tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post6813871883064441560..comments2024-03-28T02:46:03.227-04:00Comments on The Historical Society: Field Trip: A Report from the Bright Side of Fourth-Grade History EducationRandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-544587981324013152013-03-21T14:10:09.543-04:002013-03-21T14:10:09.543-04:00Hi,
There are actually studies done on this type o...Hi,<br />There are actually studies done on this type of learning, you should explore the field of Museum Education. Evaluation studies done at museums and historic sites across the country like Lowell that offer these types of programs are working on showing how this type of experience makes an impact on visitors.Museum Partners Consulting, LLChttp://www.museumpartnersconsulting.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-22368420189071951412013-03-11T18:45:16.632-04:002013-03-11T18:45:16.632-04:00I hadn't either myself Heather. This was my ex...I hadn't either myself Heather. This was my excuse to do it. It's well worth seeing. <br /><br />What impressed me about the museum's program was how well integrated it was into the students curriculum (which, of course, is easier to do with a standardized state curriculum) and how carefully the museum had tailored their program to a group of easily distracted 9-year-olds. I simply don't recall anything like this experience from when I was the same age. <br /><br />I have no idea if there's any data on the relative benefits of this type of learning. Personally, I'd love to see my kids do this sort of thing once every week or two.Chris Benekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08623325601668600846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-82206731302737902242013-03-11T14:04:45.699-04:002013-03-11T14:04:45.699-04:00I confess I have yet to do the Lowell tour... or t...I confess I have yet to do the Lowell tour... or to see the quilt museum, which I understand is world class.<br /><br />One of the things I find shocking about education is that we have never done a study to see the relative learning values of field trips vs. in-class time. In a nutshell, there was a move toward experiential learning in the 1970s because educators assumed it would work better than rote learning. But no one ever studied the benefits of one versus the other. Seems to me high time we did so. I think most of us would agree that field trips can be extraordinary experiences... but WHY? Can we translate some of that into a classroom? Or figure out how to make classroom experiences enhance field trips?<br /><br />Sounds to me like a doctoral dissertation waiting to happen!<br />hcrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07334093881332383848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-85144752297433988072013-03-11T09:16:29.391-04:002013-03-11T09:16:29.391-04:00Thanks Eric. You always make connections that I fa...Thanks Eric. You always make connections that I fail to. Yes, the sad proximity in age between these kids and the mill workers can't be forgotten. (It's also a potentially a good motivator to get the kids to do chores: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/moms/2013/03/03/why-your-children-should-chores/MFOXxBkHduWAU2WIbR1zAK/story.html?s_campaign=8315. I cite the example of their grandfather who got up at 4am in the morning to milk cows, but this is more immediate). And of course the Lowell Spinners are not to miss, especially for the younger demographic. It was a fun trip. The 4th graders boisterously sang "An Infinite Number of Soda Bottles on the Wall" there and back.Chris Benekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08623325601668600846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-56535085898361740072013-03-11T07:29:50.174-04:002013-03-11T07:29:50.174-04:00Great post and really, truly interesting place, Ch...Great post and really, truly interesting place, Chris. Hard to think that kids not much older than the ones you accompanied were working 11 hour days there. What you might have mentioned, and maybe were thinking, is that if you bring your kids (or go yourself) in the summer, you can walk down the street after and catch a Lowell Spinners game! Eric B. Schultzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169391149462048777noreply@blogger.com