ACCESS in Action!

Traveling Exhibits | Renewable Energy Resources | Cultural Institute | Annual Meeting

Traveling Exhibits Program

Buck Cole, Educator

Exhibit “A+” Traveling Curriculum for Teachers

“Many years ago, a fellow teacher and colleague expressed her frustrations during a particularly bad day in school, “You know”, she said tapping on her watch, “time is really the only enemy of a teacher.” I’ve never forgotten her words. With all the modern-day demands on teachers in and out of the classroom, it’s comforting to know that there are folks out there who also understand the realities of the classroom and respond accordingly. Enter ACCESS to Learning, Inc.

Working in tandem with Humanities Texas, ACCESS to Learning, Inc. provides traveling exhibits on a variety of curriculum-based topics to local schools at minimum cost. Why traveling exhibits? As a former teacher and recipient of a tongue-in-cheek “King of Field Trips” faculty award, I can attest to what it takes in organizing off-campus activities for students. I was certainly not alone in the quest to provide students one-of-a kind educational experiences. I know plenty of educators who also believe the traditional classroom setting is not always the best venue for learning. Kids should be provided frequent opportunities for study away from their desks. However, tighter campus budgets - and that “time” thing - have made it more difficult to provide these opportunities to students and that’s where traveling exhibits can be most effective. While off-campus field trips are always a student favorite, traveling exhibits can offer the next best thing. Besides, what teacher really likes scheduling buses, begging for chaperones, and handling money and permission letters?

ACCESS to Learning, Inc. is the vehicle by which teachers can access (get it?) traveling exhibits from a list provided by Humanities Texas. They are visually appealing, TEKS-appropriate, and are delivered directly to the school’s door. The exhibit arrives in an all-in-one container and is relatively easy to set up. “Set up where”, you ask? The library is just about the perfect place to display a traveling exhibit. Not only does the library provide the necessary space, and is a major campus focal point, but also your wonderful librarian can provide teachers with additional resources to supplement the exhibit topic. Everybody wins.

Traveling exhibits also offer teachers a wide range of opportunities to address different learning levels and styles, among these: kinetic, visual, and textual learners. Teachers can tailor lessons to address all or part of the exhibit content (Some exhibits provide curriculum which teachers can use or modify for their students.). Why not share the experience and invite other teachers to use the exhibit? It’s a great way to collaborate and develop an interdisciplinary lesson or unit. How else can traveling exhibits be utilized?

Time-saving, curriculum-based, student-friendly, and versatile, traveling exhibits offer teachers an opportunity to bring the “outside in”. It’s an invaluable resource in the challenge to engage students and make “time” a friend again.”

Renewable Energy Resources

Dr. Gary Vliet and Mrs. Meredith Weatherby

Gullett, Brentwood, and Brykerwoods Austin Independent School District Elementary Schools as well as San Juan Diego Catholic Preparatory High School participated in:

Solar Car Lessons
Lucy Stolzenburg, Texas Solar Energy Society Reports:

"These children will go shopping one day for a car, see the solar panels on the roof of all the cars on the lot and say to their spouse..."Ya know, I remember building and racing solar cars when I was in elementary school. I know how this works."

Fourth Grade Student Reports:

"Thank you for finding some time to teach me about solar cars. I didn’t know that sun energy is called potential energy. Now I’m going to be an engineer."

"Thank you for coming to show us how solar cars work. It was very fun and I learned a lot too. I learned that with gears our cars wouldn’t move right. Thank you for coming and teaching us.”

Thank you for coming to … and teaching us about the solar cars and how they work. … you help us learn about how good the earth is to us!”

Cultural Institute

Barbara Keese, Educator

An all day workshop was provided for members and guests. The participants created their own piece of glass art at Glass Blowing Austin (Austin,Texas) with glass artist, Morgan Graff. Watching each piece being shaped and taking its own unique qualities was fascinating to see and an unique hands-on opportunity. In the afternoon, participants visited Blue Moon Studio (Austin, Texas) where they enjoyed listening to co-owner Jim Berry talk about stained glass and were also captivated his ability to create amazing glass beads.

Annual Meeting

Presenter: Lucinda Robb, THE GREAT COURSES
Topic: The Art of Teaching

“Teaching is more than a job. It’s a responsibility-one of the greatest responsibilities in civilized society. Teachers lay bare the mysteries of the world to us. They train our minds to explore, to question, to investigate, to discover. And they ensure that knowledge is not lost or forgotten but is instead passed on to future generations.” (Source: THE GREAT COURSES Catalogue)

Co Sponsors: Humanities Texas and ACCESS to Learning, Inc.