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Date: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 12:27:31 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Subject: Opening Statement
Dear Colleagues --
Welcome to our discussion! Let's begin with definitions. There are
obviously two pieces to our topic. The first word "material" might
suggest economic or environmental history as well as archeology or
museum studies, and all of those studies are surely relevant to our
topic. For our purposes, though, the word "material" simply means a
shift in attention from words to objects. This isn't a scholastic version
of "Antiques Roadshow," however. Material culture is more than the
study of artifacts. It can also be the study of bodies in
motion--parades, dances, funeral processions, assembly lines, or
quilting bees, and of the invisible and sometimes elusive
relationships among seemingly unrelated things.
That's where the word "culture" comes in. As Robert St. George has
written, "The study of material life reminds us that culture does not
reside in books, in buildings, or in political parties. Culture exists in
the human mind, a bundle of values in tension, interlocking and
closed in transformation but open to perception and novelty,
internalizing contexts and suiting performance to situation. Culture as
lived cannot be reduced to its artifacts. All sherds--ceramic, literary,
and religious--are only remnants, pieces of torn cloth, broken vessels,
mere shadows of whole culture. They can only be given new life when
they are interpreted as related parts of a larger puzzle." (Material Life in
America, 9)
There is a tension then between the two halves of our definition. The
word "material" suggests something solid, visible, and easily
grasped. The word "culture" takes us into the ether.
That hasn't always been so. The word "culture" has its own history.
When I typed the word into the Harvard libraries search engine, I was
delighted to find at the head of a list of 34,000 titles, a cluster of books
about flowers, as in the "culture of the sweet pea" (1912) or the
"culture of Irises in the United States" (1920). Culture in this usage
implies a self-conscious attempt at cultivating something, a plant or
perhaps even a mind, as in "The Sugar City Ladies Culture Club," the
book group my mother belonged to when I was a child.
In anthropology the word developed a meaning closer to St. George's
"bundle of values in tension." Initially the emphasis was on the exotic,
the primitive, and the far away. A relic of this survives even in Harvard's
new computerized catalog. When I typed in "material culture," I got this
curious explanatory note: "Here are entered works on the objects
made or used by people, especially the folk artifacts produced by
traditional methods, as well as techniques of their production. Works
limited to the techniques of production of pre-literate and folk cultures
are entered under Industries, Primitive. Works on the material culture
of particular ethnic groups are entered under the name of the group
with the subdivision Material culture, e.g. Indians of North
America--Material culture." The danger here is the implication, still
surprisingly common in school curricula, that mainstream western
societies have history while minority groups and non-western peoples
have culture.
Culture has long since jumped out of the anthropologists' notebook
and into mainstream media. There are now scores of books on
"popular culture" (as in Madonna) or on the culture of various
subgroups in modern, industrialized society. There are now studies
of corporate cultures, academic cultures, and leisure cultures as well
as cultures of poverty or despair. In academia "cultural studies" gives
scholars license to write about everything from high heels to dogs.
Meanwhile, e-bay and Antiques Roadshow have enhanced Americans
already well-developed love affair with artifacts. With theoretical
challenges assailing us from one side and popular enthusiasm from
another, what can historians do with the now somewhat wobbly notion
of "material culture"?
For our purposes I would like to adapt Thomas Schlereth's definition
of material culture study " as a mode of inquiry primarily (but not
exclusively) focused upon a type of evidence." He continues, "Material
culture thus becomes an investigation that uses artifacts (along with
relevant documentary, statistical, and oral data) to explore cultural
questions." I would amend that slightly to suggest that we use this, for
many of us still somewhat unfamiliar source material, to explore
historical questions.
As teachers of American history we are concerned with the study of
change over time, and if we are teaching the full range of courses in
our field, we deal with the traditional themes--cultural encounter, war,
revolution, immigration, industrialization, urbanization, the end of the
frontier, the age of reform, women's rights, civil rights, globalization,
and so on.
The question I would like to explore in this discussion is how a focus
on the material fabric of American life might both enhance and
transform our study of these topics.
I know from my own experience that bringing objects and images into
the classroom can enhance learning. My best example is the lecture I
give on the Boston Tea Party. I begin with an actual teapot--a
reproduction Chinese chippendale tea pot that was a prop in the film A
Midwife's Tale. I can spend an entire hour, with the students'
participation, exploring themes and issues related to that teapot. We
talk about trade, consumption, growing class differences in colonial
Boston, tea drinking rituals, Chinese procelein, the East Indian
company, taxes, urban riots, and finally the memory of the Boston tea
party. As Al Young explained in The Shoemaker and the Tea Party, it
wasn't until the 1830s that Bostonians began to refer to that highly
destructive action on Boston's wharves as a "tea party."
One could do a similar lecture using a nineteenth-century patchwork
quilt (almost any quilt) to discuss the expansion of cotton cultivation,
the impact of slavery, the emergence of fabric printing echnology,
industrial lbor relations, the culty of domesticity, and once again the
memorialization of early decades through artifacts.
In such lectures, artifact help students see the interconnections
among themes that at first glance seem disparate, they enliven
interest, and help them connect broad historical change to ordinary
lives.
I hope that we can share some of these ideas with one another,
paying close attention to the details of presentation, and the virtues
and possibilities of using actual objects as well as slides and
photographs.
But I would also like to heat about ways that attention to artifacts might
transform our own and our students' understanding of a topic. Here I
am thinking of my research on the humble (and truly ubiquitous) New
England "rose blanket." I have written about rose blankets in The Age
of Homespun, and I have used a very humble example of such blanket
(picked up for very little money at a Maine antique store) in teaching.
The object is effective in a small class because it is both very simple
and at the same time intriguing. It is clearly homespun but it has a
curious design embroidered in the corner. I get students talking about
it, puzzling over it, developing hypotheses about its origins or maker,
then I very gradually begin introducing other materials--probate
inventories,stories about agricultural fairs, pictures of early maps, and
so on, until they begin to see the connections between the object and
larger themes in transAtlantic and early American culture. This is
transforming, rather than merely illustrative, because it demonstrates
in its very fabric the connection between local production (homespun)
and international markets (English rose blankets were highly
commercial products marketed every where in the world.), and
between agriculture, environmental change, republicanism, and
domesticity. (See The Age of Homespun, chapter 9, and "Amanda
Winters Blanket" at the Author's Desktop,
http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/ulrich/desktopnew.html
for more on this and other artifacts.)
I think I have said enough. I would like to hear from you.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
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Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 14:42:04 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Jim Hart
Subject: Re: Opening Statement
Dr. Ulrich, your opening statement on cultural history was very instructive
to me. I would say that "material culture" is a term that was very unclear
to me before reading your statement. I would also like to say that I am
very grateful for the opportunity to be able to interact with you in this
group. I am a graduate student in history in Oklahoma with a major field
of colonial history. I am specifically interested in cultural contacts
between the colonists and the eastern Natives. When studying Native
culture, European documents are quite often the only printed material we
have. Other than oral tradition, artifacts are usually the only surviving
evidence of tribal culture that was created by a Native American. I am
very interested in learning how artifacts are being used by yourself and
others in the classroom to facilitate teaching in order to gain ideas on
how to incorporate them into future lectures/lesson plans of my own.
One question I have concerns the first few generations of Puritans in
Massachusetts. In our courses, we spend a lot of time discussing the
debate over whether a declension of piety occurred in the second and third
generations, and if so, to what degree? Our focus is always on evidence
found in the voluminous documents left behind by the Puritans. However, I
was curious as to what type of religious artifacts, other than Bibles, the
Puritans might have owned or created. If such artifacts existed and were
common among first generation Puritans, it seems to me that a very rough
comparison of the piety of later generations to that of the first could be
made by comparing their religious artifacts to that of the founders.
Thanks, Jim Hart
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
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Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 15:59:40 -0500
Reply-To: woestman@pittstate.edu
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Dr._Kelly_A._Woestman?="
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?opening_statement?=
MIME-Version: 1.0
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I would also like to thank Dr. Ulrich for exploring the meaning of material
culture. I joined this listserv to find out more about this area of study
not only to enhance my own teaching (and learning) but as a way to help my
students make a better connection to their past.
I am working on a project relating local history and our coal mining
heritage. We are beginning to collect artifacts and students are beginning
to go home and ask family members for artifacts. I want to learn how best to
utilize these artifacts. I was quite surprised during our summer institutes
to find elementary students so excited about quilts they knew a grandmother
or great-grandmother had made. I love quilts and quilting and had no idea
that that interest would be a way to connect with students of all ages and
better explore their own histories.
We have also come across mining tools and related artifacts. There were
almost 300 deep mines in our two-county area and numerous strip pits. Many
of these strip pits are still visible and commonly-used recreation areas and
some are also in the process of reclamation. I'm glad to know that even the
actual mines and the process of reclaiming them can be a part of material
culture.
I'm looking forward to the discussion.
Kelly in Kansas
Dr. Kelly A. Woestman
Pittsburg (KS) State University
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
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Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 17:47:35 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Cynthia Robinson
Subject: Analyzing tools
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One interesting thing to do with tools is to have students figure out their
function by looking at the wear and tear (worn spots on handles, blades,
etc.) on them, and also at their design. Then, if the tools can be handled,
students can mimic the action the tools required to see what muscles miners
would have used and what a repetitive motion would have done to the body.
Artifacts like this can reveal information that can be hard to glean from
documents.
I became a proponent of learning history through material culture when I
worked as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village many years ago. I
learned how wool dresses can protect one's skin from the heat of the fire,
and how wool singes, but does not flame, when it catches on fire. I learned
about the muscles developed in the forearm through ironing, and realized
that the enormous amount of time and labor that went into ironing (heating
the iron on the fire over and over)-and washing clothes for that
matter-probably meant that early 19th-century farm families looked dirty and
wrinkled a lot of the time. And that women needed muscles.
Trying out processes is fun, but not always possible. When objects cannot be
handled you have to substitute experience with observations and imagination.
And we have to be careful not to make assumptions about the past based
solely upon our experiences and conclusions. But it's a great way to start
thinking about another time and place, and can help us form the questions we
need to guide further inquiry.
Cynthia Robinson
Director of Education and Public Programs
National Heritage Museum
33 Marrett Road
Lexington, MA 02421
(781)861-6559, ext. 156
www.monh.org
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
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Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 09:39:05 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Re: Analyzing tools
Comments: cc: Kate Rawlinson
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This is an exciting time for this forum to be taking place. The use of
material culture or primary objects to teach subject matter is one of =
the
goals of my institution. We have recently received a 3 year Department =
of
Education grant to develop a curriculum for 3,4, and 5 grades that uses
objects from our collection to address core social studies curricula. =
This
is a model and dissemination grant with a strong research and =
assessment
component. I am interested in sourcing ideas of how to approach the
development of the curriculum materials, what form they could take, =
what
suggested themes one might address, and examples of projects anyone has
worked on. We are located in Miami Beach Florida so local history will =
play
a role, but so will general United States history and geography. =
Character
education and civics will be infused into the curriculum materials.
The Wolfsonian-Florida International University holds more than 70,000
objects, predominantly from North America and Europe, providing rich
evidence of the cultural, political, and technological changes that =
swept
the globe in the century preceding World War II (1885-1945). The =
collection
features furniture, decorative arts, industrial design, paintings,
sculpture, architectural models, works on paper, books, and ephemera.
Notable among these are Depression-era prints and mural studies by WPA
artists, items from the British Arts and Crafts movement and the German
Werkst=E4tten and Werkbund, and artifacts of political propaganda.
Mark Osterman
Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
Wolfsonian-FIU
-----Original Message-----
From: Cynthia Robinson [mailto:crobinson@MONH.ORG]
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 5:48 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Analyzing tools
One interesting thing to do with tools is to have students figure out =
their
function by looking at the wear and tear (worn spots on handles, =
blades,
etc.) on them, and also at their design. Then, if the tools can be =
handled,
students can mimic the action the tools required to see what muscles =
miners
would have used and what a repetitive motion would have done to the =
body.
Artifacts like this can reveal information that can be hard to glean =
from
documents.
I became a proponent of learning history through material culture when =
I
worked as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village many years =
ago. I
learned how wool dresses can protect one's skin from the heat of the =
fire,
and how wool singes, but does not flame, when it catches on fire. I =
learned
about the muscles developed in the forearm through ironing, and =
realized
that the enormous amount of time and labor that went into ironing =
(heating
the iron on the fire over and over)-and washing clothes for that
matter-probably meant that early 19th-century farm families looked =
dirty and
wrinkled a lot of the time. And that women needed muscles.
Trying out processes is fun, but not always possible. When objects =
cannot be
handled you have to substitute experience with observations and =
imagination.
And we have to be careful not to make assumptions about the past based
solely upon our experiences and conclusions. But it's a great way to =
start
thinking about another time and place, and can help us form the =
questions we
need to guide further inquiry.
Cynthia Robinson
Director of Education and Public Programs
National Heritage Museum
33 Marrett Road
Lexington, MA 02421
(781)861-6559, ext. 156
www.monh.org
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site =
at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. =
History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 11:22:46 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: religious artifacts
In-Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Jim Hart wonders if there are objects that document religious change in
Puritan Massachusetts. The answer is surely "yes." Two essays on
communion silver offer a place to begin. Barbara McLean Ward's "In a
Feasting Posture": Communion Vessels and Community Values in Seventeenth-
and Eighteenth-Century new England," Winterthur Portfolio 23 (1988): 1-24,
is a fine example of using close examination of artifacts to tease out
religious values. A more recent piece by Mark Peterson considers other
dimensions of communion silver. ("Puritanism and Refinement in Early New
England: Reflections on Communion Silver," William and Mary Quarterly 58
(2001): 307-346. There is lots of work on the cultural history of
religion that you might find interesting. Try searching on America:
History and Life under names of items that you think might yield
insights--gravestones, samplers, meetinghouse architecture, and, of
course, books of all sorts, including illustrated broadsides and things
like The New England Primer. A recent book published by the New England
Historic Genealogical Society (The Art of Family, ed. by Brenton Simonds
and Peter Benes) is filled with interesting possibilities.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
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Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 11:28:01 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: teaching methods
In-Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Messages from Kelly Woestman (on strip mining tools), Cynthia Robinson (on
ironing), and Mark Osterman (on the 70,000 objects at Florida National
University), raise an important question--what formats are available for
introducing students to objects? It is one thing to be able to pick up a
cast-iron implement, another to look at things arranged in a class case or
behind a barrier in a museum, and something else again to work with
on-line data bases. What has worked for you? How can teaching be both
interactive and respectful of the fragility of objects? Mark's 70,000
objects remind me that the possibilities are so vast that we cna probably
be most helpful to one another if we share ideas about specific objects,
strategies, and programs.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 14:18:41 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Terri McNichol
Subject: Re: teaching methods
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This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 11:21:32 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Claudia Ocello
Subject: Re: teaching methods
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are using
the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made or
used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with the
exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well for
a number of years.
One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try to
have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just doesn't
seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for students
to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to "read"
the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material culture
while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left, and
then "how to use primary sources."
- Claudia Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
cocello@jerseyhistory.org
973-596-8500 x237
--
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 16:49:58 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Re: teaching methods
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Regarding Claudia Ocello,
Thank you for your response. I have a few questions I would like to direct
toward you to gain a better understanding of the work you are doing, which
sounds quite interesting. The questions are as follows:
What age groups are you doing this work with? Do you have a formatted method
of analysis for the students such as a series of questions or prompts that
leads them down a road of discovery? Do you also use the objects to address
curricula found within the classroom as well as to match exhibition content?
Do you have any materials that you would be willing to send me that I could
review? Thank you again.
Mark Osterman
Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
Wolfsonian-FIU
-----Original Message-----
From: Claudia Ocello [mailto:COcello@JERSEYHISTORY.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 11:22 AM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are using
the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made or
used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with the
exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well for
a number of years.
One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try to
have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just doesn't
seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for students
to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to "read"
the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material culture
while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left, and
then "how to use primary sources."
- Claudia Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
cocello@jerseyhistory.org
973-596-8500 x237
--
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 17:44:13 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Claudia Ocello
Subject: Re: teaching methods
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Mark, thanks for your interest in our teaching methods and programs.
