Don’t Teach in a Vacuum: Creating Cross-Curricular Educational Programming

ID: WMA2026_548

Track:

Post-COVID schools are still addressing student learning deficits. Remediation in math and language arts often reduces time for science and social studies—some schools offer only 16-18 minutes daily. Informal educational institutions allow students to experience core curricular standards in real-world settings. Cross-curricular programs are classroom relevant because they efficiently integrate multiple subjects, maximizing learning with limited time. Join this session to experience real examples of how Museums effectively use cross-curricula programs with audiences.

Session Information

Format: Regular session/panel (roundtable, single speaker, etc.)

Uniqueness: Participants experience activities designed to unite multiple curricula.  Taking part in engaging activities sparks excitement and fosters feelings of attainability as participants analyze their programming.

Objectives: 1.  Participants will learn how to see cross-curricular connections between their institutional focus and other core subjects such as language arts, social studies, art, math, and science. 2.  Participants will learn how to describe individual programs as cross-curricular to support classroom educators field trip needs. 3. Participants will have the opportunity to meet educators from a variety of organizations and brainstorm programming and standards overlaps.

Engagement: Audience members will take on the role of field trip students and participate in activities designed to support cross curricular learning. Although one activity is designed to take place at a history museum, and one at a natural history museum, they both highlight how multiple core standards can be explored through a specific program and related phenomena.  Participants will learn to see how their own programming can connect across multiple subject areas.

Relationship to Theme:

Audience

Audiences: Other 

Professional Level: All levels 

Scalability: Education is a core mandate which organizations of all sizes bear.  Supporting K-12 education is often a pillar of strategic plans.  Informal education institutions are better equipped to fulfill this mission when they can demonstrate to classroom educators a mastery of state educational standards.  In a time of limited funding for student busing and limited teaching time outside of core math and reading instruction informal educators must be proactive in demonstrating the value of field trips and educational programming to limited school budgets.

Participants