COURSE TITLE:
MUSEUMS IN THE CLASSROOM:
USING MUSEUMS AS A MODEL FOR LEARNING
NO. OF CREDITS:
5 QUARTER CREDITS
[Semester Cr Equivalent: 3.33]
INSTRUCTORS:
MARY ANN JOHNSON, M.ED.
206/367-8058
MaryAJohnson-advisor@comcast.net
WA CLOCK HRS:
OREGON PDUs:
CEUs:
50
50
5.0**
ASSIGNMENT CHECKLIST
The assignment checklist will help you plan your work. Check off completed items.
CLOCK, CEU, PDU, 400 LEVEL, or 500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENTS
A.
Information Acquisition:
___ #1: Read The Class Act Museum, view the first section of the video, write summary.
___ #2: Complete visits to 3 - 5 museums and respond to the worksheets.
___ #3: Complete at least 12 of the first 16 activities introduced in the text.
___ #4: Create an annotated bibliography of 5 or 6 interesting resources.
___ #5: Complete at least 12 of the first 17 activities in Part II of the text.
___ #6: Watch video case studies.
___ #7: Create a ‘Me Museum’ about yourself, or someone you pick.
NOTE: If you are doing this course for Clock Hrs, PDUs or CEUs, then #7 is your final assignment.
400 & 500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENTS
B.
Learning Application:
___ #8: Create a 15 to 20 hour Museum Project Unit, displaying it on a calendar like the one
provided.
___ #9: Complete at least 6 of the 12 activities listed in Part III of the text.
500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
___ #10: In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete one (1) of the assignment options.
• Visit another museum. Compare, contrast and recommend changes in 3-4 page paper.
• Another option of your own design with the instructor’s prior approval.
400 & 500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
C.
Integration Paper:
___ #11: Complete the Integration Paper by responding to the questions listed in the syllabus.
NOTES:
• You may work collaboratively with other teachers and submit joint assignments on all but the final
Integration Paper, which must be individually authored and submitted.
• Alternatives to written assignments (video, audio tape, photo collage, a collection of products, letters to
editor, brochure and Web pages) may be submitted as substitute assignments with the instructor’s
prior approval.
• To maintain privacy, please do not refer to students in your paper by their actual names, but rather use
an alias or designation such as “Student A.”
Museums in the Classroom (1/1/09)
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Revised 2/25/2009
COURSE TITLE:
MUSEUMS IN THE CLASSROOM:
USING MUSEUMS AS A MODEL FOR LEARNING
NO. OF CREDITS:
5 QUARTER CREDITS
[Semester Cr Equivalent: 3.33]
INSTRUCTORS:
MARY ANN JOHNSON, M.ED.
206/367-8058
MaryAJohnson-advisor@comcast.net
WA CLOCK HRS:
OREGON PDUs:
CEUs:
50
50
5.0**
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Visit museums anywhere in the world and use the museums as case studies in learning about heroes, values
of different cultures, and the pleasures of collecting, sorting, and securing and presenting dramatic displays on
any subject. See how to use the classroom museum as a project for a class to get better acquainted with one
another, to provide for multiple intelligences, and to learn how to show the culmination of learning in a
classroom museum. With your kit of fascinating video shots for examples of creative ‘museums’, and your
museum review assignments, case study projects and field work, you can explore museums, museum
controversies, create humorous new museums, and review community museum resources, both traditional
and unconventional. (There may be some museum admission fees to visit and assess any museums in your
area for completion of some assignments.)
$25 course fee: for the textbook, lease of course DVD, and cost of mailing is to be paid to the instructor after
registration using the Order Form provided by The Heritage Institute with your course confirmation.
You may also want to purchase the book Minds in Motion by Alan Gartenhaus, Caddo Gap Press, 1997.
