Assessing the Efficacy of Lesson Modules as a Public Education and Outreach Strategy for Archaeology

Summary

Archaeological education and outreach is becoming ever more of a priority in a discipline that struggles to make research accessible and relevant to diverse publics. In recent years, this void has begun to be filled through the creation of grade school lesson modules on various archaeological topics. However, though these modules are readily available, little has been done to assess the efficacy of such an educational outreach strategy. To address this gap, a study conducted in collaboration with the Blackfeet Tribe systematically assesses the overall efficacy of Science and Language Arts lessons covering the 10,000 year significance of bison to native peoples. The modules themselves emphasize a multi-vocal and pragmatist perspective of the past in an attempt to more broadly connect with the diverse public. This study argues that (1) the respectful incorporation of archaeological education in a non-alienating, inclusive fashion allows for the interdisciplinary potential of archaeology to be more fully realized as well as for it to be more effectively implemented and disseminated, and (2) middle school students, as the upcoming generation, are a key demographic to target in order to encourage a more far reaching appreciation of archaeological ethics, goals, and practices into the future.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage