MAKE YOUR HISTORICAL ORGANIZATION “TEACHER FRIENDLY”

By Dr. John F. Ahern

Local History Notebook, January / February 1989

Children need museums and museums need children. Teachers and others who work with youth know intuitively, or from reading professional literature, the instructional value of using the resources found in museums. If children are to learn about the past, they need the kind of experiences that historical museums offer. In a recent publication by the National Council for the Social Studies, History in the Schools, Hazel Hertzburg said, "The historical imagination, which the story of history should cultivate, develops not just through reading or hearing statements about the past, but through acquiring for oneself a sense of the concrete circumstances of life--its sounds, sights, smells, tastes, textures. Students need to use all their senses in gaining an understanding and feeling for the past." To do that, students need to visit museums.

John D. Hoge, in his review, "Teaching History in the Elementary School" published by the Clearinghouse of Social Studies/Social Science Education, discusses appropriate teaching methodology. He said, "Special experiences pump life into children's history learning. Such experiences go beyond the 'staples' of the classroom instruction and include field trips to museums and historical sites..." The reason for this is simple: in the classroom, the teaching of history is usually abstract; in a museum, it is concrete, real, tactile. In the classroom, the content is distant and remote; in the historical museum, the content is often familiar it usually relates to local events. In textbooks, the focus is usually on political, military, and economic history; in historical museums, the emphasis is often on social or cultural history--phenomena easily understood and appealing to elementary children, the most common age group of student visitors.

The American Association of Museums published a report which listed sixteen recommendations to guide museums in future planning. It is particularly interesting that the first recommendation is that museums base their planning on the principle: "Education is the primary purpose of museums." A scanning of the table of contents of History News or the program offerings of the annual conference of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) indicates the importance that leaders in local history place on educational programs. Yet, to paraphrase a program title at the 1988 conference at AASLH, "Are Museums Teacher Friendly?" Do historical museums really know why teachers seldom use museums? Are museum staff frustrated because, "We gave a party and nobody (or too few) came." The purpose of this notebook is to provide the reader with directions to promote greater involvement with schools.

The World of the Teacher

As historians, we know that one should walk in another's moccasins before judging that person. (As a former teacher, I can tell you that teachers have sore feet.) Teaching is a tiring, often frustrating experience. Teachers view many parents not as supportive or reinforcing, but rather as indifferent or confrontational. In a culturally diverse society, teachers, administrators, and policy makers are constantly confronted with pressure groups that want the schools to give more resources (time, money, energy) to teaching facts, values, and sex and drug education. Educators are, more often than not, equally confronted by others who argue we need less memorization of facts and more critical thinking. Opposing pressure groups want instruction in values, but they want them to be "my" values, not "theirs." It is important for museum advocates to recognize the various groups that are pressuring the schools.

During the interaction between the museum and the teachers, guides often establish a reputation for the museum as being teacher friendly or unfriendly. Guides should strive to let teachers know they understand that a teacher's job is difficult. Through this understanding, the guide can establish a successful relationship with educators.

The World of the Child

Children are excited when they are on a field trip. This is an adventure and that appeals to them. Being on a bus or in a car with good friends heightens their feelings of anticipation that this is a special day. Given this situation, it is common for children to be hyperactive--not necessarily because of the stimulation of being in a museum, but because they are happy to be out of school. Children are discoverers. They want to find out about the role of the guide. Is the guide an authority figure like a parent or teacher? Children need to know who you are and what you want from them. How you communicate that information is a function of your philosophy of education, but consider these alternatives:

• Offer three rules, never more than five.

• Ask them what they think the museum rules are.

• Tell them that their school or teacher has a good reputation because students from their school have always followed the rules.

• Let them know that you are happy to be their guide and that you enjoy showing children around the museum when they follow the rules.

Try these alternatives, but remember that it is important to have an established procedure that works for you and the children.

Capitalizing on the Senses

Children are concrete learners; they gain knowledge from tangible experiences. They learn best when teachers use more than one of the senses. Consider incorporating teaching experiences that capitalize on the appeal of different senses.

Touching

Let children hold in their hands something that is over 100 years old. Let them examine an object and then try to guess what it is from all the visual clues. Allow them to ask questions. Give verbal clues. Remember, men cook and women repair things, so give boys kitchen implements and girls tools. Create a separate "hands-on" teaching collection using objects that are child safe, indestructible, duplicate, or expendable, such as objects made of wood or metal. Reproductions are also helpful. The experience of handling artifacts stirs children's imaginations and creates an appreciation of their heritage. It can increase their interest in particular topics and challenge the children to try to learn even more about them.

