Different Drumbeats: A University-Museum-School Collaboration to Inform History/Social Studies Learning through Integration of Visual Evidence

Abstract

The chapter offers a case-study grounded in a professional development program for middle- and high-school teachers of history and/or social studies. The featured program supported American history teachers integrating the study of Picturing America images into academic subjects. Employing a dynamic Seattle-area academic and teaching partnership with the Seattle Art Museum, the Goodlad Institute for Educational Renewal, and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the project elaborated on Picturing America’s democracy theme. This theme, combined with visual thinking methods of exploring artworks, helped teacher link Picturing America’s masterpieces to their history curriculum, content standards, and individual responsibilities to promote informed civic participation. The program made innovative use of the Picturing America images to explore such historical concepts as freedom, equality, and inclusion. The purpose of the initiative was to enhance teaching innovation and curriculum and to help participants become influential teacher-leaders who can advocate for greater curricular emphasis on the combination of art and civic concepts. A signature feature of this effort was the focus on dissent as a lens through which to view key curricular concepts such as liberty, community, and informed citizenship.

Citation

Watts, L.S. (2017), "Different Drumbeats: A University-Museum-School Collaboration to Inform History/Social Studies Learning through Integration of Visual Evidence", University Partnerships for Pre-Service and Teacher Development (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 10), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 177-193. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120170000010009