Actually lots of museums are doing this type of learning from objects now,
and many museum education programs are teaching it to grad students - Bank
Street College of Education in NYC has an excellent program in museum ed
and they teach this method (that's where I learned it).
At The NJHS, material culture and teaching with objects is something we
carry through all our exhibitions and programs, to make history accessible
to all our visitors. We do programs using objects for everyone from grades
pre-K - 12, plus adult groups, senior citizen groups, special needs
groups...it's a technique that is flexible for all ages/grade levels - the
difference is that you ask different questions and/or use different objects
depending on the age level you are working with. All of our programs are
tailored to be age and developmentally appropriate - so no two are ever
alike. Our educators don't follow a script, they have a general lesson plan
that is very loose in that it allows for some going with children's
interests and adapting to groups who need more support or have more
knowledge that we anticipated.
Basically we ask a series of open-ended questions (that have more than one
answer to them, i.e. What do you see? instead of "Do you see a black
square?)that are scaffolded, that is, they build in complexity, so that we
can eventually get them to "decode" the object and use critical thinking
skills to analyze more than what they see on the surface. For example, when
we give them an object to work on in groups, again, it depends on the
age/developmental level, we usually start with something like "What do you
think this is made of? What do you think it is? Whom do you think used it
or made it? How do you think it was used or made? What does all this tell
you about the person that made it, used it, or owned it?" This is not a
script, just a sample of questions - it really depends on the object that
you are using.
With a painting or photograph, we usually start with the question "What do
you see?" so that everyone feels comfortable answering since many people
will see something different that catches their eye. The follow up question
when someone makes a conclusion, like " I see a church" is "How can you tell
it is a church?" this way you can clarify their thought process as they try
to articulate it to you, and see where they are coming from. From there, it
again depends on the image and where you want to go, there's not a hard and
fast list of questions to ask, but they could include: What season is it?
What do you notice about the perspective in which the photo/painting was
taken/painted? What message do you think the photographer/artist was trying
to tell you?
All of the objects must somehow connect to exhibitions or our collections,
or we don't use them. All of our education programs match many of the
STate's Core Curriculum Content Standards across disciplines - so not just
social studies, but on sometimes also math, science, and/or language arts.
We found that we have to tie our programs in to curricula to give teachers a
reason to bring their classes here. With tight budgets and other
restraints, if it's an "extra" it's usually the first to go.
As for materials, we have lots - I'm just not sure exactly what it is you
are looking for, perhaps if you called we could discuss this further and
then I would know what to send.
By the way, I highly recommend an article to you, by John Hennigar Shuh,
called Teaching Yourself to Teach with Objects, published in the Journal of
Education (I think it's a Nova Scotia edition) - Vol 7 No 4 pp 8 - 14. It
takes you through the process of analyzing an object. Also, look at our
website, www.jerseyhistory.org, in the "Do history" section.
Knowing what questions to ask and how to use the objects takes practice and
constant thinking/readjusting, but it's really worth it - plus not ever
teaching the same program twice (sometimes even using different objects to
get the point across) makes it more fun to teach, and different every day.
Hope this answers your questions - feel free to call me if you want to
discuss further - 973-596-8500 x237
- Claudia B. Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
cocello@jerseyhistory.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Osterman [mailto:mark@THEWOLF.FIU.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 4:50 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
Regarding Claudia Ocello,
Thank you for your response. I have a few questions I would like to direct
toward you to gain a better understanding of the work you are doing, which
sounds quite interesting. The questions are as follows:
What age groups are you doing this work with? Do you have a formatted method
of analysis for the students such as a series of questions or prompts that
leads them down a road of discovery? Do you also use the objects to address
curricula found within the classroom as well as to match exhibition content?
Do you have any materials that you would be willing to send me that I could
review? Thank you again.
Mark Osterman
Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
Wolfsonian-FIU
-----Original Message-----
From: Claudia Ocello [mailto:COcello@JERSEYHISTORY.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 11:22 AM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are using
the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made or
used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with the
exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well for
a number of years.
One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try to
have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just doesn't
seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for students
to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to "read"
the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material culture
while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left, and
then "how to use primary sources."
- Claudia Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
cocello@jerseyhistory.org
973-596-8500 x237
--
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 10:17:07 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Re: teaching methods
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Regarding Claudia Ocello,
Claudia, thank you for your detailed answer concerning your programs and
some of your teaching methodologies. The types of questions you are asking
students are similar to Visual Thinking Strategies, developed by Philip
Yenawine and Abigail Housen. VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) is a form of
facilitated discussion that is student centered and based on students own
skills and knowledge. VTS helps develop flexible thinking skills, including
observing, brainstorming, reasoning with evidence, speculating, cultivating
a point of view, reflecting, and revising. This is done through a series of
open ended questions. VTS uses mainly two dimensional narrative work for its
purposes, but we are considering applying some of its philosophies towards
objects of material culture. You can find more concerning VTS at their
website: VUE.org
I will call you to ask specifics about what type of materials might be worth
sending me and just to talk a little. I will also review your website and
contact Bank Street to learn more.
For our program I am considering approaching objects of material culture
using three sequential perspectives. They are as follows:
1. Visual Literacy. An open ended discussion about the object, based on
observations from students through a facilitated discussion.
2. Object Analysis: For this discussion more objective facts shall be added
to the conversion through more directed questioning, bringing in historical
context such as culture, politics, science, design, technology etc.
3. Design/Response. For this final phase I am interested in an informed
response to the object being discussed. This can be in written form or done
through a tactile activity. For example: We have been investigating chairs.
After a visual literacy approach and then an object analysis we could ask
the students to now design a better chair, or an assignment with parameters
such as particular use and environment for students to fit their design
into. This offers the students a chance to use their skills in terms of
problem solving, not just analysis now.
What we want to do is choose objects who's analysis will bring out issues
found in social studies curricula. This way the process informs work in the
classroom from a textbook point of view and allows for the development of
transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem solving.
Mark Osterman
Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
Wolfsonian-FIU
-----Original Message-----
From: Claudia Ocello [mailto:COcello@JERSEYHISTORY.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 5:44 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
Mark, thanks for your interest in our teaching methods and programs.
Actually lots of museums are doing this type of learning from objects now,
and many museum education programs are teaching it to grad students - Bank
Street College of Education in NYC has an excellent program in museum ed
and they teach this method (that's where I learned it).
At The NJHS, material culture and teaching with objects is something we
carry through all our exhibitions and programs, to make history accessible
to all our visitors. We do programs using objects for everyone from grades
pre-K - 12, plus adult groups, senior citizen groups, special needs
groups...it's a technique that is flexible for all ages/grade levels - the
difference is that you ask different questions and/or use different objects
depending on the age level you are working with. All of our programs are
tailored to be age and developmentally appropriate - so no two are ever
alike. Our educators don't follow a script, they have a general lesson plan
that is very loose in that it allows for some going with children's
interests and adapting to groups who need more support or have more
knowledge that we anticipated.
Basically we ask a series of open-ended questions (that have more than one
answer to them, i.e. What do you see? instead of "Do you see a black
square?)that are scaffolded, that is, they build in complexity, so that we
can eventually get them to "decode" the object and use critical thinking
skills to analyze more than what they see on the surface. For example, when
we give them an object to work on in groups, again, it depends on the
age/developmental level, we usually start with something like "What do you
think this is made of? What do you think it is? Whom do you think used it
or made it? How do you think it was used or made? What does all this tell
you about the person that made it, used it, or owned it?" This is not a
script, just a sample of questions - it really depends on the object that
you are using.
With a painting or photograph, we usually start with the question "What do
you see?" so that everyone feels comfortable answering since many people
will see something different that catches their eye. The follow up question
when someone makes a conclusion, like " I see a church" is "How can you tell
it is a church?" this way you can clarify their thought process as they try
to articulate it to you, and see where they are coming from. From there, it
again depends on the image and where you want to go, there's not a hard and
fast list of questions to ask, but they could include: What season is it?
What do you notice about the perspective in which the photo/painting was
taken/painted? What message do you think the photographer/artist was trying
to tell you?
All of the objects must somehow connect to exhibitions or our collections,
or we don't use them. All of our education programs match many of the
STate's Core Curriculum Content Standards across disciplines - so not just
social studies, but on sometimes also math, science, and/or language arts.
We found that we have to tie our programs in to curricula to give teachers a
reason to bring their classes here. With tight budgets and other
restraints, if it's an "extra" it's usually the first to go.
As for materials, we have lots - I'm just not sure exactly what it is you
are looking for, perhaps if you called we could discuss this further and
then I would know what to send.
By the way, I highly recommend an article to you, by John Hennigar Shuh,
called Teaching Yourself to Teach with Objects, published in the Journal of
Education (I think it's a Nova Scotia edition) - Vol 7 No 4 pp 8 - 14. It
takes you through the process of analyzing an object. Also, look at our
website, www.jerseyhistory.org, in the "Do history" section.
Knowing what questions to ask and how to use the objects takes practice and
constant thinking/readjusting, but it's really worth it - plus not ever
teaching the same program twice (sometimes even using different objects to
get the point across) makes it more fun to teach, and different every day.
Hope this answers your questions - feel free to call me if you want to
discuss further - 973-596-8500 x237
- Claudia B. Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
cocello@jerseyhistory.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Osterman [mailto:mark@THEWOLF.FIU.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 4:50 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
Regarding Claudia Ocello,
Thank you for your response. I have a few questions I would like to direct
toward you to gain a better understanding of the work you are doing, which
sounds quite interesting. The questions are as follows:
What age groups are you doing this work with? Do you have a formatted method
of analysis for the students such as a series of questions or prompts that
leads them down a road of discovery? Do you also use the objects to address
curricula found within the classroom as well as to match exhibition content?
Do you have any materials that you would be willing to send me that I could
review? Thank you again.
Mark Osterman
Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
Wolfsonian-FIU
-----Original Message-----
From: Claudia Ocello [mailto:COcello@JERSEYHISTORY.ORG]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 11:22 AM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are using
the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made or
used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with the
exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well for
a number of years.
One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try to
have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just doesn't
seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for students
to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to "read"
the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material culture
while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left, and
then "how to use primary sources."
- Claudia Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
cocello@jerseyhistory.org
973-596-8500 x237
--
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
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This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
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Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 11:10:13 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
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Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 06:59:14 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: teaching methods
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Thanks to all for deepening the conversation. I am intrigued with your
description of VTS. We are constantly told that our students are steeped
in visual culture in ways that most teachers are not. But what does that
say about objects? How do virtual experiences with the physical world
differ from hands-on, experiential encounters?
On Thu, 10 Oct 2002, Mark Osterman wrote:
> Regarding Claudia Ocello,
>
> Claudia, thank you for your detailed answer concerning your programs and
> some of your teaching methodologies. The types of questions you are asking
> students are similar to Visual Thinking Strategies, developed by Philip
> Yenawine and Abigail Housen. VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) is a form of
> facilitated discussion that is student centered and based on students own
> skills and knowledge. VTS helps develop flexible thinking skills, including
> observing, brainstorming, reasoning with evidence, speculating, cultivating
> a point of view, reflecting, and revising. This is done through a series of
> open ended questions. VTS uses mainly two dimensional narrative work for its
> purposes, but we are considering applying some of its philosophies towards
> objects of material culture. You can find more concerning VTS at their
> website: VUE.org
> I will call you to ask specifics about what type of materials might be worth
> sending me and just to talk a little. I will also review your website and
> contact Bank Street to learn more.
>
> For our program I am considering approaching objects of material culture
> using three sequential perspectives. They are as follows:
>
> 1. Visual Literacy. An open ended discussion about the object, based on
> observations from students through a facilitated discussion.
>
> 2. Object Analysis: For this discussion more objective facts shall be added
> to the conversion through more directed questioning, bringing in historical
> context such as culture, politics, science, design, technology etc.
>
> 3. Design/Response. For this final phase I am interested in an informed
> response to the object being discussed. This can be in written form or done
> through a tactile activity. For example: We have been investigating chairs.
> After a visual literacy approach and then an object analysis we could ask
> the students to now design a better chair, or an assignment with parameters
> such as particular use and environment for students to fit their design
> into. This offers the students a chance to use their skills in terms of
> problem solving, not just analysis now.
>
> What we want to do is choose objects who's analysis will bring out issues
> found in social studies curricula. This way the process informs work in the
> classroom from a textbook point of view and allows for the development of
> transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem solving.
>
> Mark Osterman
> Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
> Wolfsonian-FIU
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Claudia Ocello [mailto:COcello@JERSEYHISTORY.ORG]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 5:44 PM
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: teaching methods
>
>
> Mark, thanks for your interest in our teaching methods and programs.
> Actually lots of museums are doing this type of learning from objects now,
> and many museum education programs are teaching it to grad students - Bank
> Street College of Education in NYC has an excellent program in museum ed
> and they teach this method (that's where I learned it).
>
> At The NJHS, material culture and teaching with objects is something we
> carry through all our exhibitions and programs, to make history accessible
> to all our visitors. We do programs using objects for everyone from grades
> pre-K - 12, plus adult groups, senior citizen groups, special needs
> groups...it's a technique that is flexible for all ages/grade levels - the
> difference is that you ask different questions and/or use different objects
> depending on the age level you are working with. All of our programs are
> tailored to be age and developmentally appropriate - so no two are ever
> alike. Our educators don't follow a script, they have a general lesson plan
> that is very loose in that it allows for some going with children's
> interests and adapting to groups who need more support or have more
> knowledge that we anticipated.
>
> Basically we ask a series of open-ended questions (that have more than one
> answer to them, i.e. What do you see? instead of "Do you see a black
> square?)that are scaffolded, that is, they build in complexity, so that we
> can eventually get them to "decode" the object and use critical thinking
> skills to analyze more than what they see on the surface. For example, when
> we give them an object to work on in groups, again, it depends on the
> age/developmental level, we usually start with something like "What do you
> think this is made of? What do you think it is? Whom do you think used it
> or made it? How do you think it was used or made? What does all this tell
> you about the person that made it, used it, or owned it?" This is not a
> script, just a sample of questions - it really depends on the object that
> you are using.
>
> With a painting or photograph, we usually start with the question "What do
> you see?" so that everyone feels comfortable answering since many people
> will see something different that catches their eye. The follow up question
> when someone makes a conclusion, like " I see a church" is "How can you tell
> it is a church?" this way you can clarify their thought process as they try
> to articulate it to you, and see where they are coming from. From there, it
> again depends on the image and where you want to go, there's not a hard and
> fast list of questions to ask, but they could include: What season is it?
> What do you notice about the perspective in which the photo/painting was
> taken/painted? What message do you think the photographer/artist was trying
> to tell you?
>
> All of the objects must somehow connect to exhibitions or our collections,
> or we don't use them. All of our education programs match many of the
> STate's Core Curriculum Content Standards across disciplines - so not just
> social studies, but on sometimes also math, science, and/or language arts.
> We found that we have to tie our programs in to curricula to give teachers a
> reason to bring their classes here. With tight budgets and other
> restraints, if it's an "extra" it's usually the first to go.
>
> As for materials, we have lots - I'm just not sure exactly what it is you
> are looking for, perhaps if you called we could discuss this further and
> then I would know what to send.
>
> By the way, I highly recommend an article to you, by John Hennigar Shuh,
> called Teaching Yourself to Teach with Objects, published in the Journal of
> Education (I think it's a Nova Scotia edition) - Vol 7 No 4 pp 8 - 14. It
> takes you through the process of analyzing an object. Also, look at our
> website, www.jerseyhistory.org, in the "Do history" section.
>
> Knowing what questions to ask and how to use the objects takes practice and
> constant thinking/readjusting, but it's really worth it - plus not ever
> teaching the same program twice (sometimes even using different objects to
> get the point across) makes it more fun to teach, and different every day.
>
> Hope this answers your questions - feel free to call me if you want to
> discuss further - 973-596-8500 x237
>
> - Claudia B. Ocello
> Curator of Education
> The New Jersey Historical Society
> cocello@jerseyhistory.org
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Osterman [mailto:mark@THEWOLF.FIU.EDU]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 4:50 PM
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: teaching methods
>
>
> Regarding Claudia Ocello,
>
> Thank you for your response. I have a few questions I would like to direct
> toward you to gain a better understanding of the work you are doing, which
> sounds quite interesting. The questions are as follows:
>
> What age groups are you doing this work with? Do you have a formatted method
> of analysis for the students such as a series of questions or prompts that
> leads them down a road of discovery? Do you also use the objects to address
> curricula found within the classroom as well as to match exhibition content?
