| The Bank Street Approach got its name from its association with the Bank street College of Education in New York City. It is grounded in the philosophy of John Dewey and other early educational progressive workers, who were influenced by Freud’s theoretical claims of profound formative influence of early childhood years.
Goals
- Promoting autonomy and exploration
- Developing a positive learner self-concept by developing competence.
- Developing communication and self expression
- Establishing impulse control
This approach emphasizes meaningfulness, continuity and depth of knowledge rather than achievement of specific academic objectives. It is known as Developmental – Interactionist model because it is concerned with the interaction of all areas of a child’s development.
It also places emphasis on interaction between the environment and the child’s development. The child’s environment and experiences are considered the foundation of curriculum, which is explored in depth.
The classroom environment and materials under this approach are arranged into conventional interest areas including music, art, reading, science, mathematics and dramatic play. Teacher-made and child-made materials are believed most suitable for the unique needs of children in individual classrooms.
The Bank street Approach relies on competent teachers who are knowledgeable in child development principles and able to interpret the individual needs of children through observations.
The negative criticism for this approach is that it emphasizes long term goals rather than specific short term objectives. However, a few research studies revealed that children’s cognitive gains and motivation to learn are enhanced over long term through this approach.
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Participants