Archaeological Field Schools: A Guide for Teaching in the Field

by Baxter,Jane Eva

• ISBN13: 9781598740073
• ISBN10: 1598740075
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2009-03-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The field school is often described as a 'rite of passage' among archaeologists. They are considered essential for the appropriate training of students for academic or professional archaeological careers, and are perhaps the only universal experience in an increasingly diverse array of archaeological career paths. Jane Baxter's practical guide about how to run a successful field school offers archaeologists ways to maximize the educational and training benefits of these experiences. She presents a wide range of pedagogical theories and techniques that can be used to place field schools in an educational, as well as an archaeological, context. Baxter then offers a 'how to' guide for the design of field schools, including logistical, legal, and personnel issues as well as strategies for integrating research and teaching in the field. Replete with checklists, forms, and cogent examples, the author gives directors and staff a set of 'best practices' for designing and implementing a school.

Author Biography

Jane Eva Baxter is Associate Professor of Anthropology and department chair at DePaul University in Chicago. An historical archaeologist, Professor Baxter has a doctorate from the University of Michigan. She is author of numerous articles and the book Archaeology of Childhood and has directed field schools in the United States and the Bahamas.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 9
The Archaeological Institution of Field Schools	p. 11
The Development of an Institution	p. 12
How We Talk about Field Schools Today	p. 16
About This Book	p. 18
Field School Teaching: Pedagogy and Practice	p. 23
Contemporary Climates: Teaching Archaeology and Field School Training	p. 25
Cultural Resource Management Training	p. 26
Working with the Public	p. 33
The RPA and Field School Certification	p. 37
Teaching as an Ethical Issue	p. 39
Field Schools as Learning Communities	p. 40
Lines of Convergence	p. 42
Points of Contention	p. 43
Pedagogical Concerns and Field School Development	p. 47
Developing Teaching Goals	p. 48
Translating Teaching Goals into Student Learning Outcomes	p. 51
The Idea of Experiential Learning	p. 54
Experiential Learning and Learning Communities	p. 60
Assessing Learning in the Field	p. 61
Structuring Experiential Learning in the Field	p. 65
Abstract Conceptualization	p. 66
Active Experimentation	p. 70
Concrete Experience	p. 74
Reflective Observation	p. 75
Field School Logistics	p. 79
Legal and Administrative Issues	p. 81
Universities and Off-Site Programs	p. 82
Site Agreements and Permissions	p. 83
Health, Safety, and Liability	p. 87
Liability Waivers	p. 90
FERPA	p. 91
Insurance	p. 93
University Police or Public Safety Offices	p. 94
Contracts and Providers	p. 94
Connect on Your Campus	p. 96
Personnel Issues	p. 97
Defining Your Role as a Project Director and an Instructor	p. 97
Staff and Organizational Structure	p. 101
Graduate Student Supervisors	p. 102
Professional Project Staff	p. 105
Codirector or Go It Alone?	p. 106
Health and Safety	p. 109
Identifying Hazards at Your Site	p. 109
Collecting Personal Information	p. 111
Mitigating Risks for Students	p. 112
Standards of Dress and Personal Appearance	p. 114
Field Etiquette and Interpersonal Issues	p. 115
Setting Standards of Behavior	p. 115
Student-Generated Standards of Behavior	p. 118
Working Together in the Field	p. 119
Standards and Protocols for Public Interaction	p. 121
Logistical Concerns	p. 125
Before the Program Starts	p. 126
Finding a Site	p. 126
Getting Equipment Together	p. 133
Recruiting Students	p. 139
Logistics in the Field	p. 144
Transportation	p. 144
Food and Lodging	p. 145
Field Facilities	p. 148
Special Cases	p. 149
International Field Schools	p. 149
Commuter Field Schools	p. 153
Balancing Teaching, Research, and Disciplinary Standards	p. 155
Pressure Points	p. 156
Maintaining Disciplinary Standards of Conduct	p. 156
Field Schools as Annual "Money Makers"	p. 157
Field Schools as the Only Research Outlets	p. 158
Structural Suggestions for Those Seeking Balance	p. 159
Working with Graduate Students and Undergraduates	p. 163
Working with Graduate Students	p. 163
Working with Undergraduate Students	p. 165
Appendices
RPA Guidelines and Standards for Archaeological Field Schools	p. 167
Sample Safety Handout	p. 173
A Summary of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)	p. 177
Sample Archaeological Field School Participant Information Form	p. 179
Sample Handout of What Students Should and Should Not Bring to a Field School and Should Not Bring to a Field School on a Daily Basis	p. 181
Sample Guideline Sheet for Students and the Media	p. 183
References	p. 185
Index	p. 191
About the Author	p. 192
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