> Do you have any materials that you would be willing to send me that I could
> review? Thank you again.
>
> Mark Osterman
> Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
> Wolfsonian-FIU
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Claudia Ocello [mailto:COcello@JERSEYHISTORY.ORG]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 11:22 AM
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: teaching methods
>
>
> At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
> amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
> purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
> collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are using
> the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
> object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
> made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made or
> used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
> groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
> we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with the
> exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
> another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
> we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
> with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well for
> a number of years.
>
> One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try to
> have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just doesn't
> seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for students
> to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
> turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to "read"
> the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
> the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
> period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
> We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material culture
> while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
>
> For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
> website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left, and
> then "how to use primary sources."
>
> - Claudia Ocello
> Curator of Education
> The New Jersey Historical Society
> cocello@jerseyhistory.org
> 973-596-8500 x237
>
> --
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
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=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:01:32 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Melita Podesta
Subject: Melita V Podesta/BOS/FRS is out of the office.
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I will be out of the office starting 10/11/2002 and will not return until
10/15/2002.
I will respond to your message when I return.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
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Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 16:42:55 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: teaching methods
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This sounds like a wonderful program. Your description raises lots of
questions for me:
1. Where do the children come and how many at a time? Is this a school
program? What ages?
2. Can you tell us more about a recent exhibition that used this
technique? I thought that was the most interesting thing about this, the
opportunity students had to see a formal exhibit based on objects like
those they had been able to look at closely (and even touch?).
3. How does the website connect to the "hands-on" experience? Do students
work with the website in the classroom before coming to the museum?
I didn't have time to work through all the exercises on Do History but
went immediately to the photograph of the dressmaker's shop. I liked the
exercise but was surprised that none of the questions dealt with fashion.
I also wondered if we were seeing a muslin pattern for a dress rather than
an actual dress. Could the woman be working for a manufacturer to create a
pattern rather than doing custom work? It is hard to tell from an on-line
photo but the fabric seemed way to thin and plain to really be for a
custom dress. I also wanted the historian to say more!
Was this connected to an actual exhibit?
On Wed, 9 Oct 2002, Claudia Ocello wrote:
> At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
> amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
> purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
> collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are using
> the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
> object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
> made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made or
> used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
> groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
> we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with the
> exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
> another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
> we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
> with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well for
> a number of years.
>
> One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try to
> have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just doesn't
> seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for students
> to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
> turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to "read"
> the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
> the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
> period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
> We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material culture
> while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
>
> For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
> website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left, and
> then "how to use primary sources."
>
> - Claudia Ocello
> Curator of Education
> The New Jersey Historical Society
> cocello@jerseyhistory.org
> 973-596-8500 x237
>
> --
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 16:45:29 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: teaching methods
In-Reply-To: <200210061817.PPW93285@vmms7.verisignmail.com>
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What sorts of things do you put on that sheet of criteria?
On Sun, 6 Oct 2002, Terri McNichol wrote:
> Dear Laurel,
>
> Thank you for your stimulating open statement and to those
> with their responses. I teach Asian culture and over the years
> I have assigned my students to go to the museum, to the Asian
> galleries, and select a piece they responded to in the area we
> were studying. I gave them a sheet of criteria, info from
> label, locating it in historical text, and finally kept it as
> a creative paper because I was teaching more how to do a
> research paper than art history.
>
> One student I recall wrote about his favorite object that
> could not be contained by a museum, yet was a museum at the
> same time. Of course, he had visited not on a recent trip to
> the museum here in the states, but on his visit to his native
> Egypt. What he wrote about was the pyramid. I found that paper
> (and all of them, really) fascinating. It was fun because I
> sent them on an adventure of discovery. And keepting it to
> creative, they wrote expressively about their discovery rather
> than tell me the dry facts. I have posted below my signature,
> excerpt from a NYTimes article and would like to know if you
> think that this fits into our discussion of material culture.
>
> Thank you all, I am enjoying this forum very much.
>
> Terri McNichol
> Ren Associates
> Princeton NJ
> 609-586-8441
>
> October 8, 2000
>
> A Plain Home With a Sense of Place
>
> By JOSEPH HOROWITZ
>
> BOSTON -- THE most notable physical feature of the home of the
> Boston Symphony Orchestra is plainness. It is less a "concert
> hall" than a large rectangular room. The floor is exposed
> wood. The downstairs seats, with their hard, thin upholstery,
> are removable. The gilt proscenium is topped by a medallion
> reading, "Beethoven"; eight flanking medallions are blank.
> This is a functional space in which to hear music =E2=80=94 or at
> most, a spare church in which to worship it. Even the name is
> plain: Symphony Hall.
>
> Equally distinctive are the hall's acoustics, world- famous
> for warmth, clarity and presence. The coffered ceiling, the
> open grillwork of the two balconies, the niches and statuary
> =E2=80=94 all of which shun the flat surfaces faulted by acousticians
> =E2=80=94 partly account for these long- admired sonic properties.
>
> The Boston Symphony, which has played there for a century, is
> unthinkable without Symphony Hall, and it takes understandable
> pride in celebrating the hall's 100th birthday beginning this
> week with a pair of special concerts and a daylong open house.
>
> Not least among the hall's virtues is its exquisite sense of
> place. No such auditorium could exist in New York or Vienna or
> Leipzig, even though the old Leipzig Gewandhaus was one of its
> models. It honors Boston's Puritan legacy and also the sense
> of history this city so early acquired: it looked old the day
> it opened.
>
> If the hall had a human face, it would be that of the
> individual who built it and who modestly refused to bequeath
> his name: Henry Lee Higginson, a man who knew exactly what he
> wanted and how to get it.
>
> In his early 20's, he diligently studied music in Vienna.
> Though he decided that his musical gift was limited and
> became a stockbroker instead, music remained his passion. He
> dreamed of creating a world- class concert orchestra for
> Boston, and when he had amassed enough money, that is what he
> did, in 1881. No one else, ever, has so single-handedly shaped
> and managed so ambitious and successful an orchestral
> enterprise=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6=
Cultural historians too often depict the
> orchestras and art museums of the late Gilded Age as an
> elitist refuge from social strife, insulated by rituals of
> decorous behavior. They picture philanthropists shackled by
> timid taste and psychological need, influential citizens whose
> notions of cultural uplift revealed anxious disapproval of
> restless immigrant masses.
>
> But this picture is overdrawn and overgeneralized.
> The museum experience may have been restrained and private,
> self-conscious and intimidating for neophytes. The Boston
> Symphony's early audiences, by comparison, were public and
> communal, articulate and demonstrative.
>
> And this distinctive ambience was sealed by the
> town-meeting plainness of Symphony Hall itself. A larger, more
> opulent, more stratified space =E2=80=94 a Boston Carnegie, in which
> lesser patrons would have sat hidden beneath the eaves of the
> topmost balcony =E2=80=94 would have made a different statement
> altogether than the house that Henry Higginson built, a
> building in its way as bold and obdurate, severe and
> warmhearted as the gentleman himself.
>
> N=18=AC~=8A=EE=9A+,=A6=89=EC=A2=B7=9Do!=E2=B2=DA+=C8=C6=AD=B5=EA=EC=FF=FA=
ey=AB=1E=BE+"=B6=8B=ABY=E6=EC=8A=D7=9A=B6=1Bm=A7=FF=FF=86+-=A2=BC=A6j=DB^=
=AE=CF=E0=9A=EF=DEv=E7=E8=AEj+z=B7=AC=A2=EA=DCz=C7=E8=AE=D7=9Ar=18=A7=81O=
=D2=FCx=AC=B6=8A=F2
>
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Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 17:21:57 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Claudia Ocello
Subject: Re: teaching methods
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Thanks for your questions, Laurel.
1. For all of our school programs, the children come from all over NJ.
All of our education programs for grades pre-K to 12 use object-based
teaching; "Tools of the Historian" is geared for grades 6-12. Each of our
programs accommodates up to 35 students at a time; therefore if a bus load
of students (48 or more!) come, they do 2 different programs in different
galleries due to space issues.
2. "Tools of the Historian" is the only program that does not take
place in a gallery. As I mentioned in my posting, using library materials
is what I find most challenging, since they are not connected to an
exhibition specifically. All our other programs - for example,
Resource-Full New Jersey - are taught in the exhibition spaces. It's a
little to much detail for me to go into right now, and hard to do without
visuals in an email, but basically after a discussion about what is a
natural resource, students handle objects and try to determine what natural
resources they are made from, and then go into the exhibtion with their
objects and see what else they can find out about them. The exhibition is
divided into sections based on the resource: Fine Sand, Mighty Minerals,
Power of Water, Malleable Clay; Fertile Soil, and Creative people. We use
objects such as a glass bottle, a porcelain plate, a pot hook, a transistor
radio, a gourd dipper, and a woven silk bookmark. Then we discuss location
of the resources in the state (there is a large map in the exhibit) and why
factories and industrial centers arose in certain parts of the state, etc.
This is just one example of how we use the objects in conjunction with a
current exhibition.
3. Our website is relatively new and we did not design it specifically
to "connect" to the hands-on experience. One of the goals of the website is
to reach people in a part of the state that may not be able to visit us due
to distance for a field trip, and also to show people how history can be
interactive and not boring.
We do send out, with some of our programs, pre- and post-visit packets of
activities and resources - lesson plans and overhead transparencies of
objects and documents that relate to whatever program they signed up for.
These packets are also available for purchase separately.
REgarding your questions about the photograph - thanks for taking the time
to look so carefully at it. What I think is so wonderful about photographs
is that the same photograph can be used in so many different ways. For
example, we used the dressmaker photograph to discuss the work being done
and women's jobs, so we focused more on what was happening in the
photograph. Perhaps if we wanted to talk about fashion, we could use the
same photograph and ask different questions, such as "what type of clothing
is being made? how can you tell? How does that compare to what women are
wearing today? etc" and a possible activity kids could do for that would
be to complete the outfit by drawing in the rest of it and designing
accessories to go with it such as a hat, shoes, etc. That would complete a
lesson on fashion, whereas our questions and the "angle" we took with the
photograph was to look at the woman in it who is working.
This photograph is part of our library collections and was not used in an
exhibition (yet). The lesson was part of a pre- and post visit packet we
put together for one of our programs called American Stories, a grant funded
collaborative program between a local school district, NJHS, and The Newark
Museum.
Your observations of the photo are quite interesting, and any of your
theories - because they are based on what you see in the photograph - could
be correct! We have no information on the photo, so we are going through
the same process that you did, and each person that looks at it sees
something different and adds another piece to the puzzle.
-----Original Message-----
From: Laurel Ulrich [mailto:ulrich@FAS.HARVARD.EDU]
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 4:43 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
This sounds like a wonderful program. Your description raises lots of
questions for me:
1. Where do the children come and how many at a time? Is this a school
program? What ages?
2. Can you tell us more about a recent exhibition that used this
technique? I thought that was the most interesting thing about this, the
opportunity students had to see a formal exhibit based on objects like
those they had been able to look at closely (and even touch?).
3. How does the website connect to the "hands-on" experience? Do students
work with the website in the classroom before coming to the museum?
I didn't have time to work through all the exercises on Do History but
went immediately to the photograph of the dressmaker's shop. I liked the
exercise but was surprised that none of the questions dealt with fashion.
I also wondered if we were seeing a muslin pattern for a dress rather than
an actual dress. Could the woman be working for a manufacturer to create a
pattern rather than doing custom work? It is hard to tell from an on-line
photo but the fabric seemed way to thin and plain to really be for a
custom dress. I also wanted the historian to say more!
Was this connected to an actual exhibit?
On Wed, 9 Oct 2002, Claudia Ocello wrote:
> At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
> amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
> purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
> collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are
using
> the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
> object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
> made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made
or
> used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
> groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
> we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with
the
> exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
> another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
> we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
> with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well
for
> a number of years.
>
> One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try
to
> have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just
doesn't
> seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for
students
> to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
> turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to
"read"
> the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
> the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
> period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
> We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material
culture
> while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
>
> For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
> website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left,
and
> then "how to use primary sources."
>
> - Claudia Ocello
> Curator of Education
> The New Jersey Historical Society
> cocello@jerseyhistory.org
> 973-596-8500 x237
>
> --
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S.
History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 18:05:21 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: teaching methods
In-Reply-To: <25A71E2DAC49D311A8F700508B4A99BA34149A@EXCHANGE>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Woven silk bookmark?! Is/was there a silk industry in New Jersey? There is
a wonderful exhibition right now at Historic Northampton (Massachusetts)
on silk. I know some elementary school actually grow silk-worms as school
project. That intrigues me because when Americans were trying to develop
home manufacturer of silk in the 1820s and 1830s they said it was easy
enough for children to do. (And I fear children are involved in silk
manufacturer--in dangerous conditions-- in some parts of the world today.)
On Fri, 18 Oct 2002, Claudia Ocello wrote:
> Thanks for your questions, Laurel.
> 1. For all of our school programs, the children come from all over NJ.
> All of our education programs for grades pre-K to 12 use object-based
> teaching; "Tools of the Historian" is geared for grades 6-12. Each of our
> programs accommodates up to 35 students at a time; therefore if a bus load
> of students (48 or more!) come, they do 2 different programs in different
> galleries due to space issues.
>
> 2. "Tools of the Historian" is the only program that does not take
> place in a gallery. As I mentioned in my posting, using library materials
> is what I find most challenging, since they are not connected to an
> exhibition specifically. All our other programs - for example,
> Resource-Full New Jersey - are taught in the exhibition spaces. It's a
> little to much detail for me to go into right now, and hard to do without
> visuals in an email, but basically after a discussion about what is a
> natural resource, students handle objects and try to determine what natural
> resources they are made from, and then go into the exhibtion with their
> objects and see what else they can find out about them. The exhibition is
> divided into sections based on the resource: Fine Sand, Mighty Minerals,
> Power of Water, Malleable Clay; Fertile Soil, and Creative people. We use
> objects such as a glass bottle, a porcelain plate, a pot hook, a transistor
> radio, a gourd dipper, and a woven silk bookmark. Then we discuss location
> of the resources in the state (there is a large map in the exhibit) and why
> factories and industrial centers arose in certain parts of the state, etc.
> This is just one example of how we use the objects in conjunction with a
> current exhibition.
>
> 3. Our website is relatively new and we did not design it specifically
> to "connect" to the hands-on experience. One of the goals of the website is
> to reach people in a part of the state that may not be able to visit us due
> to distance for a field trip, and also to show people how history can be
> interactive and not boring.
> We do send out, with some of our programs, pre- and post-visit packets of
> activities and resources - lesson plans and overhead transparencies of
> objects and documents that relate to whatever program they signed up for.
> These packets are also available for purchase separately.
>
> REgarding your questions about the photograph - thanks for taking the time
> to look so carefully at it. What I think is so wonderful about photographs
> is that the same photograph can be used in so many different ways. For
> example, we used the dressmaker photograph to discuss the work being done
> and women's jobs, so we focused more on what was happening in the
> photograph. Perhaps if we wanted to talk about fashion, we could use the
> same photograph and ask different questions, such as "what type of clothing
> is being made? how can you tell? How does that compare to what women are
> wearing today? etc" and a possible activity kids could do for that would
> be to complete the outfit by drawing in the rest of it and designing
> accessories to go with it such as a hat, shoes, etc. That would complete a
> lesson on fashion, whereas our questions and the "angle" we took with the
> photograph was to look at the woman in it who is working.
>
> This photograph is part of our library collections and was not used in an
> exhibition (yet). The lesson was part of a pre- and post visit packet we
> put together for one of our programs called American Stories, a grant funded
> collaborative program between a local school district, NJHS, and The Newark
> Museum.