Paperback (new) about $19.95 from on-line booksellers. Worth every penny. It provides the basis for two of
your choices from the first list of activities.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
As a result of taking this course, participants will learn:
1. To make a survey of comparative analysis of the nature, style and purposes of a variety of museums
for the lifelong learner, as well as for possible use as a classroom extension to introduce primary
source data to students.
2. To introduce thinking skills and vocabulary associated with the museum functions of preserving,
collecting, sorting, displaying and labeling valuable artifacts.
3. To help students develop the ultimate ‘portfolio’, the creation of some type of museum display for
authentic assessment of culminating work.
4. To compare and assess resources and media coverage of emergent museum projects.
5. To consider new models and purposes for creating classroom museums.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit. The Heritage Institute does
not award partial credit.
HOURS EARNED:**
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns
participant’s their choice of 50 Washington State Clock Hours, 50 Oregon PDUs or 5 CEUs (Continuing
Education Units, which translates to 50 hours). The Heritage Institute is an approved provider of Washington
State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and CEUs by IACET (International Association of Continuing Education and
Training, an official national and international certifier of CEUs).
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UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION:
UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT OPTION 400 & 500 LEVEL
Teachers may opt to register for 5 (five) Antioch University, Seattle, 400 or 500 level quarter credits, instead of
hours, and will be required to:
1. Complete all assignments for clock hours/CEUs (Section A: Information Acquisition)
2. Complete the extra reading/viewing, writing and classroom application assignments specified in the
syllabus for the 400 or 500 level credit option (Section B: Learning Application)
3. Complete an Integration Paper by answering 5 questions (Section C: Integration Paper)
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Antioch University Seattle requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level (Upper Division) and 85% or better
to issue credit at the 500 level (Post-Baccalaureate). These criteria refer both to the amount of work submitted
as well as the quality of work as determined by each instructor.
Teachers who register for Antioch University Seattle 400 or 500 Level Credit will be required to:
1. Complete Section A: Information Acquisition assignments
30%
2. Complete Section B: Learning Application assignments appropriate for your levels
40%
3. Complete Section C: Integration Paper assignment
30%
CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither
letter grades nor numeric equivalents will show on a transcript. At the 400 level credit granted is equal to a “C”
or better, and at the 500 level credit granted is equal to a “B” or better. This information is stated on the back
of the transcript.
REQUIRED TEXT:
• ‘The Class Act Museum’ is the packet of required reading that is ordered from the instructor. Use the
order form provided with your registration confirmation.
SUGGESTED TEXT: (optional reading)
• Minds in Motion, Using Museums to Expand Creative Thinking, by Alan Gartenhaus; Caddo Gap
Press, 1997. Paperback, about $19.95 from on-line booksellers.
MATERIALS FEE:
• $25 for ‘The Class Act Museum’ text/workbook which you keep, and leased instructional DVD (which
you may purchase for an additional $20, if you wish).
• In addition, you will pay museum entrance fees and related expenses for field assignments.
HEADING REQUIRED FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS
A heading is required; please use the following format.
Your Name:
Course Number:
Date:
Assignment #:
Museums in the Classroom (1/1/09)
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Instructor Name:
Course Name:
Level: Clock/ PDU/ CEU/ Credit (400 or 500)
Revised 2/25/2009
ASSIGNMENTS for CLOCK HRS/PDUs, CEUs, 400 or 500 LEVEL UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
A.
INFORMATION ACQUISITION
Assignment #1:
Read the required course book, The Class Act Museum, and view the first section of the accompanying DVD.
In a 2-3 page paper, summarize and highlight key ideas, insights and useful activities from your reading and
viewing.
Assignment #2:
Complete visits to at least 3 museums and respond on worksheets in ‘The Class Act Museum’. (If you live in a
remote area, you may correspond with museums of your choice for descriptive materials, do online visits, or
you may use pictures, slides or videos or DVDs of interesting museums. Refer to the Bibliography or museum
on-line gift stores for sources of videos or DVDs.)
