Primary Sources Network (PSN)

The Primary Sources Network is a partnership between hi-ce, The Henry Ford, the Henry Ford Academy, and the Melvindale/North Allen Park schools, that is focused on making numerous artifacts from the museul (The Henry Ford) accessible to students and teachers through the use of technolgies and inquiry based curriculum materials. Since 1999, this collaborative effort has produced a number of curriculum materials for science, history, and geography educators, and software tools that allow students to gain access to the primary source artifacts that are otherwise challenging to observe for most students.

Inquiry-Based Learning in the Social Sciences

Understanding history does not mean knowing facts and dates. Understanding history requires an understanding of why things happened, the connections between events, and the impact these had on everyday people. The PSN team of teachers, historians, educational researchers and museum curators used this approach to create a range of curriculum materials to explore the historical and geographical implications of human migration in America's urban centers.

Students ask authentic questions about the growth, development, and transformation of communities, and they investigate this history through hundreds of primary source materials compiled into the Virtual Expedition - a software resource that lets students walk through and investigate the homes and lives of those who have lived history. Curriculum materials support this effort by guiding teachers and students through the process of historical inquiry, by supporting teachers in promoting these investigations, and by engaging students in an analysis of primary source resources.

Learning Science Through Design

Ideally, science is about more than just investigating questions - it is about finding solutions. The PSN team created science curriculum materials that do just that! Focusing on a design problem such as creating a research building that could be erected in the harsh climate of Antarctica, students build problem-solving skills and learn how to apply science content knowledge. And, using the primary source materials of The Henry Ford, as well as software tools like the Virtual Expedition, students can see first hand how investors and designers of the past tackled such design problems, and learn from their approach.

It is important to note that network-enabled professional development has been tried before in a variety of situations and with a range of success, but to our knowledge no one has used them in a systemic reform environment that strives to engage all teachers, not just volunteers or technologically advanced teachers.   In addition, KNOW is also the only professional development web site working from an existing curriculum base.   This is significant because a past failing of such resources is that their content is too general.   Asking questions such as "What is constructivism?" or "What are techniques of alternative assessment?" is essentially a luxury that busy teachers often cannot afford.   When teachers are consumed by the daily challenge of learning new curricula or pedagogy while managing a challenging classroom environment and student population, more targeted help is needed.   KNOW is designed to answer teachers' questions such as, "How should I assess student work on the activity coming up next week?"   The theoretical basis of the content is the same as that of earlier systems but the context through which it becomes available is more readily accessible by and useful to teachers.

The PSN Summer Institute for 2004

PSN will be offering its first Summer Institute for Educators at The Henry Ford from August 10-12, 2004. This program will provide teachers with a number of resources and learning experiences that focus on the use of the PSN materials in classrooms. For more information, click here.

The Summer Institute is free to participants, but has limited capacity. Those who wish to attend much register, and teachers will be accepted on a first come, first served basis with priority given to teachers of history, geography, or science at the middle or high school level. Click here to register.

Curriculum Resources of the Primary Source Network

Software Resources of the Primary Source Network

 

Funder:

U.S. Department of Education Technology Challenge Program

Principal Investigators:

Ron Marx (now at Univ. of Arizona)
Bob Bain
Joe Krajcik

Partner Organizations:

The Henry Ford (formerly The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village)
Melvindale/North Allen Park Public Schools
Henry Ford Academy

Status:

Will be completed September 2004.