Introducing TeachArchives.org

transcript

New-York Historical SocietyMay 6, 2014

Introductions

Julie Golia, PhDHistorianTeachArchives.org co-founder and editor

Robin M. Katz, MLISArchivistTeachArchives.org co-founder and editor

Students and Faculty in the Archives ● Brooklyn Historical Society

Introductions

• Your vitals (name, position)• Your experience teaching with primary

sources• Successes and challenges?

What is TeachArchives.org?Innovative educational website offering a tailored, hands-on approach to modeling document analysis skills for students– Innovative teaching philosophy– Best practices for teaching in the archives– Success stories– Classroom-tested sample exercises– Project documentation

What is TeachArchives.org?Result of Students and Faculty in the Archives– 3-year, postsecondary education program at Brooklyn Historical Society – Used primary sources to teach document analysis, information literacy, and critical thinking skills in first-year undergraduates– 19 partner faculty at 3 schools– 1,100 individual students– 100+ class visits to BHS’s archives

What is TeachArchives.org?Beginners need to be taught document

analysisOur teaching philosophy– Specific learning objectives– Individual documents• The fewer the better!

– Tailored small-group activities– Directed, specific prompts• Ex: “Why did Henry Ward Beecher write this letter?”• Not “Who is the creator? What type of doc is this?”

What is TeachArchives.org?Our Findings– Independent evaluators have found that SAFA

students are more engaged, perform better, and - in some cases - have higher retention rates than their peers.– Findings summarized on TeachArchives.org

What is TeachArchives.org?Resources available on

TeachArchives.org– Innovative teaching philosophy– Best practices for teaching in the archives– Success stories– Classroom-tested sample exercises– Project documentation

TeachArchives.org: PedagogyMuseum educators, librarians and

archivists are vital resources for instructors of all backgrounds

Take a central role in planning the archives visit before, during, and after the visit

Pedagogy: Objectives vs. GoalsLearning goals vs. learning objectives– Why we came to find the distinction so important

Learning Goal: a statement that describes in broad terms what a student will learn from your course.– adapted from http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/writingobjectives.pdf

Professors’ course goals are often universal– For ex: improve student engagement, build a sense

of community

Pedagogy: Objectives vs. Goals

Learning Objectives • Statement in specific and measurable terms that

describes what the student will know or be able to do as a result of completing course activities.– adapted from http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/writingobjectives.pdf

• Example: one history prof’s goals vs. objectives• GOAL (broader)– Students will learn the unique history of the Civil

Rights movement in the North.

• OBJECTIVE (specific)– In their final research paper, students will identify

and analyze the different issues, strategies, and constituencies of the Civil Rights movement in the North, as compared to the South.

Consider requiring visit objectives from instructors visiting N-YHS

To learn more, see teacharchives.org/articles/learning-objectives

Pedagogy: Document SelectionDocument selection: how much?– For first-year students, item level is best– Small number of items for students• Especially textual material

– Consider student interaction from beginning to end• What is the journey students will take?• Anticipate pitfalls and challenges

– Instructors need to be reminded: less is more!

As stewards of N-YHS collections, push instructors to consider the student’s encounter with docs:– physical size– condition or handling needs– length of text– legibility (especially handwriting)– vocabulary– visual literacy skills of students

Pedagogy: Document Selection

Also remember:– How much more contextual knowledge you and the

instructor have than the students– The feeling of overwhelm in an archives• Manageable vs. unmanageable

To learn more, see teacharchives.org/articles/document-selection

Pedagogy: Context

Work with instructors to plan how to provide context to students– Our experience: not enough or too much context– What context to provide is directly related to visit

objectives

Pedagogy: Context

Kinds of context students might need– Historical– Technical / Format• Processes• Paleography

– Collection Info • Provenance or donor • How organized

– What is a historical society/archives?

To learn more, seeteacharchives.org/articles/providing-context

Pedagogy: Context

Pedagogy: Handouts

Creating specific prompts: why tailoring your student’s interaction with the documents is important– Generic questions like “what is this document,” “who

is the creator” can actually confuse students, inhibit learning

Pedagogy: Handouts

Student prompts/handouts: why tailor?• Primary source docs are infinitely interpretable – but

educators often do have a reading in mind• Handouts should reflect specific visit objectives• Tailored handouts help anticipate regularized

experience for students• Rather than a facilitator providing context to students on a

piecemeal basis

Pedagogy: Handouts

Designing prompts/handouts• Don’t create too long a handout• Articulate to students that they should closely

observe and read the entire document• Consider including context or other sources in the

handout

Pedagogy: Handouts

Who creates handouts for students?–Work with participating instructors to tailor their

handouts to their specific learning objectives– Consider creating in-house handouts that teachers

can use or adapt

To learn more, seeteacharchives.org/articles/creating-handouts

Pedagogy: Handouts

Visiting the Archives: Logistics Matter! Good logistics = good pedagogy– A well planned visit to the archives leads to positive

learning experience; a visit that is not thought-through often creates the opposite. – As educators and stewards of the collections at your

institution, you are the experts on the logistics of N-YHS – Guide instructors through a series of questions that

will make or break a class visit

Class Visits: Our ExperienceWhat we did at BHS– 1 – 3 visits is best (we had 1 - 7)– Anywhere from <10 – 40+ students in attendance– Faculty pre-select docs with staff help, requested 3

weeks ahead of time– Staff pull, prep, cite, assess copyright, set up docs– Staff greet class; review care/handling; occasionally

lecture; co-facilitate exercise & wrap-up

Class Visits: Setting UpRoom setup: things to think about– Stations and groupings

• Rotate or not? Timing?• Even groupings • Sitting at table or standing with clipboards?

– Logistics• Remember size, condition, other layout issues

– Independent or group work?• Small groups of 3 - 4 students are ideal

– Tweak each time you teach Students and Faculty in the Archives ● Brooklyn Historical Society

Class Visits: Care & HandlingHow to teach care and handling– Not punitive, stress universality– Policies vary, but see our example guidelines• Have students read aloud• Ask, “why?” or, “security or preservation?”• Online at teacharchives.org/articles/care-and-handling

– What is an archives/historical society?– Pre-visit experiment

Class Visits: FacilitationPlan ahead with instructors– Push teachers to overbudget time in agenda

• Determine when to arrive and leave• Don’t forget intros and wrap-ups• It takes students a while to physically move

– Groups allow for discussion, collaboration, community building• But consider the room, the size of the docs, how long

– What tools are needed?– Spell out roles of faculty and staff

Class Visits: Facilitation

Push instructors to plan an effective wrap up– Planning often overlooked by teachers– Suggest ways entire class can reconvene and share• Think about logistics again – move students to a place

where they can see and hear each other• See one great idea at

teacharchives.org/exercises/impromptu-speeches

– Get involved – ask hard questions!

Class Visits: Follow up

Staff and instructors should clarify how/whether students should come back to archives independently after the group visit– Our experiences: don’t make it optional– Make sure there’s a clear objective for students to

return– Make sure reference staff is prepared

To learn more, see:teacharchives.org/articles/logisticsteacharchives.org/articles/wrap-up

Class Visits

Conclusion: CollaborationLibrarians and archivists, museum educators, and other institutional staff bring essential expertise– Content knowledge– History and theory of archives/collections– Teaching experience in archives setting– Extensive doc analysis skills– Extensive logistical experience

You should be partners in shaping in-archives curricula!

Conclusion: Let’s DiscussQuestions? Concerns? Experiences and

challenges to share?

Introducing TeachArchives.org

Education