1. Bank Street College of Education
The Developmental-interaction approach

2. Bank Street Approach
History

3. History of Bank Street
Founders Lucy Sprague Mitchell and Harriet Johnson
Founded Bureau of Educational Experiments in 1916
Became Bank Street College of Education
Mitchell followed beliefs of John Dewey:
Education is based on 2 ideas:
Purpose is to benefit democratic society
Meaningfully connected to children’s lives (Cuffaro & Nager, 2012)

4. History of Bank Street
Cuffaro & Nager (2012) explain, “The [original] school was designed to be an arena for studying children and for devising teaching practices that fostered growth and development” (p. 262).

5. History of Bank Street
Mitchell- Material must make sense on child’s level
“…surely one had to understand children in order to plan a school that was right for their development” (p. 262, Cuffaro & Nager, 2012) -Lucy Sprague Mitchell.
Bank Street Has Influenced-
Developmentally Appropriate Practices Handbook
Formation of NAEYC (Wardle, 2003)

6. Early Timeline 1916-The Bureau of Educational Experiments
Small experimental nursery school
1930- Changed focus to education of teachers (Lit, Nager, & Snyder, 2010)
Cooperative School for Teachers teacher training facility
1934- Founder Harriet Johnson dies
Bureau renamed Harriet Johnson Nursery School

7. Early Timeline 1950- State of New York 1954- School for Children
Cooperative School for Teachers assigns Master of Science Degrees
Formally renamed Bank Street College of Education
1954- School for Children
Began with one class
Full-scale elementary school (Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

8. Early Timeline
Mitchell and staff modeled materials and ideas for public school classrooms in New York City.
1965- Workshops led to formation of Head Start (Cuffaro & Nager, 2012).
1966- Early Childhood Center opened on West 42nd Street

9. Bank Street Today Bank Street departments today
Graduate School of Education
School for Children
Family Center
Division of Continuing Education
Publications Group
Research Division (Mitchell & David, 1992).

10. Bank Street Today
Collaborations and Partnerships with Educational Programs and Foundations
American Museum of Natural History
The Voyage of the Mimi
Starring young Ben Affleck
The Second Voyage of the Mimi (Freidus, 2010).

11. Bank Street Today In 2011-2012 School for Children had 436 students
Graduate School had 1,033 students.
Both schools combined have 336 staff members (Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

12. Philosophical and theoretical basis
Bank Street Approach
Philosophical and theoretical basis

13. The Developmental-Interaction Approach
Influenced by developmental psychology and progressive education
Development differs at different times and ages
Focus on whole child development
Teachers meet students where they are
Teachers have knowledge of human development
Teachers skilled at observing children
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

14. Let’s observe! Let’s observe children in a dramatic play environment.
As you observe the children in the video, consider what you can observe about their intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development.
What theories of learning or child development help us to explain or understand these children’s behavior?
Jenesa in the dramatic play area
(MrsBarrett123, 2010).

15. The Developmental-Interaction Approach
Cognition and emotion are interconnected
Learning is based on:
Active collaboration
Relationships between teachers and students
Meaningful content
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

16. The Developmental-Interaction Approach
Child’s engagement with world
Importance of parents, families, and community
Teacher’s awareness of student interests
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

17. Main Commitments and Philosophy
Health and wellness
Social
Emotional
Physical
Intellectual
Importance of working with community
Emphasize culture and linguistic diversity
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

18. Main Commitments and Philosophy
Diversity and social justice
Head Start
Follow Through
Social engagement
Inclusion
Respect for others
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

19. Main Commitments and Philosophy
Habits of mind
Inquiry
Curiosity
Lifetime love of learning
Diversity and social justice
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

20. John Dewey’s Influence on Bank Street
“No doubt some of the repulsiveness of purely abstract intellectual studies to many children is simply the reflex of the fact that the things—the facts and truths—presented to them have been isolated from their human context.
—John Dewey, 1913 (as cited on p. 3, Stuckart & Glanz, 2010)
How does this quote relate to the current world of teaching?
What does it mean to teach the “whole child?”
What is the ideal way to promote the healthy growth of students?

