on 12/10/01 7:48 AM, Sharon Chaplock at [log in to unmask] wrote:

>Dear Colleagues,
>There is a movement afoot in our region that will require  teachers to meet
>learning standards in the classroom.  I'm currently involved in a project that
>will develop an educational script for a new museum addressing the history of
>war in preserving freedom.  Do any of you have experience with linking school
>curricula with exhibit content and other museum education programs?  I'm
>especially interested in how you worked with schools to design education
>programs, and also any innovative ways you may have used technology to discern
>and design exhibits and programs.  Your experience, as well as references to
>resources would  be a great help in getting started.

I'm really only familiar with the national science standards (NSES and
Project 2061), but those documents have linking themes that span several age
groups. I focus on those and work on having material relating to the various
developmental levels spread out. You can try examining the standards and see
if some such unifying themes exist.

My personal opinions (and rants): use the standards as a tool to understand
what the kids are doing in the classroom and use that as a launching point
for programming that advances the museum mission. Museums can't effectively
take the place of classroom curricula and can't hope to address every
education standard. Museum learning is associated with but distinct from
classroom education. Work towards addressing the standards as best you can,
but make sure the museums character, identity, and purpose are always at the
forefront.


--
Paul Koenig
[log in to unmask]

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).