Lois:
RE: teacher led tours as opposed to docent led tours
What educators at Lincoln Park Zoo have seen is that some/many but not all
teachers miss a lot even with pre-post visit materials. Docents have ended
up joining the tours anyway to help teachers out or divide the class into
smaller, more meaningful groups (6 students) because the teacher didn't get
enough chaperones.
What HAS helped teachers most significantly, is to insist that teachers
attend a "teacher workshop" on a Saturday -- Lincoln Park Zoo has some of
varied lengths, depending on the content. Teachers attend the workshop and
learn HOW to use the zoo as a resource, HOW to lead a tour, HOW to maximize
their visit. If the zoo has grant funds available, then, for attending the
workshop (fee-based), teachers get a free bus to bring their class to the
zoo.
Pre-Post visit activities are provided and discusses during the teacher
workshop / extension activities / evaluation rubrics as well.
Good luck!
Terrie
Terrie Nolinske, Ph.D.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lois Herr" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 3:33 PM
Subject: Teacher Led Tours
We are beginning to plan a new type of tour program for our facility. With
this new format teachers will lead their own classes through our galleries.
They will get pre and post visit materials, pick up a back pack of hands-on
pieces when they arrive to use in our galleries, and have activities to do
at about 4 places in the gallery. We plan to do several of these tours.
Each will focus on a different topic such as Native Americans, settlement,
and agriculture on the prairie. We will not be using staff or docents to
interact with the groups while they are in the gallery or in our classroom
area before or after their visit.
Does anyone do programs similar to this?
If so what do you see as the benefits and/or drawbacks to this type of tour
compared to a docent/staff led tour?
What is a good size to break largers groups into for this type of program (4
students per group, 8 students)?
Do the classes come with enough adults to make this type of tour work? What
is the adult/student ratio you require?
How much writing are the students expected to do while on the tour?
How much material is appropriate in a previsit packet?
Do you make space available outside of your galleries for post visit
materials to be covered on-site?
How much maintenance is involved in keeping the backpacks organized?
If you offer both docent led and teacher led tours what is the percentage of
groups that use the teacher led tour? Do teachers seem to prefer one type
of tour over the other?
Thank you for your help! Any insights into this type of program are greatly
appreciated.
Lois J. Herr, Outreach Coordinator
Kansas State Historical Society
6425 SW Sixth Avenue
Topeka, Kansas 66615-1099
785.272.8681, ext. 251
FAX 785.272.8682
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