Assignment #3:
Select and complete 12 of the first 16 activities that are introduced in the text. Activities include reading and
responding to articles, doing baseline surveys, and doing case studies based on museum visits to at least 3
museums.
Assignment #4:
Based upon your reading, online research, and/or field research in museums, create an annotated
bibliography of 5 or 6 interesting resources such as websites, books, articles, or museum artifacts found in
museum gift stores online that would be of interest to teachers and/or students. The annotation should include
Title, Author, Publisher (or URL), length of the book or article, weblink or other descriptive notations and your
review of information contained. Add your opinion of the value or your criticism of the contents of each
resource, and rate the importance of the material in contrast to the subject of your course.
Assignment #5:
Complete at least 12 of the 17 activities in Part II of the text. Activities include creating and using a clipping file
about museums in the media, reviewing resources you find in the Bibliography (or on your own), and designing
a dream field trip for a class.
Assignment #6:
Watch the case studies on the DVD.
Assignment #7: Create a ‘Me Museum’ about yourself, or someone you pick.
This completes the assignments required for Washington Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or CEUs.
Continue to the next section for additional assignments required for University Quarter Credit
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS REQUIRED for 400 or 500 LEVEL UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
B.
LEARNING APPLICATION
In this section you will have an opportunity to apply your learning to your professional situation. This course
assumes that most participants are classroom teachers who have access to students. If you are not teaching
in a classroom, please contact the instructor for course modifications. If you are a classroom teacher and start
or need to complete this course during the summer, please try to apply your ideas when possible with youth
from your neighborhood, at a local public library or parks department facility, (they will often be glad to sponsor
community-based learning), or with students in another teacher’s summer classroom in session.
Assignment #8: (Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Create a 15 to 20 hour Museum Project Unit, displaying it on the calendar provided. (The unit does not have to
be on continuous days if long-term project is described.)
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Assignment #9: (Required for 400 and 500 Level)
Choose and complete a minimum of 6 of the 12 activities listed in Part III of the text. Assess your effectiveness
at your grade level and in your subject area. Describe any areas that need improvement and how you will
modify your activities. State any unanswered questions that may still exist.
500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
Assignment #10: (500 Level only)
In addition to the 400 level assignments, complete one (1) of the following assignment options:
Option A): Write a 3-4 page paper based upon your reading, online research, and/or field research in
museums comparing and contrasting one with another describing their merit as teaching resources. Make
recommendations how to make them more student-friendly. Which aspect of the museum visit would be most
valuable? Exposure to primary sources, study of sorting, labeling and displaying, controversies involved, or
classroom museum ‘events’?
OR
Option B): Another assignment of your own design with the instructor’s prior approval.
400 & 500 LEVEL ASSIGNMENT
C. INTEGRATION PAPER
Assignment #11: (Required for 400 and 500 Level Credit)
Write a 2-3 page Integration Paper answering these questions:
1. What did you learn vs. what you expected to learn from this course?
2. What aspects of the course were most helpful and why?
3. What further knowledge and skills in this general area do you feel you need?
4. How, when and where will you use what you have learned?
5. How and with what other school or community members might you share what you learned?
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS ON YOUR WORK:
Please indicate by email to the instructor if you would like to receive email or regular mail comments on your
assignments. Provide a returned mailing packet with stamped postage (avoid metered postage with the date
of purchase.)
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:
Mary Ann Johnson, M.Ed., has a BA from Central Michigan University with emphasis in Political Science and
English, an M.Ed. from University of Washington with emphasis in Educational Administration (5th Year
emphasis in Art History) and Post-Graduate work in all areas of educational leadership, including learning
styles, creative and critical thinking skills, differentiated instruction, assessment, cognitive coaching,
cooperative learning, ITIP, 4-Mat, curricular mapping, Understanding by Design, motivation theory, classroom
management, and strategic reading strategies. She has taught at the junior and senior high school levels and
has extensive experience in adult education. Mary Ann has also taught educators in the areas of social
studies, language arts, creative lesson design, student self-esteem, stress management, and integrating arts
into the curriculum. Her other areas of interest are developing creative thinking strategies for students.
