Missouri Historical Society

The Missouri History Museum will develop a suite of programs that address the need for students to develop critical thinking skills - problem solving, critical analysis, and communications - necessary for both STEM and historical inquiry. The project will have three components: an innovative, skills-based model for K-12 field trip programs; a new evaluation that focuses on skills as opposed to content acquisition or satisfaction; and teacher professional development. The museum will measure how well students are practicing these skills in an existing field trip experience and then revise the experience to better support historical inquiry and the scientific method. A summer teacher institute will share the methodology and support teachers in using this new, integrated STEM and humanities approach. Results from the project will include increased use of critical thinking skills, an evaluation instrument to capture the use of these skills, and enhancement of teachers' educational practices. These results will be shared through web-based tools and conference presentations.