> Your observations of the photo are quite interesting, and any of your
> theories - because they are based on what you see in the photograph - could
> be correct! We have no information on the photo, so we are going through
> the same process that you did, and each person that looks at it sees
> something different and adds another piece to the puzzle.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laurel Ulrich [mailto:ulrich@FAS.HARVARD.EDU]
> Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 4:43 PM
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: teaching methods
>
>
> This sounds like a wonderful program. Your description raises lots of
> questions for me:
> 1. Where do the children come and how many at a time? Is this a school
> program? What ages?
> 2. Can you tell us more about a recent exhibition that used this
> technique? I thought that was the most interesting thing about this, the
> opportunity students had to see a formal exhibit based on objects like
> those they had been able to look at closely (and even touch?).
> 3. How does the website connect to the "hands-on" experience? Do students
> work with the website in the classroom before coming to the museum?
>
> I didn't have time to work through all the exercises on Do History but
> went immediately to the photograph of the dressmaker's shop. I liked the
> exercise but was surprised that none of the questions dealt with fashion.
> I also wondered if we were seeing a muslin pattern for a dress rather than
> an actual dress. Could the woman be working for a manufacturer to create a
> pattern rather than doing custom work? It is hard to tell from an on-line
> photo but the fabric seemed way to thin and plain to really be for a
> custom dress. I also wanted the historian to say more!
> Was this connected to an actual exhibit?
>
>
> On Wed, 9 Oct 2002, Claudia Ocello wrote:
>
> > At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
> > amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which we
> > purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which the
> > collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are
> using
> > the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
> > object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person who
> > made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that made
> or
> > used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
> > groups with their own object. Once they have presented their "findings,"
> > we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with
> the
> > exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
> > another version of it, or something that helps tell the story. Therefore,
> > we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on form,
> > with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well
> for
> > a number of years.
> >
> > One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try
> to
> > have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just
> doesn't
> > seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for
> students
> > to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want to
> > turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to
> "read"
> > the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools of
> > the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular time
> > period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
> > We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material
> culture
> > while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
> >
> > For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
> > website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left,
> and
> > then "how to use primary sources."
> >
> > - Claudia Ocello
> > Curator of Education
> > The New Jersey Historical Society
> > cocello@jerseyhistory.org
> > 973-596-8500 x237
> >
> > --
> >
> > This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> > http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S.
> History.
> >
> > This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
> >
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 08:51:58 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: "(Dr) Carole E. Adams"
Subject: Material Culture in the Classroom
In-Reply-To: <20021019035151.1BCDD3654@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Thanks to all participants so far for a most interesting discussion.
I'd like to shift my question away from museum work to the classroom. As a
college teacher, I try to give my students a sense of the materiality of the
past. In small classes, I've tried handing around (or putting up
transparencies) of photos, political cartoons, etc. In a large class, I've
sent students to websites, and asked for in-class or online discussion.
But I'm concerned that many students (most?) take it in as passive viewers,
rather than actually thinking through something like "How would it feel to wear
a corset and twenty pounds of material in my clothing?"
I realize that one solution is to build entire classes around, say, one group
of photos -- and I have done that. But I wonder if others of you have
suggestions for ways to immerse students in the physical realities of the past,
while still moving through a survey curriculum.
Carole Elizabeth Adams
History and Women's Studies
University of Central Florida
Orlando FL 32816-1350
4000 Central Florida Blvd
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 20:18:43 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
In-Reply-To: <1035031918.3db1556edfeea@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Have you tried building paper topics around analysis of landmarks,
monuments, artifacts, or images?
On Sat, 19 Oct 2002, (Dr) Carole E. Adams wrote:
> Thanks to all participants so far for a most interesting discussion.
>
> I'd like to shift my question away from museum work to the classroom. As a
> college teacher, I try to give my students a sense of the materiality of the
> past. In small classes, I've tried handing around (or putting up
> transparencies) of photos, political cartoons, etc. In a large class, I've
> sent students to websites, and asked for in-class or online discussion.
>
> But I'm concerned that many students (most?) take it in as passive viewers,
> rather than actually thinking through something like "How would it feel to wear
> a corset and twenty pounds of material in my clothing?"
>
> I realize that one solution is to build entire classes around, say, one group
> of photos -- and I have done that. But I wonder if others of you have
> suggestions for ways to immerse students in the physical realities of the past,
> while still moving through a survey curriculum.
>
> Carole Elizabeth Adams
> History and Women's Studies
> University of Central Florida
> Orlando FL 32816-1350
> 4000 Central Florida Blvd
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 15:37:57 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Claudia Ocello
Subject: Re: teaching methods
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Laurel -
Yes, Paterson NJ was founded by Alexander Hamilton as a planned community
around the Passaic Falls, a waterfall that was used to power the silk mills.
They were in production I believe from around the turn of the century
through the 1940s or 50s. It's a fascinating story of which I am constantly
learning more - there was a large strike and labor movement as well which we
encourage teachers to use as local examples of larger national themes.
- Claudia
-----Original Message-----
From: Laurel Ulrich [mailto:ulrich@FAS.HARVARD.EDU]
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 6:05 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: teaching methods
Woven silk bookmark?! Is/was there a silk industry in New Jersey? There is
a wonderful exhibition right now at Historic Northampton (Massachusetts)
on silk. I know some elementary school actually grow silk-worms as school
project. That intrigues me because when Americans were trying to develop
home manufacturer of silk in the 1820s and 1830s they said it was easy
enough for children to do. (And I fear children are involved in silk
manufacturer--in dangerous conditions-- in some parts of the world today.)
On Fri, 18 Oct 2002, Claudia Ocello wrote:
> Thanks for your questions, Laurel.
> 1. For all of our school programs, the children come from all over
NJ.
> All of our education programs for grades pre-K to 12 use object-based
> teaching; "Tools of the Historian" is geared for grades 6-12. Each of our
> programs accommodates up to 35 students at a time; therefore if a bus load
> of students (48 or more!) come, they do 2 different programs in different
> galleries due to space issues.
>
> 2. "Tools of the Historian" is the only program that does not take
> place in a gallery. As I mentioned in my posting, using library materials
> is what I find most challenging, since they are not connected to an
> exhibition specifically. All our other programs - for example,
> Resource-Full New Jersey - are taught in the exhibition spaces. It's a
> little to much detail for me to go into right now, and hard to do without
> visuals in an email, but basically after a discussion about what is a
> natural resource, students handle objects and try to determine what
natural
> resources they are made from, and then go into the exhibtion with their
> objects and see what else they can find out about them. The exhibition is
> divided into sections based on the resource: Fine Sand, Mighty Minerals,
> Power of Water, Malleable Clay; Fertile Soil, and Creative people. We use
> objects such as a glass bottle, a porcelain plate, a pot hook, a
transistor
> radio, a gourd dipper, and a woven silk bookmark. Then we discuss
location
> of the resources in the state (there is a large map in the exhibit) and
why
> factories and industrial centers arose in certain parts of the state, etc.
> This is just one example of how we use the objects in conjunction with a
> current exhibition.
>
> 3. Our website is relatively new and we did not design it
specifically
> to "connect" to the hands-on experience. One of the goals of the website
is
> to reach people in a part of the state that may not be able to visit us
due
> to distance for a field trip, and also to show people how history can be
> interactive and not boring.
> We do send out, with some of our programs, pre- and post-visit packets of
> activities and resources - lesson plans and overhead transparencies of
> objects and documents that relate to whatever program they signed up for.
> These packets are also available for purchase separately.
>
> REgarding your questions about the photograph - thanks for taking the time
> to look so carefully at it. What I think is so wonderful about
photographs
> is that the same photograph can be used in so many different ways. For
> example, we used the dressmaker photograph to discuss the work being done
> and women's jobs, so we focused more on what was happening in the
> photograph. Perhaps if we wanted to talk about fashion, we could use the
> same photograph and ask different questions, such as "what type of
clothing
> is being made? how can you tell? How does that compare to what women are
> wearing today? etc" and a possible activity kids could do for that would
> be to complete the outfit by drawing in the rest of it and designing
> accessories to go with it such as a hat, shoes, etc. That would complete
a
> lesson on fashion, whereas our questions and the "angle" we took with the
> photograph was to look at the woman in it who is working.
>
> This photograph is part of our library collections and was not used in an
> exhibition (yet). The lesson was part of a pre- and post visit packet we
> put together for one of our programs called American Stories, a grant
funded
> collaborative program between a local school district, NJHS, and The
Newark
> Museum.
> Your observations of the photo are quite interesting, and any of your
> theories - because they are based on what you see in the photograph -
could
> be correct! We have no information on the photo, so we are going through
> the same process that you did, and each person that looks at it sees
> something different and adds another piece to the puzzle.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laurel Ulrich [mailto:ulrich@FAS.HARVARD.EDU]
> Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 4:43 PM
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: teaching methods
>
>
> This sounds like a wonderful program. Your description raises lots of
> questions for me:
> 1. Where do the children come and how many at a time? Is this a school
> program? What ages?
> 2. Can you tell us more about a recent exhibition that used this
> technique? I thought that was the most interesting thing about this, the
> opportunity students had to see a formal exhibit based on objects like
> those they had been able to look at closely (and even touch?).
> 3. How does the website connect to the "hands-on" experience? Do students
> work with the website in the classroom before coming to the museum?
>
> I didn't have time to work through all the exercises on Do History but
> went immediately to the photograph of the dressmaker's shop. I liked the
> exercise but was surprised that none of the questions dealt with fashion.
> I also wondered if we were seeing a muslin pattern for a dress rather than
> an actual dress. Could the woman be working for a manufacturer to create a
> pattern rather than doing custom work? It is hard to tell from an on-line
> photo but the fabric seemed way to thin and plain to really be for a
> custom dress. I also wanted the historian to say more!
> Was this connected to an actual exhibit?
>
>
> On Wed, 9 Oct 2002, Claudia Ocello wrote:
>
> > At The New Jersey Historical Society, we have amassed (and continue to
> > amass) a collection of "handling objects" - either reproductions which
we
> > purchased from a catalog, flea market/ebay finds, or duplicates which
the
> > collections committee has deaccessioned. Therefore, the students are
> using
> > the "real" objects to learn from. We teach students how to look at an
> > object to understand more about the culture it represents, the person
who
> > made/used it, and what it tells you about the person or culture that
made
> or
> > used it. We model the process for the students, then let them work in
> > groups with their own object. Once they have presented their
"findings,"
> > we bring them into the gallery where their objects connect somehow with
> the
> > exhibition - they might see the exact same thing they are holding, or
> > another version of it, or something that helps tell the story.
Therefore,
> > we are using material culture to teach history, in the most hands-on
form,
> > with respect and care for the original objects. It's been working well
> for
> > a number of years.
> >
> > One place we run into more difficulty is with library materials - we try
> to
> > have the documents photographed and reproductions made, but it just
> doesn't
> > seem to be the same. At times we have pulled out the original for
> students
> > to see and then let them handle the reproduction - but still, they want
to
> > turn the pages, feel the paper, etc. The process of learning how to
> "read"
> > the document is the same as with the object, we call the program "Tools
of
> > the Historian" and students look at primary sources from a particular
time
> > period or theme - WPA, Civil War or Maps of NJ.
> > We feel that these types of programs allow respect for the material
> culture
> > while giving students a hands-on approach to learning history.
> >
> > For an on-line version of these types of activities, please look at our
> > website www.jerseyhistory.org and click on the "Do History" on the left,
> and
> > then "how to use primary sources."
> >
> > - Claudia Ocello
> > Curator of Education
> > The New Jersey Historical Society
> > cocello@jerseyhistory.org
> > 973-596-8500 x237
> >
> > --
> >
> > This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> > http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S.
> History.
> >
> > This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S.
History.
> >
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S.
History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 16:16:29 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Claudia Ocello
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
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I think you can still use the techniques we've been describing in the
classroom, even with college students. The great thing about college
classes is that you have more time per session with them - so you could use
an object or group of objects/photos to introduce a topic or make a point -
and this way when they analyze them they will get more involved instead of
being passive recipients. Also, there is no reason not to ask them to think
about how it would feel to wear the corset - maybe have them brainstorm a
list of adjectives to describe what it might feel like, or what they think
the person is thinking who would be wearing it.
The trick sometimes is in the asking of the question and the object you
choose to make your point.
I have used the reading an object technique with college students and it
takes about 1/2 hour with a group of 30 - even with a lot of material to
cover, I think it is time well spent. Plus, once you model the technique,
you can skip that part the next time you use an object - they should learn
the procedure and be able to replicate it.
Another thought is to give them the object/photo to take home and "live
with" and bring back - so the analysis time is done for homework and you can
use their analysis as a jumping off point for the day's discussion of a
larger theme, showing them how the objects and their readings fit in.
-----Original Message-----
From: (Dr) Carole E. Adams [mailto:cadams@PEGASUS.CC.UCF.EDU]
Sent: Saturday, October 19, 2002 8:52 AM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Material Culture in the Classroom
Thanks to all participants so far for a most interesting discussion.
I'd like to shift my question away from museum work to the classroom. As a
college teacher, I try to give my students a sense of the materiality of the
past. In small classes, I've tried handing around (or putting up
transparencies) of photos, political cartoons, etc. In a large class, I've
sent students to websites, and asked for in-class or online discussion.
But I'm concerned that many students (most?) take it in as passive viewers,
rather than actually thinking through something like "How would it feel to
wear
a corset and twenty pounds of material in my clothing?"
I realize that one solution is to build entire classes around, say, one
group
of photos -- and I have done that. But I wonder if others of you have
suggestions for ways to immerse students in the physical realities of the
past,
while still moving through a survey curriculum.
Carole Elizabeth Adams
History and Women's Studies
University of Central Florida
Orlando FL 32816-1350
4000 Central Florida Blvd
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 17:33:51 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Terri McNichol
Subject: Re: teaching methods
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---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 16:45:29 -0400
>From: Laurel Ulrich
>Subject: Re: teaching methods
>To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
>
>What sorts of things do you put on that sheet of criteria?
>
>
>On Sun, 6 Oct 2002, Terri McNichol wrote:
>
>> Dear Laurel,
>>
>> I teach Asian culture and over the years I have assigned my
students to go to the museum, to the Asian galleries, and
select a piece they responded to in the area we were studying.
I gave them a sheet of criteria, info from label, locating it
in historical text, and finally kept it as a creative paper
because I was teaching more how to do a research paper than
art history.
Dear Laurel,
The first assignment is due at midterm and the criteria for
that paper is really very broad: go to a museum and visit the
Asian galleries. Make a selection of either a Chinese or
Indian piece that you respond to the most and write a 500
hundred word paper (2 pages typed, double-spaced). Give a
description of the piece, the information from the label and
some contextual information from your notes or the textbook
and write what about the piece drew you to it. They also do a
final paper and this time I give them Stepehn Goldblatt's
definitions for 'wonder' and 'resonance.' They are to visit
the museum again, this time the Japanese and Pre-Columbian
galleries(our school includes Pre-Columbian with Nonwestern
but it isn't all that much of an anomaly after all, I find)and
select a piece and tell whether their response came close to
either wonder or resonance and why. This paper is 800-1000
words. I am sorry I cannot put my hands on the definitions at
this computer, but it is from a book that Ivan Karp edited on
Exhibiting other Cultures.
I found after a semester or two, if I made it a research
paper, I was spending a lot of time on English 101 rather than
art history. I have found keeping the writing as a creative
assignment is much better because the student goes on an
adventure of discovery and is more apt to write from an
experiental point of view and sometimes often shares very
personal feelings. It has really been a beautiful experience
for me to be privy to their wonderful thoughts and passion
about something so new. And I think it gives them a validation
that their thoughts and opinions matter and are of importance.
And I do not have to be concerned with plagerism issues!
Terri McNichol
Terri McNichol
Ren Associates
707 Alexander Road, Bldg. 2 Suite 208
Princeton NJ 08540
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 08:04:15 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Helen Sheumaker
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
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Hello all. I've enjoyed the conversation thus far.
I wanted to respond to Ocello's comments about the difficulties on using
material culture in large classes. I incorporate material and visual culture
in my courses, which range from American Studies to Humanities (lit. and
phil.).
