Technology consultants work with curriculum coordinators and other educators to design appropriate workshops for the project using primary source artifacts and documents. A professional curriculum designer then objectively evaluates what the teachers have developed and provides structure for future planning. In our case, the ongoing challenge is to create engaging, effective instruction at the different grade levels, using the wealth of primary sources we have at our disposal. The response has been positive all the way from the superintendent and school committees to the partners and teachers involved in the project. She adds that many students have benefited from being in classes where the new curriculum was taught.
Students create plays, videos and computerized presentations from their original research.
Through the partnership, students have had numerous opportunities to present their work to parents, community groups and the school community. Over the next several years, Turns of the Centuries partners plan to finalize the curriculum and web-based resource, work to clarify the already existing links to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and identify town specific resources that can be utilized by individual schools. Ultimately, the partners hope to disseminate the web-based curriculum to other school districts throughout Massachusetts.