Seeing

Many house museums have discovered the value of guides dressed in period clothing. It is another way for young visitors to have a more personal experience with the past. But before doing so, research the time period to be sure you are dressed properly. Also, decide if you are going to do first, second, or third person interpretation. This will keep you from confusing the children. Living history is a powerful technique, but it requires a guide with a dramatic flair who can indeed go back into the period. Those who have been involved in living history report that it works best when there are two guides, one in character and the other contemporary. The second person handles all of the logistics. Another technique is to reproduce some children's clothing, based on specific material from your costume collection. Then allow one or two of the children to model the clothing. Children in grades two to four and older enjoy wearing costumes and seeing their friends dressed up. Allow the children to focus on a painting or a special object and see if they can imagine what it was like when ...

Hearing

Music can be a soothing and quieting process. As students are ushered into the assembly area, allow them to listen to the sounds of the era. Hearing a cassette softly playing music characteristic of the period can be an effective mood maker. Be sure the music fits the time period you are interpreting. The Ohio Village Singers of the Ohio Historical Society have an outstanding cassette selection of historic songs.

Smelling and Tasting

The senses of smell and taste are important tools to help children understand the past. Through interpretation, these senses can provide ways to bring history to life. In the nineteenth century and earlier, a common characteristic of the era was the smell of slowly cooking foods such as soup or baked goods. If a kitchen is part of your tour and your fire regulations allow it, keep something baking in the oven or cooking in a pot. If cooking cannot be included in your program, and if you have small tour groups, consider feeding the children. The younger they are, the more they anticipate the morning break; the older they are, the hungrier they become. Did the people who lived during the time period you are portraying have an orchard? Then give the children an apple. Did they make corn bread? Buy it from the bakery and serve it. Was it an elegant Victorian household where treats were on display? Provide such candy. Was it a fort? Give them hard tack or sea biscuit.

The World of Schools

Museums would benefit from the services of a matchmaker. Museums can initiate a relationship with schools if they learn the needs and expectations of the school system. To establish a good relationship with the school:

Consider meeting with the leader in the school system's social studies curriculum. Explain the nature of the content of your site to the appropriate person. In a district of 2,000 children, that person is the superintendent of schools. In a district of 4,000 children, it may be the assistant superintendent of schools in charge of curriculum. In a district of 15,000 students, it is probably the director of social studies. Volunteer to make presentations at your site or at the organization's meeting place to professional educational associations in your district. The decision-maker will be able to give you the name of the person in charge of programs.

If a school district eliminates field trips for financial reasons, the logical alternative is for you to take the museum to the school. Suitcase museums, filmstrips, slide shows, and living history presentations can be as effective as an actual visit to the museum.

From your discussions with the appropriate decision-maker, discover what grade level in the social studies curriculum best relates to your site's focus. For example, if your site deals with a national event, keep in mind that U.S. History is taught in the fifth and eighth grades in almost all districts. If your site focuses on community history, remember that most third graders study the community.

Demonstrate your awareness of the importance of a site visitation by providing teachers with both preparation material and follow-up activities. To prepare the students, go to the school and describe your museum, its interpretation, time period, programs, and rules for visitation. After you visit the school, follow up with activities such as a crossword puzzle, word searches, unfinished sentences ("if I lived in... when ... I would...") math word problems (in the parlor there are five windows, each window has twelve panes, how many panes are there in the parlor?), or other writing activities.

If funding is available, consider creating a videotape of your site to be used by teachers prior to your visit. A discussion with the education consultant of the public television station in your area may result in the station volunteering to produce and distribute the tape.

At a time when society and especially its young people seem to be concerned with "now," it is particularly important that those of us who appreciate the past do everything we can to communicate to others the importance of individuals knowing about their heritage. Young people need to know that others before them were also confronted with challenges. By studying their past, we help them to realize that, like their ancestors, they will also survive.

Dr. John F. Ahern is professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at The University of Toledo and has conducted numerous workshops on history and education for teachers.

References

Hoge, John D. Teaching History in the Elementary School. Eric, 1982.

Metcalf, Fay D. and Matthew Downey. Using Local History in the Classroom. American Association for State and Local History, 1982.

O'Connell, Peter. "How to Develop Effective Teacher Workshops." Technical Report No. 12. American Association for State and Local History, 1987.

Showalter, Linda and J.D. Britton. History Goes to School, An Educational Resource Guide for Historical Societies and Museums. Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums, 1988.

Weitz, David. My Backyard History Book. Little, Brown and Co., 1975.

The Local History Notebook is edited and published by the Ohio Historical Society’s Local History Office in order to bring useful information to people working in the local history field. The selection of subjects and authors is based on inquiries to the Local History Office and on the editor's determination of issues which are timely in nature and lasting in scope. The reference inserts are copyrighted 1989 the Ohio Historical Society. Reprints are available; please specify volume and number. For further information, contact: