A Week Away From the Classroom
The Putnam is known for engaging the Quad Cities community via special opportunities to question, learn, and grow. One educational program that emphasizes this mission is IMMERSE.
IMMERSE focuses on 3rd- 6th graders primarily from Title I schools- those the federal government has identified as having especially large percentages of low-income students. Since its inception in 2017, we have worked with multiple districts, including Davenport, East Moline, and Rock Island. The program empowers teachers to integrate our myriad of resources into their regular curriculum and then bring their students to attend school at the museum for a week at no cost to the school or students.
Empowering Teachers
IMMERSE allows teachers to expand their lesson plans and integrate more hands-on learning and student-led discussions. To date, the program has served 1000+ students. Two fully equipped Putnam classrooms serve as home base for the classes, and a low ratio of students to chaperones allows for small group learning throughout the museum.
The Curriculum
This fall, we have served 14 classes, focusing on scientific discovery and historical knowledge— inspiring thoughtful discussions. Each week, IMMERSE classes engage with a combination of programs led by our education department such as Weather Rocks! and Science Alive presentations; curator presentations; and experiments designed to be taught by the teachers themselves. To end the week, the students take in an educational film in our Giant Screen Theater, providing a “being-there” learning experience.
When asked about the curator presentations; specifically “Artifact Identification”, Putnam Curator of History and Anthropology Christina Kastell explained that it teaches children to be observant and think critically. Once they make their conclusions regarding the item they are analyzing, they present their findings in front of their peers. “This presentation is special to me because of the creativity of the students’ ideas,” Kastell reports.
Education at the Putnam
“My favorite thing about IMMERSE is that they are here for a full week,” says Lead Putnam Educator, Lakin Sheeder. “The majority of kids who come have not been here before, and this may be their only opportunity to come experience all the Putnam has to offer.” The engagement and excitement of the students is palpable as soon as they walk through the doors. Excited chatter and laughter fill the museum, and pencils work hard to keep up with the information students are taking in.
At the end of each week, we receive anonymous surveys from teachers, chaperones, and students. When asked what their favorite part of the museum was, numerous respondents mention our newly re-imagined regional history exhibit, Common Ground. “I love Common Ground because we can share our stories,” reported one child.
Learning Through Exhibits
Putnam Education Director Steve Mielenhausen notes that when he was designing activities related to this exhibit, he wanted to emphasize student-led discussions, creating “experts” who share their newfound knowledge with each other. The 16 questions he created for one activity send students “searching” the exhibit, exploring and learning organically.
One of the most valuable aspects of this exhibit is its honesty. “I didn’t want to shy away from controversy,” says Mielenhausen. It is important to see the “growth of the community based on the response to adversity.”
Re-Igniting Curiosity
Participating teachers are grateful for IMMERSE. “Thank you for
making it possible for our 3 classes/84 students to have this amazing experience!… We are thankful for the opportunity to be a part of IMMERSE!” said one.
Students also rave about the experience, describing their love of presentations featuring fireballs and designing their own rockets. One student confessed, “I was so nervous when our teachers told us we were going (to the Putnam) for a week. But I had fun. Learning was fun!”
