teaching with archives (and archivists!)

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Teaching with Archives (and archivists!) Robin M. Katz @robinmkatz Head of Reference and User Services Brooklyn Historical Society NCHE Conference | St. AugusJne, FL | March 21, 2015

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Teaching  with  Archives  (and  archivists!)  

 

Robin  M.  Katz              @robinmkatz  Head  of  Reference  and  User  Services  

Brooklyn  Historical  Society    

NCHE  Conference  |  St.  AugusJne,  FL  |  March  21,  2015  

TeachArchives.org  

 for  a  global  audience  of  librarians,  archivists,  museum  educators,  

faculty,  and  teachers  

TeachArchives.org  

   

middle  à  graduate  school  

The  Project  

   

award-­‐winning  grant  project  at  Brooklyn  Historical  Society  

The  Project  

   

$750,000  FIPSE    US  Dept  of  EducaJon    

The  Project  

   

3  years  (2011  –  2013)  4  teaching  semesters  (F11  -­‐  S13)  

The  Project  

   

3  schools    

St.  Francis,  City  Tech,  LIU  Brooklyn  

The  Project  

   

3  schools    

no  archives  on  campus  

The  Project  

   

3  schools    

student  populaJon  

The  Project  

   

18  faculty    

all  ranks  

The  Project  

   

18  faculty    

disciplines  

The  Project  

   

18  faculty    

types  of  courses  

The  Project  

   

naJonal  partners  

The  Project  

   

intellectual  /  professional  community  

The  Project  

   

collaboraJon  between    archivists  and  educators  

The  Project  

   

1,100+  students  65  courses  

100  visits  to  BHS  

The  Project  

   

class  visits  to    the  archives  

 

The  Project  

   

professional    development  

 

The  Project  

   

summer    research  fellowships  

 

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

for  students  new  to  archives…  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

model  document  analysis  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

item-­‐level    

less  is  more  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

(not  new  to    K-­‐12  teachers)  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

specific,  measurable    learning  objecJves  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

(also  not  new  to    K-­‐12  teachers)  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

beyond  “show  and  tell”  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

(new  to  archivists)  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

beyond  “just  get  them  in  there”  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

(new  to  some  archivists    and  some  educators)  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

small  group  work  

Our  Teaching  Philosophy  

   

specific  prompts  

TeachArchives.org  

 12    

“how  to”  arJcles  

TeachArchives.org  

 “How  to  Make    

LogisJcal  Decisions”  

TeachArchives.org  

 16    

success  stories    

TeachArchives.org  

 Models  for  History    Survey  Courses  

 

TeachArchives.org  

 14  exercises  60  documents  

Exercises  on  TeachArchives.org  

   

tweaked  and  refined    in  real  classrooms  

Exercises  on  TeachArchives.org  

 can  be  used  in    

BHS  archives  (NYC)  or  online  

Exercises  on  TeachArchives.org  

   

samples  to  serve    as  a  model  

AdapJng  Exercises  

 “Civil  Rights  in  Brooklyn”  

 scaffolded    

item  >  folder  

AdapJng  Exercises  

 “Telling  Brooklyn  Stories”  

 impromptu  speeches    comparing  documents  

Our  Findings  

   

Our  approach  benefijed    students  and  faculty  

Our  Findings  

   

independent  evaluators  

Our  Findings  

   

independent  evaluators  

Our  Findings  

 interviews,  observaJons,  reflecJons,  student  work,    campus  assessment  data  

Our  Findings  

   

evaluaJon  reports  

Our  Findings  

 in  well-­‐matched    comparisons…  

Our  Findings  

 students  who  came    to  the  archives    

were  more  engaged  

Our  Findings  

 students  who  came    to  the  archives    

performed  bejer  

Our  Findings  

 students  who  came    to  the  archives    

higher  retenJon  rates  

Our  Findings  

 students  improved  skills  

needed  for  document  analysis:  observaJon  and  summary  

Our  Findings  

 faculty  improved    

pedagogical  strategies  

8  Best  PracJces  

•  Define  measurable  learning  objecJves  that  align  visit  goals  with  course  goals  

•  Carefully  select  a  small  number  of  documents  to  use  •  Cram  tailored,  document-­‐specific  prompts  •  Design  document  analysis  acJviJes  to  connect  to  larger  assignments  

and  course  objecJves  •  Carefully  consider  logisJcal  decisions  related  to  the  archives  visit  •  Thoughnully  facilitate  archives  visits,  including  wrap-­‐up  discussions  •  Provide  a  “Goldilocks”  of  context  (not  too  much,  and  not  too  lijle,  at  

the  right  Jme)  •  Work  collaboraJvely  to  tweak  and  refine  the  learning  experience