Teachers find that her classes bring insight, excitement and renewal, as well as many practical ideas to
validate their own strengths and creativity.
Museums in the Classroom (1/1/09)
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Revised 2/25/2009
MUSEUMS IN THE CLASSROOM:
USING MUSEUMS AS A MODEL FOR LEARNING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Laurene Krasny and Marc Brown, Visiting the Art Museum, A Unicorn Paperback, 1986.
The very best introduction for parents or children to introduce tips for enjoying the visit, and strolling through a
timeline of famous artifacts with cartoon comments by kids and their parents.
D’Acquisto, Linda, Learning on Display: Student-Centered Museums That Build Understanding, ASCD, 2006.
This 191 page paperback book includes directions for creating student-designed museums with everything you
need for clarifying your goals; introducing the project; conducting needed research; visiting a professional
museum for ideas; designing, labeling, and constructing exhibits; staging the event; and assessing student
learning.
Gardner, Howard, The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach, (TenthAnniversary Edition), Basic Books, 2004.
In this book about the need for real world experiences and engaging activities for children, such as they find in
many excellent modern science and children’s museums, Howard Gardner proposes attending to the
successes of modern museums to create the cornerstone of engaging educational programs.
Gartenhaus, Alan, Minds in Motion: Using Museums to Expand Creative Thinking, Caddo Gap Press, 1997.
This is the most outstanding resource I have found. It reviews the four aspects of creative thinking, and then
creates fascinating lesson plans to reinforce creative thinking and writing, for use when taking a class to an art,
science, or history museum or to use with museum resources within your own classroom.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98593843 All Things Considered, December 22, 2008,
“Museum Field Trips Tailored To Teach To The Test” An article about how the director of education at
Chicago’s Field Museum has reframed the experience of a museum field trip to link with school curriculum
focuses.
Marx, Pamela, Classroom Museum: Touchable Tables for Kids, Good Year Books, 1992.
This book is targeted for Grades 3-6, and gives thorough directions for nine thematic displays to be used
monthly over a school year, or occasionally, targeting a favorite focus, such as “Marine Life,” “Long May They
Wave: The History and Use of Flags,” or “Winter Festivals Around the World.” The directions focus on the
benefits of hands-on elements in the display, gathering of community resources, and student leadership in
creating and presenting the display to other students.
“Museum,” www.teachinteract.com,
A 3-ring binder with 3 weeks of lesson plans for grades 4-10, detailing lesson plans for creation of a simulated
art museum, funded by a fictional patron (Mona Pizarro) whose financing is contingent on group and individual
problem-solving projects. The whole packet costs $50, but would save a teacher many hours of work.
Werner, Paul, Museum, Inc: Inside the Global Art World, Prickly Paradigm Press, 2005.
This little polemic exposes the culture wars involved in museum acquisitions, exploring the “truthiness” issue
(thank you, Steven Colbert) in which many museum managers collude with governments to take art in
questionable circumstances, and with monied interests to inflate the perceived value of certain holdings. A
most interesting insider’s tell-all. Not a how-to resource, but eye-opening expose.
Zack, Linda R., Building Self-Esteem through the Museum of I, Free Spirit Publishing, 1995.
As Zack explains in her introduction: “The premise of this book is that you, the teacher, are a museum guide
who arranges exhibits and tours….As each project is an exhibition of the self, several projects together
become a museum of the self….At the end of each project (or group of projects,)create your ‘museum.’ Try to
arrange exhibit space in your classroom, as well as a display in the media center or a hallway showcase. Use
clothesline displays, hang things from the ceiling, tape drawings to the walls, and clear off the
desks…Occasionally hold a ‘museum opening” during the day for other classes to visit----Students could act
as museum guides, or ‘docents,’ walking their visitors through the various exhibits, giving brief explanations.
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