Currently, my intro. American Studies course is at 35-40 students, and I've
found it impossible to use actual artifacts to any great extent in these
classes. I tend to do cultural history and then contemporary, with three
themes: work, consumerism, nature. One technique I found useful when dealing
with a large class like this (I consider this too large to pass around items)
is to flood them with visuals, bring in one or two actual items (ie., Mammy
salt and pepper shakers, a scrap of quilt, etc.). And then, to have an
in-depth and leisurely discussion about the material aspects of it. What
would it feel like to hold this? Where would you display this? Does the form
of it connect to its function? Is it different to look at a photo versus
holding it? etc.
In that same course, some students self-select to do "service learning"
projects at the local history museum. These students are taught how to work
with artifacts and research them, and they produce original primary research
files for the museum staff. Last semester, students chose to do five wedding
dresses, a Civil War gun, a department store history, etc. This semester one
student, a quilter, immediately zeroed in on a signature quilt. I've found
that students do exceptionally well on these research projects, esp. when
they've something to catalog and diagram and photograph.
In another class this semester, on American popular culture, with 20 students,
I've assigned example papers for nearly every section. Last week we had a
hilarious time looking at students' examples of "cute" -- Anne Geddes dolls,
beanie babies, Diva Starz, etc. In this context I then FOLLOWED with the
historical examples -- of which I have slides and overheads and some
artifacts. Lili Ann Spencer, images of children late 19th century, mourning
items, etc. I have found reversing the chronological order -- having the
students critically consider present-day examples and THEN going backwards to
the less familiar examples of the past, helps immensely. It bothers me as a
historian and I pepper my discussions with "keep in mind, we're looking at
artifacts 100 years earlier....", but it's much more effective and students
are far quicker to connect the materiality of the historical example to why it
is an example of "cute."
I really liked the comments about sending students to the gallery. I did
something similar (when I was in a larger metro area that HAD Asian art!!)
teaching Tale of Genji. Also, in my Humanities course students go to the
local art museum, select an image from a current show, and connect it to the
readings for their midterm essay. This semester, students are using images of
Ansel Adams and/or William Henry Jackson to discuss The Bacchae,
Wollstonecraft, Nietzche. To my immeasurable relief and pride, students are
doing a terrific job linking the images (esp. Adams' control of nature) to the
texts.
Thanks and I'm enjoying reading everyone's ideas and responses,
Helen Sheumaker
>===== Original Message From "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
=====
>Thanks to all participants so far for a most interesting discussion.
>
>I'd like to shift my question away from museum work to the classroom. As a
>college teacher, I try to give my students a sense of the materiality of the
>past. In small classes, I've tried handing around (or putting up
>transparencies) of photos, political cartoons, etc. In a large class, I've
>sent students to websites, and asked for in-class or online discussion.
>
>But I'm concerned that many students (most?) take it in as passive viewers,
>rather than actually thinking through something like "How would it feel to
wear
>a corset and twenty pounds of material in my clothing?"
>
>I realize that one solution is to build entire classes around, say, one group
>of photos -- and I have done that. But I wonder if others of you have
>suggestions for ways to immerse students in the physical realities of the
past,
>while still moving through a survey curriculum.
>
>Carole Elizabeth Adams
>History and Women's Studies
>University of Central Florida
>Orlando FL 32816-1350
>4000 Central Florida Blvd
>
>This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
Dr. Helen Sheumaker
Assistant Professor, American Studies
Minnesota State University Moorhead
218-236-2196
sheumake@mnstate.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 09:41:11 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Claudia Ocello
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Thanks for sharing the way that you are using material culture with large
groups. I have done object lessons with as many as 35 people, if you have
enough time it is certainly worthwhile and do-able, but I agree that fewer
people certainly makes for a richer experience.
In reading over the messages on this forum, I notice that many people who
teach tend to turn the use of objects into a writing/essay/paper assignment.
There is a big push on writing in the schools, and I know it's a skill that
many may need to refine, and a critical piece in communication as students
move out into the world. However, I am curious to know if anyone has tried
another technique for responding to material culture which we use in the
museum setting, which allows for the diversity of learning styles that are
prevalent in any class, be it elementary, middle, high school, or college.
As students "read the object" which they are given, they are using critical
thinking and higher-order thinking skills - going beyond what they see to
make conclusions. However, not all learners are able to express these
thoughts that they may have in writing - therefore we allow students an
option when we ask them to present their "findings" - we encourage them to
respond either by telling us about the piece and what they figured out; they
could write - a description, a poem or some other creative piece; they can
compose a song/lyrics that communicates what they found out; they can act
out what they discovered; and/or they can draw something that helps them
explain what they've learned. At NJHS, we ground our teaching in Howard
Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, and also other ideas about
learning and teaching styles such as Bloom's Taxonomy. Some people learn
better by listening, others by reading, others by touching, others by
drawing, etc. We try to consider those when allowing students to express
their learning as well.
So students have composed poetry that explained the use of a colonial candle
mold, a play about a gourd dipper and how it was used by both Native
Americans and African Americans; talked us through the thought processes for
an object they had that they changed their mind about 3 times; and even a
"poster" advertising a button hook for women's Victorian shoes. The
students get so excited, and they really learn at the same time. I realize
that the majority of students I work with are pre-college, but in Teacher
workshops I have taught, I have used the same technique with adults, and it
worked. After all, you don't lose your learning style as you age!
Again, I understand the emphasis on writing, but I wonder if anyone on the
college level has ever tried to assign something with options instead of
everyone doing a paper, so that students can respond according to their
learning style. I have to confess, it also makes it less monotonous for
myself as an educator, I don't have to read or listen to things continually,
the variety of presentations keeps it lively for me as well. I also learn
more about the students when I can see them working with their learning
style, not against it.
- Claudia Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
-----Original Message-----
From: Helen Sheumaker [mailto:sheumake@MNSTATE.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 9:04 AM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
Hello all. I've enjoyed the conversation thus far.
I wanted to respond to Ocello's comments about the difficulties on using
material culture in large classes. I incorporate material and visual
culture
in my courses, which range from American Studies to Humanities (lit. and
phil.).
Currently, my intro. American Studies course is at 35-40 students, and I've
found it impossible to use actual artifacts to any great extent in these
classes. I tend to do cultural history and then contemporary, with three
themes: work, consumerism, nature. One technique I found useful when
dealing
with a large class like this (I consider this too large to pass around
items)
is to flood them with visuals, bring in one or two actual items (ie., Mammy
salt and pepper shakers, a scrap of quilt, etc.). And then, to have an
in-depth and leisurely discussion about the material aspects of it. What
would it feel like to hold this? Where would you display this? Does the
form
of it connect to its function? Is it different to look at a photo versus
holding it? etc.
In that same course, some students self-select to do "service learning"
projects at the local history museum. These students are taught how to work
with artifacts and research them, and they produce original primary research
files for the museum staff. Last semester, students chose to do five
wedding
dresses, a Civil War gun, a department store history, etc. This semester
one
student, a quilter, immediately zeroed in on a signature quilt. I've found
that students do exceptionally well on these research projects, esp. when
they've something to catalog and diagram and photograph.
In another class this semester, on American popular culture, with 20
students,
I've assigned example papers for nearly every section. Last week we had a
hilarious time looking at students' examples of "cute" -- Anne Geddes dolls,
beanie babies, Diva Starz, etc. In this context I then FOLLOWED with the
historical examples -- of which I have slides and overheads and some
artifacts. Lili Ann Spencer, images of children late 19th century, mourning
items, etc. I have found reversing the chronological order -- having the
students critically consider present-day examples and THEN going backwards
to
the less familiar examples of the past, helps immensely. It bothers me as a
historian and I pepper my discussions with "keep in mind, we're looking at
artifacts 100 years earlier....", but it's much more effective and students
are far quicker to connect the materiality of the historical example to why
it
is an example of "cute."
I really liked the comments about sending students to the gallery. I did
something similar (when I was in a larger metro area that HAD Asian art!!)
teaching Tale of Genji. Also, in my Humanities course students go to the
local art museum, select an image from a current show, and connect it to the
readings for their midterm essay. This semester, students are using images
of
Ansel Adams and/or William Henry Jackson to discuss The Bacchae,
Wollstonecraft, Nietzche. To my immeasurable relief and pride, students are
doing a terrific job linking the images (esp. Adams' control of nature) to
the
texts.
Thanks and I'm enjoying reading everyone's ideas and responses,
Helen Sheumaker
>===== Original Message From "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
=====
>Thanks to all participants so far for a most interesting discussion.
>
>I'd like to shift my question away from museum work to the classroom. As a
>college teacher, I try to give my students a sense of the materiality of
the
>past. In small classes, I've tried handing around (or putting up
>transparencies) of photos, political cartoons, etc. In a large class, I've
>sent students to websites, and asked for in-class or online discussion.
>
>But I'm concerned that many students (most?) take it in as passive viewers,
>rather than actually thinking through something like "How would it feel to
wear
>a corset and twenty pounds of material in my clothing?"
>
>I realize that one solution is to build entire classes around, say, one
group
>of photos -- and I have done that. But I wonder if others of you have
>suggestions for ways to immerse students in the physical realities of the
past,
>while still moving through a survey curriculum.
>
>Carole Elizabeth Adams
>History and Women's Studies
>University of Central Florida
>Orlando FL 32816-1350
>4000 Central Florida Blvd
>
>This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
Dr. Helen Sheumaker
Assistant Professor, American Studies
Minnesota State University Moorhead
218-236-2196
sheumake@mnstate.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 13:25:45 -0400
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: "Robert Blair St. George"
Subject: problems with reading
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I have been teaching material culture and the problematics of using
"artifacts as evidence" for about 25 years, have edited a reader on the
related topic of material life,, and read various of the emails posted
to this discussion with avid interest. Objects qualify differentially
as evidence when one is using them to supply a new source of argument
to an older social history, a means of putting flesh on the dry bones
of an essentially abstract and qualitative economic history (of wealth
trends, of standard of living indices, of reading estate inventories
and diaries, etc.), the dynamics of transforming exchange relations (as
ciphers of commodification and consumption, as embodied gift, as
electrons flying in shifting circuitries of circulation), or the
intersections of all these approaches in establishing regimes of
aesthetic value, individual creativity, periodicities of "beauty." If
we posit, following of Laurel's opening definitions (following
Schlereth) that material culture is a kind of evidence, then we need to
ask the overlooked question of what is it evidence of and how does it
function in an evidentiary manner. I have found that these basic
interpretive questions are almost a practical precondition of dealing
with how students learn to "read" objects, since implicit in that
process is the buried issue of "what are you going to do with them once
you can describe them; longh ago Mac Fleming addressed this issue, and
more recently both Jules Prown (derived from history of art in large
part) and Jim Deetz (from archaeology) have offer steps toward
classification, formal description, separations of subject from object
matter, and the like.
But if examining objects demands that our students (and colleagues!)
learn a new kind of literacy, I feel the phrase "read an object" is
problematic. I try to ovoid it in the classroom, since ( the
Geertzian legacy in a textualized ethnography) it only reproduces the
primacy of a model based upon written sources, and it tends to render
in an abstract manner the very material, sensory, even visceral
(Prown;s word) qualities of the tnesion between thingness and
personness that most objects import into the classroom. Instead, I
have found that I rteach students how to "apprehend" the artifact. My
OED suggests why. Apprehend: with roots in L. word for "to lay hold
of with the mind" [a phrase with all the internal contradiction that
Prown, Glassie, and myself have suggested the term "material culture"
conveys]; and with more immediate means like: "to lay hold upon, seize
with hands", "to seize or embrace," "to catch [as with hands] the
meaning of." In other words, it is a term that I have found admits the
ways that primary-source learning proceeds through sensory engagement
and that one's body serves as the key point of indexicality in
objective(and then subjective) encounters. As my teaching and
approaches have shifted since that day in 1986 when I defined "culture"
[Laurel quoted from it, I think] in a manner that seems,
retrospectively, an attempt to reconcile structuralist poetics with
historiographic critique, I have come back to the problem of the
object's adamant refusal to dematerialize, even as we work with method
imported from textual or quantitative traditions that demand its
evaporation.
So I prefer apprehend to read, in any case.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2002 14:54:50 -0600
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Helen Sheumaker
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Claudia et al.,
I thought long and hard about your comments, and here's my conclusion:
One reason that educators turn to the paper/essay model is harsh economics.
I teach college, yes, but each semester I teach 120+ students in four courses.
Papers provide the easiest "standardized" format for evaluating student
progress I have found. One approach I've found almost impossible to manage is
to allow students to conduct different kinds of work, such as you suggest. I
find myself juggling several different and interrelated challenges, from the
need to instruct students on how to (as the last esteemed commenter phrased
it) apprehend the object, to the need to introduce the historical context, to
dealing with students' unfamiliarity with the kinds of approaches Claudia
Otello outlined. There is also the economic/pedagogical demand to train
college students in basic skills, such as formal writing skills, presentation
skills, etc.
I've noticed that I'm not the only contributor to this dicussion that has
openly acknowledged that a fundamental obstacle to using material culture in
the classroom is economically-based and reflects the institutional structure
and demands of teaching in today's university classroom.
All that said, I've found that consistent use of material culture in the
classroom vastly improves discussion, and allows those very students who
aren't as quick about accessing written information (either because of
different learning styles or the simple problem of not doing the reading) to
engage in the course material. And for those students who are already engaged
in the course, the use of material culture -- not just to illustrate ideas but
to suggest new ones --- ends up being the keystone of the course.
I do not use material culture to illustrate ideas -- but rather I present
the artifacts to lead us into more sophisticated analyses. For example, I use
Rodris Roth's Tea essay, which argues for the social role of tea in the
fomenting of the American Revolution, in conjunction with Breen's article
about consumerism and the Revolution. I start by showing some images of tea
drinking. Students themselves come up with the list of tea paraphenalia, of
the idea of "indulgence" of the pleasure of tea drinking undermining earlier
ideas of ascetism, etc. We talk about the difference between holding a tea
cup and holding a beer stein, or a clay vessel, etc. and students generate the
argument about gentility and new conceptions of manners. And lo and behold,
the political arguments for the American Revolution have been deepened and the
cultural arguments are now there.
Thanks for a great discussion,
Helen Sheumaker
Dr. Helen Sheumaker
Assistant Professor, American Studies
Minnesota State University Moorhead
218-236-2196
sheumake@mnstate.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:15:34 -0000
Reply-To: s.f.mills@ams.keele.ac.uk
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Steve Mills
Subject: "Tools of the Historian"
In-Reply-To: <25A71E2DAC49D311A8F700508B4A99BA34149C@EXCHANGE>
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Subject: "Tools of the Historian"
As someone interested in large artefacts, particularly landscape/heritage
elements, I have followed the discussion so far with interest. If you have
not seen the Smithsonian exhibition on the house (brought down from Ipswich
Mass) in person or on the web please do so. I would be very interested to
read what US teachers think about this project. I was initially apprehensive
given its overt sponsorship, but was completely bought over in both formats
(and this kind of sponsorship I can live with). The imaginative use of
different facades to explore different generations was brilliant, and
indicated the potential for displaying buildings inside rather than outside
(other more traditionally presented indoor examples can be found in a
limited number of places elsewhere, such as at the new Museum of Scotland in
Edinburgh). I am particularly interested in what people think about the ways
in which the exhibit is used to present not just the families and their
varied histories, but how we can use buildings to study the past, what are
the limitations/potentials, and how we can tie artefacts such as buildings
into more traditional urban history sources such as the manuscript census of
population, city directories, fire insurance maps etc. If I had still been
teaching urban history in the DC suburbs I know I would have frog-marched my
students down to the Smithsonian if only to demonstrate the way archival
records can be used to explore buildings and through these to people's
lives. If I could bundle my British students onto a plane over to DC to see
such an impressive museum use of written and archival records I would have
done so. Is my enthusiasm justified? I teach college students: is such an
exhibition of any use K-12?
Steve Mills
American Studies
Keele University
England UK
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:54:27 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Steven Lubar
Subject: What To Do Besides Describe
Dear Material Culture List members,
Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
teaching
using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
on
his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
describe
them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
useful.
In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
Education and
Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
and
Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
History_,
and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
ways to
look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
shape and
reflect our history."
You can see the method we suggest on the website
(http://educate.si.edu/ap/
essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
thinking about artifacts:
o Artifacts tell their own stories
o Artifacts connect people
o Artifacts mean many things
o Artifacts capture moments
o Artifacts reflect changes.
