HOW?

To create equal environment, Bank Street teachers integrate equity issues into the content of what is taught through the topics, stories, and songs.

By this integration, feeling of being respectful for others and challenging to unfair situations can be easier.

HOW?

For example; giving children the power to decide which experiences they

want to participate in.

giving children the ability to express their ideas respectfully.

giving children the power of problem solving in a complex situation by talking about their strategies to solve this problem.

transferring power from one group to another in order to create greater justice

DAILY SCHEDULE (6 year-old) 07:30-08:30 Arrival 08.30-09:30 Breakfast 09:30-09:45 Clean up 09:45-10:00 Circle time 10:00-10:30 Free play 10:30-11:00 Outdoor play 11:00-11:15 Clean up 11:15-12:15 Lunch 12:15-13:00 Movie Session/Theatre/Chess 13:00-13:30 Music Activity 13:30-14:00 Language Activity (Spanish/French) 14:00-14:30 Free Play 14:30-15:00 Art Activity 15:00-15:15 Clean up 15:15-15:45 Snack 15:45-16:30 Drama Activity 16:30-17:00 Free Play 17:00-17:30 Departure

ACTIVITY TIME