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Archival Education Program Strategy |
The RAC’s Archival Education Program’s mission is to demystify the archive and build confidence around the use of primary sources.
We work to bridge the gap between the archive and the classroom. We want to provide a strong foundation for educators so that they are empowered to help students in the development of their media literacy, research, and critical thinking skills. Not all learning environments have the opportunity to connect in person with an archival educator or with archival documents, and we believe that by building the field of archival education and creating open-source materials in our Teach with Archives hub, we are promoting equity in education.
We create a diverse and inclusive environment. We help learners of all types to see themselves int eh records, to more deeply connect with human experiences in the past. We believe equity means resources for all. Our materials, resources, and learning are open source. We meet our user communities where they already are and adopt culturally responsive frameworks.
We are transparent about the sources and limitations of our records. Our visual identity is consistent, clear, cohesive, and accessible.
We seek to improve on processes and products to better serve our users. We are open to iteration and change. We seek and value feedback and actively incorporate it into our work.
We empower ourselves, each other, and our users. We are self-starters, forge meaningful partnerships, and create a safe space for our community. We work alongside our colleagues across the RAC and in our professional networks.
We create and share resources and provide field-building opportunities for educators in diverse learning spaces.
We develop flexible primary source educational resources targeted to levels spanning age 8 to adult. These resources are open-source and include digitized primary sources from the RAC’s collections. They can be integrated into remote, hybrid, and in-person learning spaces.
We connect with cultural and educational organizations to lead workshops on primary source learning. We develop and share frameworks with professionals interested in creating archival education learning opportunities in our own institutional context.
The Rockefeller Archive Center created the Archival Education Roundtable in 2016. It is a growing community of educators, archivists, and archival education allies who use primary sources for education, outreach, and public engagement.
The RAC partners with organizations to provide programs that connect new communities with archival documents and archival and historical practices.
To develop our open-source teaching materials, we collaborate with public educational institutions and non-profits. We partner with individuals from a variety of disciplines and professional practice to engage in project-based and inquiry-based learning.
Upper Elementary – Middle School (Grades 3-8) Students will:
- Learn the difference between primary and secondary sources
- Be introduced to archives and archival terminology
- Learn about the work of historians, researchers, and archivists
- Make personal, classroom, and community connections
- Engage in document analysis
- Learn about reliable sources
- Learn why and how to cite sources
- Develop research questions
- Develop and hone presentation skills
- Discuss gaps or “silences” in records
Intermediate – Advanced (10th grade – University) Students will:
- Learn about the research process
- Engage in document analysis across multiple collections and with a variety of archival formats
- Engage with primary sources in a variety of ways through close reading, notetaking, and building and articulating an argument
- Debate using evidence from primary source documents
- Engage in role-playing from the perspective of the records’ creators
- Discuss culturally competent description
- Connect sources to context and research in content areas
- Introduce students to foundation decision-making practices and policy work
Adult Educational Outreach Participants will:
- Learn about the RAC/archives
- Make connections to their own lives, histories, and communities
- Engage in document analysis
- Engage in small group and whole group discussions
The primary sources selected for archival education address a range of topics and key moments and movements in American and global history. They connect topically to curricula and/or support targeted skill development in inquiry-based and project-based learning.
We select documents that demonstrate the breadth of our collections, different types of archival formats, and provide opportunities for integrating cultural competency learning.
The number of documents varies, but we believe in a less-is-more, scaffolded approach to primary source literacy. As learners and program participants advance in their work with primary sources, they will build skills to connect with the past, conduct their own further research, and evaluate information sources.
We create open access models in collaboration with our partners. To encourage flexibility and connect with diverse users we create varied educational resources.
Curated set of 4-6 primary source documents and suggested projects related to selected umbrella topics.
Thematic selection of primary sources integrated with historical background and exercise procedures.
Detailed lesson-by-lesson description of archival education projects.
Thematic audiovisual documents with scaffolded questions, analysis, and discussion.
Society of American Archivists’ Primary Source Literacy Guidelines.
Connect with us via our Teach with Archives hub.