Artifacts tell their own stories
This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
helps
answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
made?
Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
used? These
kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
help
to identify and locate it in time and place.
But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
similar
questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
an
artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
learn
a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
and
events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
ask
questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
the
right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
the
role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
different
individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
values,
and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
American history.
These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
objects:
1. Artifacts connect people.
As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
relationships0
2. Artifacts mean many things.
Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
emotions. When
we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
of
cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
people, and those meanings change over time.
3. Artifacts capture a moment.
A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
values of
an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
memories
of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
their times.
4. Artifacts reflect changes.
Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
society
and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
and
artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
how and
why society and culture change over time.
In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
analyzed
in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
teaching
guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
understand two
sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
century
(a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
the
web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
(US
History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
two
years' essay questions!)
The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
worksheets, is
available for $10 from
Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Washington, DC 20560-0402
Hope this is useful,
Steve Lubar
----------------------------
Steven Lubar
Chair, Division of the History of Technology
National Museum of American History
14th and Constitution, N.W.
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560-0629
202-357-2371
fax 202-357-4256
lubars@si.edu
smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 10:16:27 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: What To Do Besides Describe
In-Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Thanks to Bob St. George and Steve Lubar for weighing in with some good
ideas derived from their own long work with objects, material culture,
theory and museums. Incidentally, the Rodris Roth essay on tea that Helen
Seumaker mentioned in her last message can be found in Bob's anthology,
Material Life in America, along with many other helpful essays. You should
also know Steve Lubuar and Kathleen Kendrick's book Legacies, a wonderful
romp through the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of
American History.
Websites are becoming an indispensible resource--and can help solve some
of the problem a number of you have raised about the logistics of
introducing objects into survey courses.
I have been working on a new "core" or General Education course that looks
at colonial revival "inventions" of early New England, including
Thanksgiving. I have found the following websites very helpful:
http://www.pilgrimhall.org (with wonderful photographs of items in their
collections)
http://www.plimoth.org/Library
with lots of excellent research reports by Plimoth Plantation staff
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/users/deetz/
a generous sampling of research on early Plymouth Colony by James and
Patricia Deetz
The list of fabulous sites grows daily. I think we owe it to our students
to direct them to well-documented and credible on-line material.
Laurel Ulrich
On Mon, 28 Oct 2002, Steven Lubar wrote:
> Dear Material Culture List members,
>
> Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
> teaching
> using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
> on
> his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
> describe
> them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
> useful.
>
> In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
> Education and
> Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
> and
> Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
> History_,
> and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
> information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
> ways to
> look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
> shape and
> reflect our history."
>
> You can see the method we suggest on the website
> (http://educate.si.edu/ap/
> essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
> thinking about artifacts:
>
> o Artifacts tell their own stories
> o Artifacts connect people
> o Artifacts mean many things
> o Artifacts capture moments
> o Artifacts reflect changes.
>
> Artifacts tell their own stories
>
> This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
> helps
> answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
> made?
> Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
> used? These
> kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
> help
> to identify and locate it in time and place.
>
> But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
> beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
> similar
> questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
> an
> artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
> out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
> learn
> a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
> itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
> and
> events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
> ask
> questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
> the
> right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
> the
> role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
> different
> individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
> values,
> and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
> American history.
>
> These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
> objects:
>
> 1. Artifacts connect people.
>
> As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
> relationships0
>
> 2. Artifacts mean many things.
>
> Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
> emotions. When
> we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
> of
> cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
> people, and those meanings change over time.
>
> 3. Artifacts capture a moment.
>
> A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
> history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
> values of
> an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
> memories
> of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
> look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
> their times.
>
> 4. Artifacts reflect changes.
>
> Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
> series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
> society
> and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
> and
> artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
> sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
> how and
> why society and culture change over time.
>
> In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
> analyzed
> in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
> teaching
> guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
> understand two
> sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
> century
> (a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
> the
> web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
> (US
> History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
> two
> years' essay questions!)
>
> The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
> worksheets, is
> available for $10 from
>
> Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
> Washington, DC 20560-0402
>
> Hope this is useful,
>
> Steve Lubar
>
>
>
> ----------------------------
> Steven Lubar
> Chair, Division of the History of Technology
> National Museum of American History
> 14th and Constitution, N.W.
> Smithsonian Institution
> Washington, DC 20560-0629
> 202-357-2371
> fax 202-357-4256
> lubars@si.edu
> smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 12:44:02 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: mbuggieh
Subject: Re: What To Do Besides Describe
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I teach distance education courses for the SUNY Learning Network,
and find that I increasingly use websites as a source of "virtual"
field trips designed to expose students to material culture.
Student feedback is generally positive.
>===== Original Message From "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
=====
>Thanks to Bob St. George and Steve Lubar for weighing in with some good
>ideas derived from their own long work with objects, material culture,
>theory and museums. Incidentally, the Rodris Roth essay on tea that Helen
>Seumaker mentioned in her last message can be found in Bob's anthology,
>Material Life in America, along with many other helpful essays. You should
>also know Steve Lubuar and Kathleen Kendrick's book Legacies, a wonderful
>romp through the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of
>American History.
>Websites are becoming an indispensible resource--and can help solve some
>of the problem a number of you have raised about the logistics of
>introducing objects into survey courses.
>I have been working on a new "core" or General Education course that looks
>at colonial revival "inventions" of early New England, including
>Thanksgiving. I have found the following websites very helpful:
>
>http://www.pilgrimhall.org (with wonderful photographs of items in their
>collections)
>
>http://www.plimoth.org/Library
>with lots of excellent research reports by Plimoth Plantation staff
>
>http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/users/deetz/
>a generous sampling of research on early Plymouth Colony by James and
>Patricia Deetz
>
>The list of fabulous sites grows daily. I think we owe it to our students
>to direct them to well-documented and credible on-line material.
>Laurel Ulrich
>
>On Mon, 28 Oct 2002, Steven Lubar wrote:
>
>> Dear Material Culture List members,
>>
>> Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
>> teaching
>> using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
>> on
>> his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
>> describe
>> them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
>> useful.
>>
>> In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
>> Education and
>> Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
>> and
>> Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
>> History_,
>> and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
>> information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
>> ways to
>> look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
>> shape and
>> reflect our history."
>>
>> You can see the method we suggest on the website
>> (http://educate.si.edu/ap/
>> essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
>> thinking about artifacts:
>>
>> o Artifacts tell their own stories
>> o Artifacts connect people
>> o Artifacts mean many things
>> o Artifacts capture moments
>> o Artifacts reflect changes.
>>
>> Artifacts tell their own stories
>>
>> This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
>> helps
>> answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
>> made?
>> Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
>> used? These
>> kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
>> help
>> to identify and locate it in time and place.
>>
>> But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
>> beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
>> similar
>> questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
>> an
>> artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
>> out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
>> learn
>> a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
>> itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
>> and
>> events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
>> ask
>> questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
>> the
>> right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
>> the
>> role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
>> different
>> individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
>> values,
>> and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
>> American history.
>>
>> These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
>> objects:
>>
>> 1. Artifacts connect people.
>>
>> As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
>> relationships0
>>
>> 2. Artifacts mean many things.
>>
>> Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
>> emotions. When
>> we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
>> of
>> cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
>> people, and those meanings change over time.
>>
>> 3. Artifacts capture a moment.
>>
>> A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
>> history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
>> values of
>> an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
>> memories
>> of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
>> look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
>> their times.
>>
>> 4. Artifacts reflect changes.
>>
>> Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
>> series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
>> society
>> and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
>> and
>> artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
>> sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
>> how and
>> why society and culture change over time.
>>
>> In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
>> analyzed
>> in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
>> teaching
>> guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
>> understand two
>> sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
>> century
>> (a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
>> the
>> web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
>> (US
>> History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
>> two
>> years' essay questions!)
>>
>> The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
>> worksheets, is
>> available for $10 from
>>
>> Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
>> Washington, DC 20560-0402
>>
>> Hope this is useful,
>>
>> Steve Lubar
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------
>> Steven Lubar
>> Chair, Division of the History of Technology
>> National Museum of American History
>> 14th and Constitution, N.W.
>> Smithsonian Institution
>> Washington, DC 20560-0629
>> 202-357-2371
>> fax 202-357-4256
>> lubars@si.edu
>> smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
>>
>> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>>
>
>This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
Mary Buggie-Hunt
Adjunct Lecturer
Women's Studies and History
SUNY Brockport
Brockport, New York 14470
Email: mbuggieh@brockport.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 12:48:38 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: "Fabillar, Eliza"
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
In-Reply-To:
Mime-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
I would like to thank Dr. Ulrich for highlighting Thomas Schlereth's
definition of material culture study as a mode of inquiry focused on a type
of evidence. And I appreciate reading Mark Osterman's description of the
methodologies using object observation and visual literacy strategies. These
methods are similar to those we applied to our project entitled, Picturing a
Nation: Teaching with American Art and Material Culture.
This two-year NEA funded project was a collaboration between the Brooklyn
Museum of Art and the Center for Media and Learning/American Social History
Project. Our goal was to develop tools and strategies to encourage secondary
school humanities teachers to integrate the use of paintings and decorative
art objects into their curriculum and classroom. Summer institutes enabled
us to test activities with teachers. The project culminated in the
development of a curriculum packet that includes classroom lessons, slides,
and other primary documents.
Our method begins with basic object observation - students use their own
knowledge and experience to "read" art objects. Students then develop
interpretations based on the observations made. Teachers have found that
this inquiry based approach enables students to deeply examine and analyze
art objects and comfortably articulate their thoughts. To help students
place art and objects in historical context, we provided additional primary
and secondary documents. Students engage in small group work to examine
documents that reflect varied points of view. They also gain further
information about the artist's goal, the intended audience, the subject
matter of the painting. This approach encourages students to see art's
relation to larger social and historical themes. When they revisit the art
object, they are asked to reinterpret it based on the new knowledge they
have gained. The final part of each lesson or unit involves a writing
assignment.
These are a couple of questions that helped guide our work:
How much can students learn from a painting or object by looking at it?
How much do they need to read about a painting or object before they feel
they understand it?
One of the lessons in the packet involves the painting, "A Storm in the
Rocky Mountains," by Albert Bierstadt (1866), and "The Century Vase"
(1876).This unit touches upon the themes of westward expansion, frontier
art, and "civilization and progress". Other lessons include, Women and
Portraiture, Perspectives on George Washington, and Exploring Slavery
through "A Winter Scene in Brooklyn."
The activities employ a variety of pedagogical approaches, including both
individual and collaborative work, classroom discussions and point of view
writing, among others. They address students' different learning styles and
focus on developing students' critical thinking, writing and visual analysis
skills. The lessons were also designed to address state and national
standards in Social Studies and English Language Arts. While existing
curriculum requirements and standards were taken into consideration, our
ultimately goal for students is to engage them in inquiry and help them
learn the process of interpretation and how we come to understand what we
see.
Eliza Fabillar
-----------------------------
Eliza Fabillar
Co-Director, Education
Center for Media and Learning
American Social History Project
Graduate Center
City University of New York
99 Hudson Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-966-4248 x202
Fax: 212-966-4589
efabillar@gc.cuny.edu
www.ashp.cuny.edu
> From: Steven Lubar
> Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
>
> Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:54:27 -0500
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: What To Do Besides Describe
>
> Dear Material Culture List members,
>
> Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
> teaching
> using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
> on
> his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
> describe
> them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
> useful.
>
> In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
> Education and
> Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
> and
> Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
> History_,
> and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
> information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
> ways to
> look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
> shape and
> reflect our history."
>
> You can see the method we suggest on the website
> (http://educate.si.edu/ap/
> essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
> thinking about artifacts:
>
> o Artifacts tell their own stories
> o Artifacts connect people
> o Artifacts mean many things
> o Artifacts capture moments
> o Artifacts reflect changes.
>
> Artifacts tell their own stories
>
> This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
> helps
> answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
> made?
> Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
> used? These
> kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
> help
> to identify and locate it in time and place.
>
> But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
> beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
> similar
> questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
> an
> artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
> out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
> learn
> a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
> itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
> and
> events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
> ask
> questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
> the
> right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
> the
> role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
> different
> individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
> values,
> and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
> American history.
>
> These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
> objects:
>
> 1. Artifacts connect people.
>
> As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
> relationships0
>
> 2. Artifacts mean many things.
>
> Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
> emotions. When
> we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
> of
> cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
> people, and those meanings change over time.
>
> 3. Artifacts capture a moment.
>
> A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
> history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
> values of
> an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
> memories
> of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
> look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
> their times.
>
> 4. Artifacts reflect changes.
>
> Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
> series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
> society
> and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
> and
> artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
> sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
> how and
> why society and culture change over time.
>
> In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
> analyzed
> in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
> teaching
> guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
> understand two
> sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
> century
> (a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
> the
> web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
> (US
> History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
> two
> years' essay questions!)
>
> The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
> worksheets, is
> available for $10 from
>
> Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
> Washington, DC 20560-0402
>
> Hope this is useful,
>
> Steve Lubar
>
>
>
> ----------------------------
> Steven Lubar
> Chair, Division of the History of Technology
> National Museum of American History
> 14th and Constitution, N.W.
> Smithsonian Institution
> Washington, DC 20560-0629
> 202-357-2371
> fax 202-357-4256
> lubars@si.edu
> smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 13:13:23 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: "Fox, Kathleen"
Subject: Re: What To Do Besides Describe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I too teach DL courses and besides using Internet resources, I have found that using physical materials in a DL course can be very engaging. Instead of presenting it to them (which is rather difficult in a virtual environment) I have them do the legwork. For instance in my US History class we cover the New Deal so I ask people to research evidence of CCC or WPA projects. Some do it via internet which is fine, but most latch on to their local areas and come up with some pretty interesting discoveries. The response to this assignment has been tremendous. Students write at least double what they offer on a similar textual analysis and since they post these findings in a threaded discussion, the follow-up is also lively.
This was so successful I plan to try something on schoolhouses or industry or housing from a given period. That's still in the thinking phase however. I'd welcome ideas others have for DL courses.
Kathie Fox
-----Original Message-----
From: mbuggieh [mailto:mbuggieh@BROCKPORT.EDU]
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 12:44 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: What To Do Besides Describe
I teach distance education courses for the SUNY Learning Network,
and find that I increasingly use websites as a source of "virtual"
field trips designed to expose students to material culture.
Student feedback is generally positive.
>===== Original Message From "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
=====
>Thanks to Bob St. George and Steve Lubar for weighing in with some good
>ideas derived from their own long work with objects, material culture,
>theory and museums. Incidentally, the Rodris Roth essay on tea that Helen
>Seumaker mentioned in her last message can be found in Bob's anthology,
>Material Life in America, along with many other helpful essays. You should
>also know Steve Lubuar and Kathleen Kendrick's book Legacies, a wonderful
>romp through the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of
>American History.
>Websites are becoming an indispensible resource--and can help solve some
>of the problem a number of you have raised about the logistics of
>introducing objects into survey courses.
>I have been working on a new "core" or General Education course that looks
>at colonial revival "inventions" of early New England, including
>Thanksgiving. I have found the following websites very helpful:
>
>http://www.pilgrimhall.org (with wonderful photographs of items in their
>collections)
>
>http://www.plimoth.org/Library
>with lots of excellent research reports by Plimoth Plantation staff
>
>http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/users/deetz/
>a generous sampling of research on early Plymouth Colony by James and
>Patricia Deetz
>
>The list of fabulous sites grows daily. I think we owe it to our students
>to direct them to well-documented and credible on-line material.
>Laurel Ulrich
>
>On Mon, 28 Oct 2002, Steven Lubar wrote:
>
>> Dear Material Culture List members,
>>
>> Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
>> teaching
>> using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
>> on
>> his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
>> describe
>> them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
>> useful.
>>
>> In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
>> Education and
>> Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
>> and
>> Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
>> History_,
>> and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
>> information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
>> ways to
>> look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
>> shape and
>> reflect our history."
>>
>> You can see the method we suggest on the website
>> (http://educate.si.edu/ap/
>> essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
>> thinking about artifacts:
>>
>> o Artifacts tell their own stories
>> o Artifacts connect people
>> o Artifacts mean many things
>> o Artifacts capture moments
>> o Artifacts reflect changes.
