Making History Field Trips Meaningful: Teachers' and Site Educators' Perspectives on Teaching Materials

Abstract There is a very limited body of research on how teachers use materials from local history sites in their teaching. This paper reports on a descriptive study that progressed in two phases. In phase one, we surveyed all fourth grade teachers in one county's public schools regarding their use of curriculum materials provided by local history sites, which they visited as part of a field trip. In phase two, we interviewed site educators of all major local history sites in the county, and completed a materials inventory for each site. Data from phase one reveal that teachers desired short, hard-copy materials that could be used to prepare children for a field trip. The phase two site educator interviews and materials surveys show a large variation in the amount and types of materials that sites provide. Site educators agreed that materials were most useful before a field trip. However, even if materials were provided, sites had no evaluation procedures in place for determining the usefulness of those materials. We also discuss the importance of improving communication between educators at history sites and teachers.

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