Moving Beyond the Banking Method and Scripted Curricula: Creating Confident Teachers
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Authors
Solotar, Max
Issue Date
2024-05-01
Type
thesis_campus
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Keywords
education , banking method , scripted curricula , Curriculum and Instruction
Alternative Title
Art of Teaching Thesis - Written
Abstract
This thesis is an exploration of the role of scripted curricula in contemporary classrooms and its adverse impacts on students and educators alike. When scripted curricula are put into conversation with Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and his description of the banking method of teaching, the oppressive nature of both are revealed to be deeply intertwined. Political contexts, such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, led to a proliferation of scripted curricula in classrooms serving low-income and nonwhite children. These scripted curricula, which often deny students agency and center whiteness, heavily restricted teacher autonomy, treating educators as “robots” to read a script rather than as experts in their profession. Play was eliminated or heavily minimized in early school settings, with scripted curricula that ignored student voices taking center stage. Freire’s concept of praxis is discussed as a potential mechanism to transform education into a liberatory, rather than oppressive, environment. This thesis concludes with practical steps towards recentering and valuing both children and educators in the classroom.
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