Texas Social Studies Framework - Department of Geography ...

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ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENCIES:
INFORMAL EDUCATORS
Students do not leave education behind when they exit
the classroom. Many institutions offer educational
programs that provide learning opportunities outside the
school classroom setting. Students can participate in
these offerings virtually via the Internet or literally by
visiting the site with their class or their family or by
reading a pamphlet or other educational material produced
by the agency.
These are informal educational experiences. The institutions
are not mandated by law to provide resources that
help teach the social studies. They do so as a public
service. School groups, children, and their families who
partake of these resources do so voluntarily. The experiences
are often self-directed. With the exception of the
Internet and public agencies which offer free access,
many organizations and agencies charge admission for
viewing exhibits or a fee for materials. The information
is detailed and may take some time to understand, yet the
return is worth the effort. The knowledge and unique
experiences that informal educators provide can make a
significant contribution to social studies education in
Texas.
Many agencies and organizations offer opportunities for
informal education and offer services that support several
social studies disciplines and themes. Organizations and
agencies include museums and historic sites, parks,
nature centers, chambers of commerce, county courthouses,
police departments, and research consortiums.
Representatives from these organizations or individuals
such as the meteorologist with the local television
station, the archivist at the public library, or the fire
marshal regularly provide presentations and information
to school groups or interested citizens.
The informal educators can contribute to social studies
education if teachers, administrators, and parents believe
that the programs can support instruction based on the
TEKS for Social Studies. To ensure this, the players must
cooperate.
• Teachers or local district administrators can work
with informal educators to provide more directed
experiences that satisfy TEKS requirements.
• Informal educators can devise experiences and
materials that encourage interaction between
Chapter 8: Implementing the TEKS: Other Players
children and their parents or between children in
groups.
• The informal experiences encourage interaction
and exchange that crosses cultural, educational,
and economic divides. These exchanges occur in
a variety of locations.
Ways Museums and Historic Sites Can Be Used to
Support Social Studies
Following are ten things that every administrator and
social studies educator ought to know about using
museums and historic sites to make the most of a
valuable resource:
1) Museums are a significant teaching resource.
2) Museums and historic sites inspire students.
3) There are many types of museums.
4) Museums offer students informal opportunities
to learn and can help teachers design rich
experiences for students.
5) Museums and historic sites have good curriculum
support materials.
6) Virtual trips to museums and historic sites are
almost as good as real trips.
7) A successful museum trip involves the “Three
P’s”: preparation, participation, and post-visit
reflection.
8) Teachers and students can make a museum of
their own in the classroom.
9) Museum educators and curators are both
resources and role models.
10) The United States has many excellent museums
with unlimited learning opportunities.
1) Museums are a significant teaching resource.
Many schoolchildren in the United States visit a museum
each year. The more than 8,200 museums and 15,000
historic sites in the nation provide plenty of choices.
Visiting these institutions, however, poses challenges for
many teachers. The effort is worth the investment
because the materials preserved and exhibited provide
information that words alone cannot convey. The artifacts
and ideas that museums and historic sites collect,
preserve, and present constitute powerful and memorable
learning experiences for students. The process involves
three stages: preparation, participation, and post-visit
reflection. Getting students ready for the activity, using
the time spent in the museum or site wisely, and follow-