>>
>> Artifacts tell their own stories
>>
>> This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
>> helps
>> answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
>> made?
>> Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
>> used? These
>> kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
>> help
>> to identify and locate it in time and place.
>>
>> But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
>> beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
>> similar
>> questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
>> an
>> artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
>> out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
>> learn
>> a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
>> itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
>> and
>> events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
>> ask
>> questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
>> the
>> right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
>> the
>> role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
>> different
>> individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
>> values,
>> and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
>> American history.
>>
>> These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
>> objects:
>>
>> 1. Artifacts connect people.
>>
>> As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
>> relationships0
>>
>> 2. Artifacts mean many things.
>>
>> Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
>> emotions. When
>> we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
>> of
>> cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
>> people, and those meanings change over time.
>>
>> 3. Artifacts capture a moment.
>>
>> A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
>> history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
>> values of
>> an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
>> memories
>> of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
>> look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
>> their times.
>>
>> 4. Artifacts reflect changes.
>>
>> Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
>> series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
>> society
>> and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
>> and
>> artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
>> sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
>> how and
>> why society and culture change over time.
>>
>> In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
>> analyzed
>> in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
>> teaching
>> guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
>> understand two
>> sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
>> century
>> (a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
>> the
>> web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
>> (US
>> History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
>> two
>> years' essay questions!)
>>
>> The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
>> worksheets, is
>> available for $10 from
>>
>> Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
>> Washington, DC 20560-0402
>>
>> Hope this is useful,
>>
>> Steve Lubar
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------
>> Steven Lubar
>> Chair, Division of the History of Technology
>> National Museum of American History
>> 14th and Constitution, N.W.
>> Smithsonian Institution
>> Washington, DC 20560-0629
>> 202-357-2371
>> fax 202-357-4256
>> lubars@si.edu
>> smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
>>
>> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>>
>
>This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
Mary Buggie-Hunt
Adjunct Lecturer
Women's Studies and History
SUNY Brockport
Brockport, New York 14470
Email: mbuggieh@brockport.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 14:12:42 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Mark Osterman
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Eliza,
I would like to see these materials from Teaching with American Art and
Material Culture. Do you know the best course of action I should take
towards obtaining some examples?
Mark Osterman
Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
Wolfsonian-FIU
-----Original Message-----
From: Fabillar, Eliza [mailto:EFabillar@GC.CUNY.EDU]
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 12:49 PM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
I would like to thank Dr. Ulrich for highlighting Thomas Schlereth's
definition of material culture study as a mode of inquiry focused on a type
of evidence. And I appreciate reading Mark Osterman's description of the
methodologies using object observation and visual literacy strategies. These
methods are similar to those we applied to our project entitled, Picturing a
Nation: Teaching with American Art and Material Culture.
This two-year NEA funded project was a collaboration between the Brooklyn
Museum of Art and the Center for Media and Learning/American Social History
Project. Our goal was to develop tools and strategies to encourage secondary
school humanities teachers to integrate the use of paintings and decorative
art objects into their curriculum and classroom. Summer institutes enabled
us to test activities with teachers. The project culminated in the
development of a curriculum packet that includes classroom lessons, slides,
and other primary documents.
Our method begins with basic object observation - students use their own
knowledge and experience to "read" art objects. Students then develop
interpretations based on the observations made. Teachers have found that
this inquiry based approach enables students to deeply examine and analyze
art objects and comfortably articulate their thoughts. To help students
place art and objects in historical context, we provided additional primary
and secondary documents. Students engage in small group work to examine
documents that reflect varied points of view. They also gain further
information about the artist's goal, the intended audience, the subject
matter of the painting. This approach encourages students to see art's
relation to larger social and historical themes. When they revisit the art
object, they are asked to reinterpret it based on the new knowledge they
have gained. The final part of each lesson or unit involves a writing
assignment.
These are a couple of questions that helped guide our work:
How much can students learn from a painting or object by looking at it?
How much do they need to read about a painting or object before they feel
they understand it?
One of the lessons in the packet involves the painting, "A Storm in the
Rocky Mountains," by Albert Bierstadt (1866), and "The Century Vase"
(1876).This unit touches upon the themes of westward expansion, frontier
art, and "civilization and progress". Other lessons include, Women and
Portraiture, Perspectives on George Washington, and Exploring Slavery
through "A Winter Scene in Brooklyn."
The activities employ a variety of pedagogical approaches, including both
individual and collaborative work, classroom discussions and point of view
writing, among others. They address students' different learning styles and
focus on developing students' critical thinking, writing and visual analysis
skills. The lessons were also designed to address state and national
standards in Social Studies and English Language Arts. While existing
curriculum requirements and standards were taken into consideration, our
ultimately goal for students is to engage them in inquiry and help them
learn the process of interpretation and how we come to understand what we
see.
Eliza Fabillar
-----------------------------
Eliza Fabillar
Co-Director, Education
Center for Media and Learning
American Social History Project
Graduate Center
City University of New York
99 Hudson Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-966-4248 x202
Fax: 212-966-4589
efabillar@gc.cuny.edu
www.ashp.cuny.edu
> From: Steven Lubar
> Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
>
> Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:54:27 -0500
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: What To Do Besides Describe
>
> Dear Material Culture List members,
>
> Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
> teaching
> using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
> on
> his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
> describe
> them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
> useful.
>
> In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
> Education and
> Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
> and
> Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
> History_,
> and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
> information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
> ways to
> look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
> shape and
> reflect our history."
>
> You can see the method we suggest on the website
> (http://educate.si.edu/ap/
> essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
> thinking about artifacts:
>
> o Artifacts tell their own stories
> o Artifacts connect people
> o Artifacts mean many things
> o Artifacts capture moments
> o Artifacts reflect changes.
>
> Artifacts tell their own stories
>
> This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
> helps
> answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
> made?
> Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
> used? These
> kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
> help
> to identify and locate it in time and place.
>
> But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
> beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
> similar
> questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
> an
> artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
> out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
> learn
> a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
> itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
> and
> events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
> ask
> questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
> the
> right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
> the
> role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
> different
> individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
> values,
> and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
> American history.
>
> These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
> objects:
>
> 1. Artifacts connect people.
>
> As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
> relationships0
>
> 2. Artifacts mean many things.
>
> Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
> emotions. When
> we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
> of
> cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
> people, and those meanings change over time.
>
> 3. Artifacts capture a moment.
>
> A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
> history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
> values of
> an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
> memories
> of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
> look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
> their times.
>
> 4. Artifacts reflect changes.
>
> Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
> series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
> society
> and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
> and
> artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
> sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
> how and
> why society and culture change over time.
>
> In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
> analyzed
> in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
> teaching
> guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
> understand two
> sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
> century
> (a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
> the
> web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
> (US
> History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
> two
> years' essay questions!)
>
> The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
> worksheets, is
> available for $10 from
>
> Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
> Washington, DC 20560-0402
>
> Hope this is useful,
>
> Steve Lubar
>
>
>
> ----------------------------
> Steven Lubar
> Chair, Division of the History of Technology
> National Museum of American History
> 14th and Constitution, N.W.
> Smithsonian Institution
> Washington, DC 20560-0629
> 202-357-2371
> fax 202-357-4256
> lubars@si.edu
> smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S.
History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 17:22:28 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: "Fabillar, Eliza"
Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
In-Reply-To:
Mime-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
Mark,
Thanks for your interest in the curriculum packet. At the moment, you may
order it through our office at 212-966-4248 x201 (or at the Brooklyn Museum
of Art). The cost is $20 plus shipping. Online orders will be accepted
through our web site at www.ashp.cuny.edu some time in the next two weeks.
Eliza
-----------------------------
Eliza Fabillar
Co-Director, Education
Center for Media and Learning
American Social History Project
Graduate Center
City University of New York
99 Hudson Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013
212-966-4248 x202
Fax: 212-966-4589
efabillar@gc.cuny.edu
www.ashp.cuny.edu
> From: Mark Osterman
> Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
>
> Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 14:12:42 -0500
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
>
> Eliza,
> I would like to see these materials from Teaching with American Art and
> Material Culture. Do you know the best course of action I should take
> towards obtaining some examples?
>
> Mark Osterman
> Coordinator of Educational and Youth Programs
> Wolfsonian-FIU
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fabillar, Eliza [mailto:EFabillar@GC.CUNY.EDU]
> Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 12:49 PM
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: Material Culture in the Classroom
>
>
> I would like to thank Dr. Ulrich for highlighting Thomas Schlereth's
> definition of material culture study as a mode of inquiry focused on a type
> of evidence. And I appreciate reading Mark Osterman's description of the
> methodologies using object observation and visual literacy strategies. These
> methods are similar to those we applied to our project entitled, Picturing a
> Nation: Teaching with American Art and Material Culture.
>
> This two-year NEA funded project was a collaboration between the Brooklyn
> Museum of Art and the Center for Media and Learning/American Social History
> Project. Our goal was to develop tools and strategies to encourage secondary
> school humanities teachers to integrate the use of paintings and decorative
> art objects into their curriculum and classroom. Summer institutes enabled
> us to test activities with teachers. The project culminated in the
> development of a curriculum packet that includes classroom lessons, slides,
> and other primary documents.
>
> Our method begins with basic object observation - students use their own
> knowledge and experience to "read" art objects. Students then develop
> interpretations based on the observations made. Teachers have found that
> this inquiry based approach enables students to deeply examine and analyze
> art objects and comfortably articulate their thoughts. To help students
> place art and objects in historical context, we provided additional primary
> and secondary documents. Students engage in small group work to examine
> documents that reflect varied points of view. They also gain further
> information about the artist's goal, the intended audience, the subject
> matter of the painting. This approach encourages students to see art's
> relation to larger social and historical themes. When they revisit the art
> object, they are asked to reinterpret it based on the new knowledge they
> have gained. The final part of each lesson or unit involves a writing
> assignment.
>
> These are a couple of questions that helped guide our work:
> How much can students learn from a painting or object by looking at it?
> How much do they need to read about a painting or object before they feel
> they understand it?
>
> One of the lessons in the packet involves the painting, "A Storm in the
> Rocky Mountains," by Albert Bierstadt (1866), and "The Century Vase"
> (1876).This unit touches upon the themes of westward expansion, frontier
> art, and "civilization and progress". Other lessons include, Women and
> Portraiture, Perspectives on George Washington, and Exploring Slavery
> through "A Winter Scene in Brooklyn."
>
> The activities employ a variety of pedagogical approaches, including both
> individual and collaborative work, classroom discussions and point of view
> writing, among others. They address students' different learning styles and
> focus on developing students' critical thinking, writing and visual analysis
> skills. The lessons were also designed to address state and national
> standards in Social Studies and English Language Arts. While existing
> curriculum requirements and standards were taken into consideration, our
> ultimately goal for students is to engage them in inquiry and help them
> learn the process of interpretation and how we come to understand what we
> see.
>
> Eliza Fabillar
>
> -----------------------------
> Eliza Fabillar
> Co-Director, Education
> Center for Media and Learning
> American Social History Project
> Graduate Center
> City University of New York
> 99 Hudson Street, 3rd Floor
> New York, NY 10013
> 212-966-4248 x202
> Fax: 212-966-4589
> efabillar@gc.cuny.edu
> www.ashp.cuny.edu
>
>
>> From: Steven Lubar
>> Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
>>
>> Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:54:27 -0500
>> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
>> Subject: What To Do Besides Describe
>>
>> Dear Material Culture List members,
>>
>> Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
>> teaching
>> using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
>> on
>> his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
>> describe
>> them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
>> useful.
>>
>> In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
>> Education and
>> Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
>> and
>> Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
>> History_,
>> and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
>> information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
>> ways to
>> look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
>> shape and
>> reflect our history."
>>
>> You can see the method we suggest on the website
>> (http://educate.si.edu/ap/
>> essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
>> thinking about artifacts:
>>
>> o Artifacts tell their own stories
>> o Artifacts connect people
>> o Artifacts mean many things
>> o Artifacts capture moments
>> o Artifacts reflect changes.
>>
>> Artifacts tell their own stories
>>
>> This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
>> helps
>> answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
>> made?
>> Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
>> used? These
>> kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
>> help
>> to identify and locate it in time and place.
>>
>> But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
>> beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
>> similar
>> questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
>> an
>> artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
>> out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
>> learn
>> a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
>> itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
>> and
>> events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
>> ask
>> questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
>> the
>> right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
>> the
>> role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
>> different
>> individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
>> values,
>> and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
>> American history.
>>
>> These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
>> objects:
>>
>> 1. Artifacts connect people.
>>
>> As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
>> relationships0
>>
>> 2. Artifacts mean many things.
>>
>> Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
>> emotions. When
>> we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
>> of
>> cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
>> people, and those meanings change over time.
>>
>> 3. Artifacts capture a moment.
>>
>> A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
>> history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
>> values of
>> an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
>> memories
>> of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
>> look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
>> their times.
>>
>> 4. Artifacts reflect changes.
>>
>> Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
>> series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
>> society
>> and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
>> and
>> artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
>> sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
>> how and
>> why society and culture change over time.
>>
>> In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
>> analyzed
>> in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
>> teaching
>> guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
>> understand two
>> sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
>> century
>> (a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
>> the
>> web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
>> (US
>> History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
>> two
>> years' essay questions!)
>>
>> The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
>> worksheets, is
>> available for $10 from
>>
>> Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
>> Washington, DC 20560-0402
>>
>> Hope this is useful,
>>
>> Steve Lubar
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------
>> Steven Lubar
>> Chair, Division of the History of Technology
>> National Museum of American History
>> 14th and Constitution, N.W.
>> Smithsonian Institution
>> Washington, DC 20560-0629
>> 202-357-2371
>> fax 202-357-4256
>> lubars@si.edu
>> smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
>>
>> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
>> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S.
> History.
>>
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 18:51:58 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Shelley Nickles
Subject: "Tools of the Historian"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I am one of the curators on the house exhibition mentioned by Steve
Mills: the "Within These Walls..." exhibition at the Smithsonian's National=
Museum of American History. This is a permanent exhibition that opened in
May 2001 and tells the story of five of the families who lived in one house
over two hundred years of American history. The focus is on the
intersection of the house and domestic lives of people over time with major
issues and events of American history. I encourage you to check out the
website: americanhistory.si.edu/house. The exhibit is a reinterpretation=
of a real house that was brought to the museum in the 1960s for an exhibit
on colonial building methods, and the social history reinterpretation has
presented a great challenge for museum staff over several years. The
current exhibit presents the house as a dynamic artifact that changed over
time and engages visitors in the use of primary sources. I am delighted
that it is being used as a teaching tool at the college level. Regarding
K-12 possibilities, Tim Grove, our former museum educator, helped us develop=
the "go back in time" activity on the website as a teaching tool.
Massachusetts, through an agency called "MCET"/"Mass Interaction" developed
a distance learning curriculum aimed at grades 7-12 using the Within These
Walls... exhibition (I don't have the web address, but you can get this by
typing the exhibition title and "Mass Interaction" into google. Our
education department also offers materials for school groups who are
visiting the museum.
In addition to presenting the use of written and artifactual sources as
historical evidence, one of the teaching opportunities we have utilized in
this exhibit has been to show a house as a dynamic artifact that changes
over time. Another interesting example is the Tenement Museum in NYC. Much
interpretation of artifacts in the past has focused on a single moment
=96often the moment of creation or period of association with a famous perso=
n
or event.
This leads me to another possible strand for this discussion. Has anyone=
focused on the "social life/biography of things" approach to teaching with
artifacts? I have utilized this with American Studies and Museum Studies
grad. students by reading/discussing Appadurai & Kopytoff (they didn't find
these an easy read but got a lot out of them) in the context of a specific
artifact and the catalogue card or exhibit label. I am wondering how such
an approach may have been employed at various other levels and to what
effect.
