| Course Number: | EDU 5710 S65 |
| Instructor: | Aimee Gates, M.Ed. |
| Location: | In-person at the Bennington Museum and online |
| Dates and Times: | August 03 - Sep 11, 2026. In-person on the following dates/times: Monday August 3, 2026 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM; Tuesday August 4, 2026 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM; Wednesday August 5, 2026 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM; Thursday August 6, 2026 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM; Friday August 7, 2026 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM |
| Credits: | 3 Graduate Credits |
| Tuition: | Tuition is set by and payable to The Bennington Museum |
Curriculum Standards, including the Common Core Learning Standards and C3 Framework, emphasize the importance of inquiry and the use of primary source documents for developing skills such as critical thinking, citing evidence, considering multiple perspectives, and engaging in discussion. Museums have been using these techniques for many years and are excellent resources for important primary and secondary documents, images, and the art and objects that help us engage students in every kind of learning. Through this course, educators will gain a deeper understanding of the resources available at museums, how to access them, and how to use them in their lessons
Audience: Early Education through Grade 12 educators who have their earned Bachelor's Degree
Course Goals: Educators will learn to access, understand, and use the resources of museums in their lesson plans.
Course Objectives:
Monday: Introducing Museum Resources & Close Looking
Tuesday: Engaging with Art and Introduction to Engaging with Objects
Wednesday: Engaging and Teaching with Objects and Primary Documents
Thursday:
Coursework continues in an online, independent format with a final project due on September 11, 2026.
Costs for required readings/resources, if any, are not included in the course tuition.
Ignacia, Yophi and Alyxandra Westwood. (2024). Museum as a Classroom for the Future. Museum Next.
Edutopia. (2022, June 16). 6 museums with exceptional teacher resources. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-museums-exceptional-teacher-resources/
Anderson, Lynne (2020). Sarah S. Armstrong: The Story of One Sampler and its Maker.
Rice, Danielle and Philip Yenawine. (2002). A Conversation on Object-Centered Learning in Art Museums. Curator, 45(4), 289.
Retrieved from
https://vtshome.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/8conversation_object_ctrd.pdf
Kennedy, B. (2010, May 11). Visual literacy: Why we need it [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E91fk6D0nwM
McDonald, L. (2012, April 1). Visual literacy in the classroom [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/6MBo2Ak4gXU
Nokes, Jeffery D. (2012) Getting Students to Think Like Historians. Education Week.
Retrieved from
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-getting-students-to-think-like-historians/2012/10
Shuh, J. H. (1982). Teaching Yourself to Teach with Objects Teaching Yourself to Teach with Objects . Journal of Education, 7(4), 8–15. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
American Alliance of Museums. (2021, August 18). Why teachers want virtual field trips to stay.
https://www.aam-us.org/2021/08/18/why-teachers-want-virtual-field-trips-to-stay/
Kayaalp, F., Namlı, Z.B. & Meral, E. My museum: A study of pre-service social studies teachers’ experience in designing virtual museums. Educ Inf Technol 29, (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12742-8
Qi, Shi. Educational activities of the museum as a means of improving learning outcomes of students. Curriculum and Teaching Methodology Vol. 7 Num. 1 (2024). https://www.clausiuspress.com/assets/default/article/2024/02/29/article_1709201306.pdf
(802) 309-1426
This course requires registration with the Bennington Museum first. Please click on the Register Now! link below.