secondary program university of north carolina wilmington uncw/ed/informal
DESCRIPTION
From Historic Cemeteries to High School Classrooms: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Student Learning and Teacher Training. Secondary Program University of North Carolina Wilmington http://www.uncw.edu/ed/informal/. NC-ACTE Poster Session, Watson School of Education, UNCW 9/10/08. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
From Historic Cemeteries to High School Classrooms: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Student Learning and
Teacher Training
Secondary Program
University of North Carolina Wilmington
http://www.uncw.edu/ed/informal/
NC-ACTE Poster Session, Watson School of Education, UNCW 9/10/08
This presentation showcases instructional approaches university faculty used to help students develop inquiry-based lessons across multiple disciplines using community resources.
Experiences represent efforts to educate K-16 learners
Purpose
• Informal learning settings exist throughout every community, and each can add a true contextual experience for Standard Courses of Study, if integrated appropriately.
GoalsProvide preservice teachers with experience in:• informal learning settings• working as students to investigate community resources
in interdisciplinary teams• planning an interdisciplinary lesson with peers from other
disciplines • designing and implementing an effective field trip.
Oakdale Cemetery and Pine Forrest Cemetery
http://www.oakdalecemetery.org/
Pictures of Oakdale Cemetery
Our Position• Importance of learning outside the classroom.• K-16 students deserve learning opportunities
that are plural and integrated.• Informal settings (Museums, Aquariums, Zoos,
Battleships, Cemeteries, etc.) provide rich contexts for authentic learning.
• Field trips provide experience, context and motivation for making career choices.
• Students need to become aware of connections within multiple disciplines.
Pictures of Pine Forrest Cemetery
Practical Applications
• Planning a field trip
• Lesson Plans
• PowerPoint Presentations– Interdisciplinary between Science, Social
Studies, English and Math
Pictures of Pine Forrest Cemetery
Interdisciplinary Content Addressed• Science content
– Chemistry – chemical weathering of gravestones– Biology – disease prevention and epidemiology,
succession ecology, survival curves
English Content– Literature from from cemetery’s historical eras– Iconography– Epitaphs
Pictures of Oakdale Cemetery
Interdisciplinary Content Addressed• Social Studies content
– Historical aspects- Revolutionary and Civil Wars, WW I and WW II
– Civics & Economics – citizenship, war production– Sociology- segregation and racial inequality
• Math content– Geometry – Algebra– Statistics
2 Cemeteries, 2 Stories• We wanted students to compare and
contrast two current but historical cemeteries from the 1800’s.
• Oakdale Cemetery – designed to serve Wilmington’s white middle to upper class
• Pine Forest Cemetery – designed to serve Wilmington’s African-American community.
Challenges• Adapting a formal school structure to an informal
experience• Developing a partnership with an informal setting• Time consuming with planning and
implementation • Administrative costs for travel, services rendered,
and resources consumed (loss of integrity)• Working with your interdisciplinary peers
Conclusions
• With the advent of school restructuring (i.e. new schools, ninth grade academies), the opportunities exist for thematic approaches.
• Motivation across populations (students, pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, university faculty)
• Tie informal settings with the missions and curriculum goals of schools