Learning to Play, Playing to Learn: The Bank Street Developmental Interaction Approach in Liliana's Kindergarten Classroom

Authors

Soyoung Park, Stanford UniversityFollow
Ira Lit, Stanford UniversityFollow

Files

Description

This case study of Liliana presents a portrait of a Bank Street alumna in her classroom. Liliana strives for her classroom to be a space where the core principles she learned during her Bank Street education guide the experience of children. The study of her work begins by exploring how a commitment to educating the cognitive, physical, and social–emotional domains of the whole child involves developing systems that promote play as the learning tool to achieve academic and social outcomes. After exploring how Liliana creates conditions for children to engage and learn through play, the case study focuses on how the habits and processes of close observation of children help Liliana develop theories of understanding about each individual learner. The practice and process of looking closely at children, a staple of the Bank Street approach, informs Liliana’s instruction. The case study concludes with a nuanced portrait of a day in Liliana’s classroom that is infused with her commentary and reflections about children, curriculum, and the central and enduring role of her Bank Street preparation in her practice.

Publication Date

2015

Keywords

bank street college, kindergarten teachers, early childhood, developmental interaction approach, whole child

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Early Childhood Education | Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education

Comments

Teaching for a Changing World: The Graduates of Bank Street College of Education [Case Study]

Printed with permission, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. http://edpolicy.stanford.edu

Recommended Citation

Park, S., & Lit, I. (2015). Learning to Play, Playing to Learn: The Bank Street Developmental Interaction Approach in Liliana's Kindergarten Classroom. . https://educate.bankstreet.edu/books/15