Anthropology is Elemental: Teaching Children Using a Four-Field Approach

Summary

Public outreach and education are essential for the future of archaeology. While many organizations are actively involved in informing the public on the value of archaeological knowledge and the importance of preservation, the majority of in-depth education on archaeology and anthropology as a whole remains at the university level. Anthropology is Elemental is an education and outreach program that teaches four-field anthropological concepts to elementary school students through a service-learning course. This course uses applied anthropological techniques that allows graduate and undergraduate anthropology students to learn through experience while serving the community. Doctoral students serve as course instructors while guiding master’s and undergraduate students as they instruct and engage with elementary pupils. Through team-teaching and interactive lesson planning, lectures and activities are developed specifically for young children, which are then made available to the public through an open access database. Assessments conducted throughout the semester gauge lesson effectiveness and indicate what concepts need to be revisited. As anthropology is rooted in the sciences and humanities, these classes convey cross-cutting concepts and encourage critical thinking at an early age. By exposing the next generation to anthropological topics, they gain an appreciation for and understanding of culture, science, and the past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21136