Updates
Asian Pacific American History Resources in the Smithsonian Learning Lab
Asian Pacific American History Resources in the Smithsonian Learning Lab by: Andrea Kim Neighbors, Education Specialist, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC)—one of the Smithsonian’s museums without walls—is now 21 years old. At our Center, you wouldn’t find brick-and-mortar exhibitions, a collection, or tour offerings. Instead, you would meet our small team of 10 working to bring community-driven and col...
Create Interactive Sorting Activities
Create Interactive Sorting Activities By Tess Porter, Education Support Specialist, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access Sorting activities are not only a simple—and interactive—way to engage students with resources, the acts of sorting and classifying also develop skills essential to analytic thinking and problem solving. For young students, sorting teaches how to differentiate, notice patterns, and make connections between resources. As students get ...
Complex Questions and Illuminating Conversations: Women’s History Month Resources on Learning Lab
Complex Questions and Illuminating Conversations: Women’s History Month Resources on Learning Lab by Abby Pfisterer, Education Specialist, National Museum of American History Using thought-provoking questions tied to historical events and issues as the focal points for discussions is a powerful way to help students develop a deeper understanding of both historical events and current issues. More than simply sharing knowledge, these kinds of conversations challeng...
Modeling and Teaching Good Digital Citizenship
Modeling and Teaching Good Digital Citizenship by: Darren Milligan, Senior Digital Strategist, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access Working with your students on the complexities of being a good digital citizen is an increasingly important component of guiding the next generation. There are all kinds of nuanced definitions out there, but I like this one from TeachThought: “the self-monitored habits that ...
Many Lenses, Many Perspectives: African American History Resources on the Smithsonian Learning Lab
Many Lenses, Many Perspectives: African American History Resources on the Smithsonian Learning Lab by: Candra Flanagan, Coordinator, Student and Teacher Initiatives, National Museum of African American History and Culture In her widely acclaimed 2009 TEDTalk, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks of the danger of the single story. “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They ...