21. John Dewey’s Influence on Bank Street
All subject matter is social
Attitude for learning is most important
Education meets needs of modern world
Work with others toward common goals
Capacity for innovative problem solving
Effective communication skills
(Stuckart & Glanz, 2010)

22. John Dewey’s Influence on Bank Street
Role of curriculum
Promotes growth
Improves conditions for most people
Active participation in democratic society
Social justice
Make connections
Students’ daily lives
Progress of humankind
(Stuckart & Glanz, 2010)

23. Teaching Through the Lens of Social Studies
Social studies and social issues are the basis for curriculum.
Discuss what types of social studies concepts or social issues you could teach. How might you do this in your own classroom?
Consider the following:
Location of school
Culture/Languages
Age range
Current social issues
Integrative with other subject areas

24. Structure and curriculum
Bank Street Approach
Structure and curriculum

25. The Whole Child All curriculum is described as:
An educational approach that addresses the entire emotional, social, physical, and intellectual being of a child.
(Cuffaro & Nager, 2012)

26. Teaching and Learning Learning opportunities for children Trips
Activities
Books
Other materials and resources
“Book learning” is a supplement to other more interactive types of learning.
(Nager & Shapiro, 2007)

27. Family Center - Ages 6 months to 4 years
Based largely on activities of daily living
Activities & Materials central to Family Center Classroom
Art
Blocks
Dramatic Play
Sensory Experiences
Music, Movement, & Gross Motor Activities
Outings
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

28. Lower School - Ages 3s, 4/5s, 5/6s (Equivalent to Nursery - K)
Social Studies
Emergent Literacy
Math
Science
Spanish
Art & Shop
Music
Library
Movement & Phys Ed
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

29. Middle School - Ages 6-10 (Grades 1 - 4)
Social Studies
Literacy
Math
Science
Spanish
Art & Shop
Music
Library
Phys Ed
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

30. Upper School - Ages 10 to 14 years (Equivalent to Grades 5 - 8)
Social Studies
Literacy
Math
Science
Foreign Languages
Art & Shop
Music
Library
Phys Ed & Interscholastic Sports
(Bank Street College of Education, n.d.)

31. Assessment in the Bank Street Curriculum
Authentic/learner-centered
Based on how child makes sense of world
Provides range of opportunities to demonstrate understanding
(Cuffaro & Nager, 2012)

32. What do teachers assess?
Competence in basic skills
Development of analytic capacity
Wide range of knowledge in subject areas
Interrelated ability to work independently and collaboratively
(Cuffaro & Nager, 2012)

33. What do teachers assess?
Exercise of initiative
Ability to communicate effectively
Being a socially responsible member of the community
(Cuffaro & Nager, 2012)

34. Inside a Bank Street Classroom
Come inside and take a look!

35. Principles of Teacher Education
The schools view teachers as whole people
Teacher education based on 5 principles:
Education promotes, creates, and encourages:
Social justice
Participation in democratic processes
Teacher does the following:
Has deep knowledge of subject matter
Actively engaged through study, observation, and participation
(Nager & Shapiro, 2007)

36. Principles of Teacher Education
Children’s learning and development in context
Family
Community
Culture
Teacher grows as person and professional.
Teaching requires a philosophy of education.
(Nager & Shapiro, 2007)

37. Works Cited
Ahmed, A., D'Aiello, C., Hansen, M., Bellacosa, J., Sultanova, S., Solomon, R., Poosanguansit, W., Adeyamo, P., Daniel, C., Navarro, B. (2012, July 31). Curriculum and assessment information. Retrieved from
and
Bank Street College of Education (n.d.).
Cuffaro, H. K. & Nager, N. (2012). The developmental-interaction approach at Bank Street College of Education. In Roopnarine, J., & Johnson, J. (Eds.), Approaches to early childhood education (6th Ed., ). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
MrsBarrett123. (2010, October 21). Jenesa in the dramatic play area. Retrieved from
Nager, N. & Shapiro, E.K. (2007). A progressive approach to the education of teachers: some principles from Bank Street College of Education. Bank Street College of Education Occasional Paper Series, 18.
Schoeman, N. (2010). Education for democracy. South African Journal of Philosophy, 29(2),
Stuckart, D. W., & Glanz, J. (2010). Revisiting Dewey : Best Practices for Educating the Whole Child Today. R&L Education.
*Clipart from Microsoft Office

38. Quiz Me! Round 1
Describe the following most important terms to the Bank Street Approach. You may not use the word in your definition. Social studies Community Developmental-interaction approach John Dewey Bank Street Social justice

39. Quiz Me! Round 2
Now it’s your turn! Describe the following most important terms to the Bank Street Approach. You may not use the word in your definition. Assessment Social issues Social engagement Diversity Lucy Sprague Mitchell Harriet Johnson