Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Theorising Through Visual & Verbal Metaphors: Challenging Narrow Depictions Of Children And Learning, Sophie Rudolph

Occasional Paper Series

Through a rich description of how young children use drawing to express their emerging understandings of the world, Rudolph disrupts narrow definitions of the child as learner.

Art Education At Bank Street College, Then And Now, Edith Gwathmey, Ann Marie Mott

Occasional Paper Series

Takes readers through the history of art education at Bank Street College to show the innovative and child-centered approaches that continue to challenge dominant educational thinking.

A “Widespread Atelier” For Exploring Energy: “From Wave To Wave”, A Unique Place Where Science, Art, And Design Intersect And Converge In An Open And Dynamic Way, Giulio Ceppi

Occasional Paper Series

Offers insight into the development of an atelier in the Apennine Mountains in Italy and challenges us to rethink what counts as art materials in children’s lives.

Entering The Secret Hideout: Fostering Newness And Space For Art And Play, Shana Cinquemani

Occasional Paper Series

Describes the transformative nature of negotiated spaces between the school and children’s self-initiated drawings.

Introduction: Art & Early Childhood - Personal Narratives And Social Practices, Kristine Sunday, Marissa Mcclure, Christopher Schulte

Occasional Paper Series

In this issue of Bank Street’s Occasional Paper Series, we explore the nature of childhood by offering selections that re/imagine the idea of the child as art maker, inquire about the relationships between children and adults when they are making art, and investigate how physical space influences our approaches to art instruction. We invite readers to join a dialogue that questions long-standing traditions of early childhood art—traditions grounded in a modernist view of children’s art as a romantic expression of inner emotional and/or developmental trajectories. We have also selected essays that create liminal spaces for reflection, dialogue, and critique of …

Preparing Teachers For Place-Based Teaching, Amy Vinlove

Occasional Paper Series

This paper begins by offering two portraits of recent teacher education graduates providing place-based teaching in their classrooms, followed by a description of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions teachers (new or seasoned) must possess to effectively teach in a place-based manner. Next is a short discussion of the importance of experience and application of these tenets. Finally, there are three examples of activities and assignments my colleagues and I have developed for our teacher preparation program. We aim for these experiences to help inspire and prepare our graduates to integrate their local communities and places into their own classrooms, whether …

Nature Preschools: Putting Nature At The Heart Of Early Childhood Education, Ken Finch, Patti Bailie

Occasional Paper Series

Describes nature preschools as places that go beyond the typical preschool teachings within the classroom. Activities at nature preschools may include child-centered outdoor investigations, unstructured play and exploration in rich outdoor settings, large, natural areas to explore, and special programs that might include making maple syrup or apple cider, meeting live animals, and discovering pond life.

Learning Naturally: An Inquiry Study Of Streams In Hawaii, Becca Kesler

Occasional Paper Series

Describes a teacher-guided, place-based inquiry curriculum.

"I anticipated that it would give my students opportunities for exploration, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and collaboration, while developing a relationship with the natural world. This is the story I would like to share. My hope is that it will provide other teachers with the inspiration to consider the rich learning opportunities available in their local environments." -- Author

Discovering Place-Based Education In The Foothills Of The Himalayas, Monimalika Day, Doug Hernandez

Occasional Paper Series

The central feature of this paper is a portrait of a teacher conducting lessons near a pond in a remote village in the foothills of the Himalayas. It describes how the teacher provides opportunities for her young students to explore their natural environment and helps them to connect with their place. It is essential to note that her story represents the efforts of many other preschool teachers working with Prakriti.

Place-Based Education: (Re)Integrating Ecology & Economy, Mark T. Kissling, Angela M. Calabrese Barton

Occasional Paper Series

Describes the relationship between ecology and economy in place-based education.

Curtain Up: Place-Based Teaching & Learning In The New York City Theater District, Peggy Mcnamara, Bryan Andes

Occasional Paper Series

In this article we describe and analyze the process first grade teachers used as they guided their students to investigate a place in their school community called “the Theater District,” an important industry in the neighborhood.

Guggenheim For All: Museum Education For Students On The Spectrum, Chiara Di Lello

Occasional Paper Series

The aim of this paper is to articulate the strengths of Guggenheim For All (GFA) as a place-based learning experience and the ways it can benefit students on the autism spectrum. I review educator practices in light of both Universal Design for Learning principles and best practices for teaching students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and draw on anecdotal data from teachers that support a view of GFA as place-based learning.

Playing In Literary Landscapes: Considering Children's Need For Fantasy Literature In The Place-Based Classroom, Sarah Fischer

Occasional Paper Series

Are the philosophies and pedagogical practices of literature-based classrooms congruent with place-based classrooms? In this paper, the author argues that not only is imaginative literature compatible with place-based philosophies, but it can become a powerful centerpiece of a curriculum aimed at educating for a sense of place and inspiring life-long readers.

Reclaiming The Promise Of Place: An Interview With David Greenwood, Roberta Altman

Occasional Paper Series

David Greenwood (formerly Gruenewald) is a Canada research chair in environmental education at Lakehead University, where he also directs the Centre for Place and Sustainability Studies. He has published widely on critical place-based, environmental, and sustainability education. His current interests are to continue to make connections between the big ideas of place and sustainability and other big ideas and experiences in the arts, mindfulness, embodiment, and being in the world.

