Please forgive cross-postings...

I am exploring options for new programming/funding opportunities for The
Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and would like your feedback.  We are
considering developing a large "living room" space at the Museum to
become "The History Zone."  Our theory is that (much like science and
natural history museums do) we can create an interactive learning/play
space that encourages students to see the value of history.  Although
history museums often focus on a specific topic or regional
characteristic, science museums don't focus on only the science of their
region, but rather on science in general.  We would like to do the same
for history, using our topic--the Kennedy assassination--as a paradigm
for learning.  (Just as a point of reference, we have about 450,000
visitors annually from around the globe--61,000 of those are school
children.)

"The History Zone" would put many of our educational programs under one
umbrella.  It might include:

-- Case studies with small groups to teach students that history is
actually "layers" of information.  The twists and turns in the story of
the Kennedy assassination over the last 35 years is a good example of
how points of view change.  Reliability of sources and historical
context is critical to understanding the whole story.

-- Internet workstations and a research area to teach kids how to find
and interpret information. The same skills that we use to interpret
history can be applied to current events and media in the information
age.  Navigating information is a necessary life skill for the 21st
century.

-- Tools that illustrate the difference between primary and secondary
sources

-- Mini-workshops in conservation and preservation

-- Tools for capturing oral histories and understanding their value

-- Tools that illustrate discrepancies in memory--and challenge students
to consider how collective memory influences what we know as "history."

Essentially, we want to give students the skills to interpret history
for themselves, rather than limit the discussion to *us* interpreting
history *for them*.  My question is this:  are there other historical
institutions around the country who are approaching history in this way?
I know the Museum of American History takes this route.  Does anyone
else have similar projects?

Larissa M. Church, Director of Development
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

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