Shelley Nickles
Project Curator
Division of Social History
MRC 615, Rm. 4127
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Tel.: 202-357-4180
email: nickless@si.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 09:22:33 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Melita Podesta
Subject: Re: "Tools of the Historian"
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I did a Google search for Mass Interaction, and unfortunately this is the=20
first paragraph of the statement issued by the former director. I was=20
hoping to look at their distance learning program that you mentioned using =
the house at the Smithsonian.=20
"On Monday, October 22, 2001 the Massachusetts Corporation for=20
Educational Telecommunications
(MCET) gave layoff notices to its entire staff and ceased=20
operations. Most of these layoffs took effect
on Friday, October 26, 2001, although a small number of=20
employees will remain for a longer period
in order to wind up the corporation's affairs. MCET has taken=20
this action due to a severe cash flow
crisis. This cash flow crisis has resulted from the combination =
of an 82% cut for MCET in the
Senate's FY02 budget and the extended delay in reaching a final =
FY02 budget."
(This is the URL for those interested in the full statement:=20
http://www.mcet.edu/ )
If anyone knows of other such programs using the Smithsonian house please=20
let me know.
Thanks.
Melita Podesta
New England Economic Adventure
at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Shelley Nickles
Sent by: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"=20
10/28/2002 06:51 PM
Please respond to "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
=20
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
cc:=20
Subject: "Tools of the Historian"
I am one of the curators on the house exhibition mentioned by Steve
Mills: the "Within These Walls..." exhibition at the Smithsonian's=20
National
Museum of American History. This is a permanent exhibition that opened in
May 2001 and tells the story of five of the families who lived in one=20
house
over two hundred years of American history. The focus is on the
intersection of the house and domestic lives of people over time with=20
major
issues and events of American history. I encourage you to check out the
website: americanhistory.si.edu/house. The exhibit is a=20
reinterpretation
of a real house that was brought to the museum in the 1960s for an exhibit
on colonial building methods, and the social history reinterpretation has
presented a great challenge for museum staff over several years. The
current exhibit presents the house as a dynamic artifact that changed over
time and engages visitors in the use of primary sources. I am delighted
that it is being used as a teaching tool at the college level. Regarding
K-12 possibilities, Tim Grove, our former museum educator, helped us=20
develop
the "go back in time" activity on the website as a teaching tool.
Massachusetts, through an agency called "MCET"/"Mass Interaction"=20
developed
a distance learning curriculum aimed at grades 7-12 using the Within These
Walls... exhibition (I don't have the web address, but you can get this by
typing the exhibition title and "Mass Interaction" into google. Our
education department also offers materials for school groups who are
visiting the museum.
In addition to presenting the use of written and artifactual sources as
historical evidence, one of the teaching opportunities we have utilized in
this exhibit has been to show a house as a dynamic artifact that changes
over time. Another interesting example is the Tenement Museum in NYC.=20
Much
interpretation of artifacts in the past has focused on a single moment
?often the moment of creation or period of association with a famous=20
person
or event.
This leads me to another possible strand for this discussion. Has=20
anyone
focused on the "social life/biography of things" approach to teaching with
artifacts? I have utilized this with American Studies and Museum Studies
grad. students by reading/discussing Appadurai & Kopytoff (they didn't=20
find
these an easy read but got a lot out of them) in the context of a specific
artifact and the catalogue card or exhibit label. I am wondering how=20
such
an approach may have been employed at various other levels and to what
effect.
Shelley Nickles
Project Curator
Division of Social History
MRC 615, Rm. 4127
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Tel.: 202-357-4180
email: nickless@si.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at ht=
tp://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 10:47:08 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Claudia Ocello
Subject: Re: What To Do Besides Describe
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
This publication certainly sounds like a useful tool for teachers to help
them learn how to work with objects, and how to learn skills that are
transferrable. This packet/website does it with worksheets, whereas we do
it with a live human - both can be effective.
The questions that you quoted as a "starting point" that give basic
information about the objects are 4 our of the five that we use when
interpreting objects, and indeed are necessary to establish the basics. We
also, as you pointed out, take students into a higher level of analysis,
with the question "What does this suggest about the culture that produced
it?" which also leads to stories about the object. There is also a
discussion, facilitated by a trained museum educator, to draw out more
analysis on the object, by asking questions such as "what makes you conclude
that? How does this add to the story you already know about the Native
Americans from your previous studies? What does this suggest about the
culture/lifestyles in the 1800s? etc" Perhaps this was not clear in my
previous replies to this list - but we certainly do more than just describe.
The emphasis in more on the higher level of interpretation which the last
question raises the students to.
Indeed, we call the lesson where we interpret objects, "Every Object Tells a
Story" and one of the ways we get students to talk about what they learned
is the option to present the information in the form of a story - a play, a
poem, a dialogue, or a storytelling experience. Descibing is the first step
- and the most necessary one, in my opinion, because so many people who
visit museums, especially students, just breeze through and never really
learn how to "look" and spend time with the objects to learn more from them,
and place them in a greater context.
- Claudia Ocello
Curator of Education
The New Jersey Historical Society
-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Lubar [mailto:pbender@GC.CUNY.EDU]
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2002 9:54 AM
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: What To Do Besides Describe
Dear Material Culture List members,
Like Robert St. George, I've been following the discussion of
teaching
using material culture with interest, and I'd thought I would pick up
on
his question of "what are you going to do with them once you
describe
them," and put in a plug for a resource thatsome teachers might find
useful.
In a publication and website that the Smithsonian Center for
Education and
Museum Studies did a year or two ago (the book is called _Artifact
and
Analysis: A Teacher's Guide to Interpreting Objects and Writing
History_,
and the website is http://educate.si.edu/ap) we provide images and
information about a dozen or so objects and suggest a variety of
ways to
look at artifacts and beyond them, to "think about the ways they
shape and
reflect our history."
You can see the method we suggest on the website
(http://educate.si.edu/ap/
essays/looking.htm), but here's a summary. We suggest five ways of
thinking about artifacts:
o Artifacts tell their own stories
o Artifacts connect people
o Artifacts mean many things
o Artifacts capture moments
o Artifacts reflect changes.
Artifacts tell their own stories
This is where most artifact analysis starts. Looking at the artifact
helps
answer questions about its own history. What is it? When was it
made?
Where is it from? What is it made of? Who made it? How was it
used? These
kinds of questions establish basic information about the object; they
help
to identify and locate it in time and place.
But this way of using artifacts, to tell their own stories, is only the
beginning--a way to establish basic facts. (For a document, the
similar
questions would be: who wrote it? When? Why?) The next step, for
an
artifact as for a document, is to look not in at the object, but rather
out, beyond the artifact at the world beyond it. When we do that, we
learn
a different kind of history. Imagine the artifact not in a spotlight by
itself, but rather against a variegated backdrop of people, places,
and
events, many more interesting stories emerge. Here, we begin to
ask
questions about the people and events around the artifact. If we ask
the
right questions, and do the right research, we begin to understand
the
role an object played in people's lives, the meanings it held to
different
individuals and communities, the way it reflected the knowledge,
values,
and tastes of a particular era. In short, we see the object as part of
American history.
These are the four ways we suggest that students move beyond
objects:
1. Artifacts connect people.
As they are made, used, and passed on, artifacts create a web of
relationships0
2. Artifacts mean many things.
Artifacts communicate ideas, symbolize values, and convey
emotions. When
we consider meaning, value, and significance, we are in the domain
of
cultural history. Different artifacts mean different things to different
people, and those meanings change over time.
3. Artifacts capture a moment.
A third way of looking at an artifact is to think about its place in
history. Artifacts are time capsules. They embody the tastes and
values of
an era. They mark a stage of technological evolution. They evoke
memories
of a specific time and place. Different objects, from different times,
look different, were used differently. Objects can tell us something of
their times.
4. Artifacts reflect changes.
Times change; history is the story of those changes. An artifact, or a
series of them, reflects change over time. Artifacts change as our
society
and culture change; artifacts nudge society and culture to change;
and
artifacts themselves change over time. Artifacts reflect changes, and
sometimes cause change. They allow us opportunities to consider
how and
why society and culture change over time.
In the book and on the web site, we provide examples of artifacts
analyzed
in this way. We also provide a series of artifacts, documents,
teaching
guides and writing assignments that teachers can use to
understand two
sets of artifacts: artifacts of consumer culture of the early 20th
century
(a Barbie doll, a furnace salesman's kit, a kid's lunch box) and (on
the
web site only) artifacts of the expanding United States, 1810-1860.
(US
History AP teachers will recognize those as the dates of the previous
two
years' essay questions!)
The teacher's guide, which includes transparencies and
worksheets, is
available for $10 from
Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Washington, DC 20560-0402
Hope this is useful,
Steve Lubar
----------------------------
Steven Lubar
Chair, Division of the History of Technology
National Museum of American History
14th and Constitution, N.W.
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560-0629
202-357-2371
fax 202-357-4256
lubars@si.edu
smithsonianlegacies.si.edu
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 10:57:19 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: another reference
In-Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Thanks to all who have sent ideas, references, web addresses and the like!
I wanted to contribute an additional reference and a request for help. The
reference is to an article my colleague Ivan Gaskell wrote that appears in
The Catalogue of Antiques & Fine Art, Autumn 2002. I suspect that those of
you in museums will be more likely to see this than those of us in history
departments. It is called "Harvard's Mystery Seminar," and it describe the
small seminar Ivan and I taught last spring and will repeat again this
year. It also has some beautiful colored illustrations, including one of
aa c. 1700 decorated box and another of an "adult cradle" that is actually
owned by Harvard--though it is kept in an out-of-the way place, the
Artemas Ward House in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
Now for the request: have any of you ever heard of an "Endicott Chair"
that was displayed in the New England Log Cabin at the 1876 Philadelphia
Centennial? It is obviously what decorative arts people call a "Savonarola
Chair." I haven't been able to find references to it elsewhere. Has any
one heard of or seen it? I am developing a website for one of my lecture
courses that I hope to make public. It is based on a Harper's Weekly
illustration of objects in the Log Cabin. (See The Age of Homespun, page
28.)
Laurel Ulrich
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 11:19:13 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Shelley Nickles
Subject: Tools of the Historian
Here's some additional information on use of the Smithsonian's Within These
Walls... exhibition to teach history through material culture.
Regarding the grade 7-12 distance learning program on the developed by Mass
Interaction: I have been told that the program tapes are no longer available
now that the Massachusetts agency is a victim of state budget cuts. As of
today, however, an explanation of the program and some curriculum materials
intended to accompany the tapes remains on the web at:
www.mcet.edu/ttt/within_these_walls...
In addition to the self-directed web activity, "go back in time," our own
exhibition website (americanhistory.si.edu/house) includes teacher resources
developed by our educators here at the National Museum of American History
under the "resources" section of the site. Included are a series of
suggestions for ways to use the site in the classroom (for ages 10+). Each
entry includes references to the National Standards for easy application by
teachers.
Shelley Nickles
Project Curator
Division of Social History
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Tel: 202-357-4180
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 13:46:30 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Melita Podesta
Subject: Images of New England Farmlife circa 1810
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Does anyone know of works on paper which illustrate how hard New England
farmlife was at the turn of the 19th century? I'm working on an
educational project here at the Boston Fed. We would like to use images
from the time period we are going to depict - 1800 to 1820 - but I've been
told by a couple of reliable sources that printmakers were not interested
in scenes of farmers toiling until sometime in the 1850s.
I'd appreciate any ideas!
Thanks.
Melita Podesta
Project Coordinator
New England Economic Adventure
at Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 14:05:09 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: Images of New England Farmlife circa 1810
In-Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
But that's the story! The pastoral idealization of New England is a big
theme, so instead of working against the visual evidence why don't you
work with it, contrasting documentary sources with visual sources?
I personally love the imagery on school girl embroidery--all those lovely
sheep and flowers and happy couples. Could you use images of actual tools
in relation to the happy imagery?
Laurel Ulrich
On Tue, 29 Oct 2002, Melita Podesta wrote:
> Does anyone know of works on paper which illustrate how hard New England
> farmlife was at the turn of the 19th century? I'm working on an
> educational project here at the Boston Fed. We would like to use images
> from the time period we are going to depict - 1800 to 1820 - but I've been
> told by a couple of reliable sources that printmakers were not interested
> in scenes of farmers toiling until sometime in the 1850s.
>
> I'd appreciate any ideas!
>
> Thanks.
>
> Melita Podesta
> Project Coordinator
> New England Economic Adventure
> at Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 15:59:21 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Melita Podesta
Subject: Re: Images of New England Farmlife circa 1810
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Thank you for the idea. I should have explained a bit more. The overall
theme of our project is the improvement in the standard of living in New
England over the past 200 years. We will illustrate this using three time
periods - 1810s, 1890s and the 1960s. In terms of the early 19th century,
we are trying to find prints that convey that most people worked very hard
and worked all of the time. The prints that we have found of gentlemen
farmers wearing top hats don't give the impression of hard toil. There
are several photos from the late 19th century that could easily represent
1810, but we have been asked to stick to engravings or other works on
paper from the actual period. (And what we are finding is that those
probably don't exist.)
If anything comes to mind, please let me know.
Thanks!
Laurel Ulrich
Sent by: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
10/29/2002 02:05 PM
Please respond to "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
cc:
Subject: Re: Images of New England Farmlife circa 1810
But that's the story! The pastoral idealization of New England is a big
theme, so instead of working against the visual evidence why don't you
work with it, contrasting documentary sources with visual sources?
I personally love the imagery on school girl embroidery--all those lovely
sheep and flowers and happy couples. Could you use images of actual tools
in relation to the happy imagery?
Laurel Ulrich
On Tue, 29 Oct 2002, Melita Podesta wrote:
> Does anyone know of works on paper which illustrate how hard New England
> farmlife was at the turn of the 19th century? I'm working on an
> educational project here at the Boston Fed. We would like to use images
> from the time period we are going to depict - 1800 to 1820 - but I've
been
> told by a couple of reliable sources that printmakers were not
interested
> in scenes of farmers toiling until sometime in the 1850s.
>
> I'd appreciate any ideas!
>
> Thanks.
>
> Melita Podesta
> Project Coordinator
> New England Economic Adventure
> at Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 20:06:51 -0500
Reply-To: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
Sender: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
From: Laurel Ulrich
Subject: Re: Images of New England Farmlife circa 1810
In-Reply-To:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Why do you think--or how do you know--that people worked harder in the
1810s than in the 1890s?
Laurel Ulrich
On Tue, 29 Oct 2002, Melita Podesta wrote:
> Thank you for the idea. I should have explained a bit more. The overall
> theme of our project is the improvement in the standard of living in New
> England over the past 200 years. We will illustrate this using three time
> periods - 1810s, 1890s and the 1960s. In terms of the early 19th century,
> we are trying to find prints that convey that most people worked very hard
> and worked all of the time. The prints that we have found of gentlemen
> farmers wearing top hats don't give the impression of hard toil. There
> are several photos from the late 19th century that could easily represent
> 1810, but we have been asked to stick to engravings or other works on
> paper from the actual period. (And what we are finding is that those
> probably don't exist.)
>
> If anything comes to mind, please let me know.
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>
>
> Laurel Ulrich
> Sent by: "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
>
> 10/29/2002 02:05 PM
> Please respond to "Using Material Culture to Teach U.S. History"
>
>
> To: MATERIALCULTUREFORUM@ASHP.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> cc:
> Subject: Re: Images of New England Farmlife circa 1810
>
> But that's the story! The pastoral idealization of New England is a big
> theme, so instead of working against the visual evidence why don't you
> work with it, contrasting documentary sources with visual sources?
> I personally love the imagery on school girl embroidery--all those lovely
> sheep and flowers and happy couples. Could you use images of actual tools
> in relation to the happy imagery?
> Laurel Ulrich
>
> On Tue, 29 Oct 2002, Melita Podesta wrote:
>
> > Does anyone know of works on paper which illustrate how hard New England
> > farmlife was at the turn of the 19th century? I'm working on an
> > educational project here at the Boston Fed. We would like to use images
> > from the time period we are going to depict - 1800 to 1820 - but I've
> been
> > told by a couple of reliable sources that printmakers were not
> interested
> > in scenes of farmers toiling until sometime in the 1850s.
> >
> > I'd appreciate any ideas!
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Melita Podesta
> > Project Coordinator
> > New England Economic Adventure
> > at Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
> >
> > This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at
> http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
> >
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
> This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.
>
This forum is sponsored by History Matters--please visit our Web site at http://historymatters.gmu.edu for more resources for teaching U.S. History.