Introduction: Claiming The Promise Of Place-Based Education, Roberta Altman, Susan Stires, Susan Weseen

Occasional Paper Series

Each of the papers in Claiming the Promise of Place-based Education offers a much-needed antidote to the forces that disconnect us from the places we teach, learn, and live in. Taken together, they provide an opportunity to reflect on the power of place in education. We invite you to enjoy the fresh air that the authors of this issue of Occasional Papers have brought with them to share with you.

Technology As A Tool For Collaboration, Understanding & Engagement, Kai Johnson

Occasional Paper Series

The author incorporates multimodal online inquiry to deepen the thinking of children in his elementary classroom. When he sees how engaged his students are in their work, he realizes that this is a true picture of constructivist learning.

Front Matter And Editors' Notes, Helen Freidus, Mollie Welsh Kruger, Steven Goss

Occasional Paper Series

Cover page, table of contents, editors' notes.

A Culturally Sensitive Support Group For Chinese Families : Redesigning The Bright Beginnings Curriculum, Jenny Wong

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the goodness-of-it between the Bright Beginnings curriculum and people who identify with the Chinese culture.

Teening The Museum : An Adaptable Teen Program For Art And History Museums, Julia Doak Fields

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The teen program delineated in this document was inspired by artist Fred Wilson's exhibit at the Maryland Historical Society. This program is designed to be used by art or history museums with object collections, with a static group of teenagers. It also includes information about why and how to execute this program, plus some specific lesson plans as well as reading materials and suggestions for evaluation.

Jobs In Our School, Jobs In Community : An Emergent Second Grade Study Of Work, Justice And Interdependence, Chris Black

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This project documents a twelve-week study of jobs that the author undertook with his class of twenty second graders at an independent school in Brooklyn in the spring of 2015.

Exploring Undocumented Immigration From Central America Through Art And Activism: A Fourth Grade Social Studies Curriculum, Carmen Romero

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This social studies curriculum strives to teach fourth grade students about undocumented immigration from Central America through the lens of art and activism.

History Through Literature: The American Revolution In New York City 1775-1777, Brittany Lester

Graduate Student Independent Studies

History Through Literature is a homeschooling history curriculum for ages 10-12, or grades five and six, designed specifically with the needs of New York City's homeschooling community in mind. Using the historical novel Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson as a framework, the curriculum covers a variety of themes and topics within the context of the American Revolution in New York City from 1775 to 1777. Following a chronologically linear path through six learning units, the History Through Literature makes connections between true historical events and the fictional story of Anderson's heroine, Isabel, an enslaved girl determined to claim her freedom.

Learning With Street Trees, Sigrun Wolff Saphire

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Learning With Street Trees is an original curriculum for fourth and fifth grade students written by Sigrun Wolff Saphire. The curriculum's eight lessons span the school year from fall to early summer. In each season, fall, winter, spring, and early summer, students work with a number of street trees near their school. They engage in nature observation and drawing, data collection, and interpretation. They practice critical thinking, problem-solving, cooperation, and communication. Throughout the curriculum, the development of science-inquiry skills combines with art making and hands-on tree stewardship. The curriculum culminates in student-initiated community projects.

Spreading Out Its Roots: Bank Street Advisement And The Education Of A Teacher, William Ayers

Thought and Practice: (1987-1991) the Journal of the Graduate School of Bank Street College of Education

Describes the intricate and life shaping lessons learned by the author during his tenure as a graduate student at Bank Street College.

Front Matter And Forward, Frank Pignatelli, Susanna W. Flaum

Thought and Practice: (1987-1991) the Journal of the Graduate School of Bank Street College of Education

Explains the issue's focus on the advisory program at the Bank Street College Graduate School of Education.

Talking With Symbols, Elizabeth Helfman

Thought and Practice: (1987-1991) the Journal of the Graduate School of Bank Street College of Education

Discusses a classroom of seven children with cerebral palsy and the effective communication techniques they learned through the language of symbols.

Thinking Together: The Value Of Discussion In The Five Year Old's Classroom, Elizabeth C. Radens, Susan Schwimmer

Thought and Practice: (1987-1991) the Journal of the Graduate School of Bank Street College of Education

Illustrates a kindergarten classroom where the teacher places a high value upon questions - child or adult generated. Discussion is the centerpiece of the program.

Social Change And Social Reality: Some Implications For Social Studies, Patricia Minuchin

Thought and Practice: (1987-1991) the Journal of the Graduate School of Bank Street College of Education

Discusses social change and current realities, focusing on the immediate social environment, the modern family, the children themselves, and some implications for the social studies curriculum.

Front Matter, Bank Street College Of Education

Thought and Practice: (1987-1991) the Journal of the Graduate School of Bank Street College of Education

No abstract provided.

Computers: Will Their Magic Survive Schooling?, Barbara Dubitsky

Thought and Practice: (1987-1991) the Journal of the Graduate School of Bank Street College of Education

Looks at computers as a tool in classroom learning.