THE KENTUCKY INTENSIVE MUSEUM

MANAGEMENT SEMINAR:EXHIBITS

Fighting for the field trip dollar: Effective Exhibit Planning and Educational Programming for the School Audience

Christy SpurlockMarch, 2010

What Teachers want . . .

SO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, WHAT YOU REALLY REALLY

WANT,

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT, WHAT I REALLY REALLY

WANT . . .

SPICE GIRLS SONG “WANNABE”

Exhibits and programming that reflect and enhance what is

being Taught and Tested in class

If your build it, they will come . . .

NO!!!!! Educational Reform

State Specific Curriculum

Ever Shrinking Field Trip Dollar

School audiences

will not be sold on visiting exhibits not reflective of their curriculum

If you build it FOR them, they will come . . .

One can stretch/twist to make an exhibit “sort of” match

 

STEP ONE

I have an idea for an exhibit subject.

How do I figure out who (if any) my target school demographic is?

Where do I start first?

STEP TWO

What subjects are taught in which grades?

Let’s just go with one content area- Social Studies.

What is taught in 1st grade? 2nd? 3rd? 4th? 5th? 6th? 7th? 8th?

KDE WEBSITECurriculum Maps and Core Content* We will come back to this

STEP THREEOK, so now I know the following . . .

K-3rd  Government grade Historical Perspective

Cultures & SocietiesEconomicsGeography

4th grade KY History

5th grade US History

6th grade Geography-The World and its people

7th grade World History

8thgrade US History *Through Reconstruction

WHAT ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL?

What is taught in Social Studies during 9th? 10th? 11th? 12th?

What are the Social Studies requirements to graduate in KY?

Three credits for social studies are required for high school graduation. These credits must incorporate the five social studies disciplines of U.S. history, economics, government, world geography, and world civilization.

Districts and schools can arrange the essential content within the three-credit requirement to best meet their need.

9th or 10th World History

9th or 10th Political Science/ Economics

11th grade US History *Since

Reconstruction

STEP FOUR

How do I find out specifically what 4th graders are studying in KY

history?

Pop Quiz Time

Can an exhibit have more than one authentic grade level audience?

Yes!The key is authenticity!

Exhibit must have natural, legitimate worthwhile connection to that grade’s curriculum

REMEMBER THIS GUY?TWIST & STRETCH . . .

IS SHE GOING TO BRING HER CLASS?

STEP FIVE

Tested? how is it being tested?

Testing drives the curriculum!

Sample questions from the test.

* We will come back to this

STEP SIX

Now I am ready to start planning my exhibit!

Pick up the phone and call . . .

“What would you like to see in an exhibit about ________?”

State Department of ED Website

Audience?

Current Textbooks

Let’s do lunch!

NO Bubble-IN Surveys!!!

Take a page from Conner Prairie and come up with your own . . .

Anonymous survey mailed to every teacher with a return self addressed envelope

1. What did you like best about your field trip?

2. What would you like to see changed/gotten rid of or done differently?

3. What exhibits or resources would you suggest for the future?

Gifts! Teachers Love Gifts!

New exhibit that has a school audience

Title of exhibit?

Target audience(Grade/s)?

Specifically, what in their curriculum?

How are you going to appeal to multiple intelligences??? Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, Musical,Bodily-kinesthetic, Spatial, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal ?

How are you going “to own it and rock it?”

Why should I bring my class?

SHARE OUT

Suggestions?

Hands-On Activities?

Things you have seen elsewhere that you can adapt

to your exhibit?

Final ThoughtsSchool field trips, future exhibits have to be

designed for them . . . from the beginning

Get target demographic’s curriculum, textbooks, teachers on the phone during design

What do they need, want . . . What will appeal to your target grade/s ?

In the words of those great modern day philosophers . . . . With exhibit planning are you . . . .

“Someone who knows how to own it, and rock it . . .”

CHANGES TO KY TESTING & THEREFORE CURRICULUM

AKA Senate Bill 1 (SB1)

2009 SB1 passed and it changes KY’s assessment

2009-2011 Transition period

2012 New State Test Debuts

Things we can talk about if we

have time . . .

Can do programming not connected to exhibits

Special field trip days

Example such as “KY Historic Native American Days”

By finding out what your educator audience truly wants, can come up with programming that will be “sold out!”

Bait!

Traveling Trunks School project such as 4th and 5th grade KY

themed Christmas Ornaments Dramatic Performances such as International

Holiday Web site Promotional items Items from your gift shop Educational Program Guide Visually appealing emails- used sparingly! Ad on Education page of area paper

Textbooks

Different schools in the same district use different textbooks.

Email a 4th grade teacher at each school in your area and ask for the name and publisher of their KY Social Studies textbook. Email 5th grade for US textbook.

Purchase the most commonly used ones.

When your exhibits team designs/plans an exhibit have a copy of the curriculum in hand/ along with the textbook. Sometimes it is just a matter of semantics – saying it this way instead of that way

Developing our Civil War in KY exhibit, we had the current 4th grade and 5th grade texts, along with the Core Content and suggestions from teachers

Design your ED webpage for teachers

ED page should be designed for teachers and easy to navigate

May also include additional educational resources

Regularly updated

Education Advisory Council

Target 4-6 outstanding teachers of your target grade level/s. How? Ask around- email principals and tell them what you want

Invite to lunch/discussion session with a specific agenda

Schedule for one hour at most convenient time for teachers- at end or beginning of school year

If you have to pay them or offer some type of incentive, well worth the effort!

Education Programs & Tours booklet Booklet describing your programs and

tours with Core Content numbers

Available online

Mail a copy to every teacher of target grade/s in area

See example

Traveling TrunksAsk the target audience teachers what trunks they would like developed

Travel Trunk statistics – number of studentsTotal 2005 143Total 2006 1025Total 2007 1609Total 2008 4785

Total 2009 3884

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