PROPOSAL TYPE
Nuts and Bolts
SEEKING
- Seeking Additional Presenters
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Specific Expertise
RELATED TOPICS
- Public Engagement
- Teaching and Training
ABSTRACT
How do we move beyond scripted tours to create revolutionary learning experiences? How do we engage with necessary but challenging topics like westward conquest in an inviting, engaging field trip? Naper Settlement is in the process of transforming traditional field trips into vibrant experiences that fit the needs of teachers and students. This session explores our process and product to look toward the future of museum learning. We will discuss how we went about building a team that combines museum and classroom experience, how we determined the scope and scale of the project, and challenges along the way. Participants will try their hand at some of the activities to test the thesis that history field trips can be investigations.
DESCRIPTION
We have not presented at a conference of this size before. We are looking for feedback on if there is an interest to discuss the future of field trips from content development to content delivery. We would be interested in connecting with other people who have built similar projects of addressing old histories in a new way that seeks to prioritize the needs of teachers and students. We have backgrounds in classroom education and academic history and would be open to having panelists who work on field trips with different backgrounds.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly:
Jessica Toran, Naper Settlement, [email protected]
All feedback and offers of assistance should be sent by November 15, 2025. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
Hi: It feels like you should join forces with the “Amplifying the Field Trip” proposal.
I think this topic would appeal to AASLH members. K-12 field trips are always a good topic for discussion. To expand your session beyond the perception of one institution, I suggest reaching out to AASLH’s Educators and Interpreters Committee for names of people who could present on this topic. https://aaslh.org/communities/educatorsandinterpreters/
I think this is extremely relevant as sites and museums consider field trips today, I think that Bethany raises a great point that this would be a good topic for AASLH members, but I also think this would be eye opening for some NCPH members who are practitioners and consult with sites who host field trips and are looking at ways to add more PH engagement as students can be public historians in the best possible ways. I’d reach out to E&I but also would seek out historians whose work can help with the content development.