Museum Educational Services

The Mathers Museum offers a number of services to university and elementary and secondary school teachers and students.

K-12 Services
The Mathers Museum offers a number of services to elementary and secondary school teachers and students. Please contact the Education Department at (812) 855-0197, or e-mail museumed@indiana.edu, for more information or download the Educational Resources Guide.

Pre-Tour Activities
Museum personnel are available to come into your classroom before your tour to prepare students for the museum visit with activities designed to strengthen students' abilities to learn from cultural objects. Contact the Education Department at (812) 855-0197, or e-mail museumed@indiana.edu for more information.

Teaching with Objects and Photographs
This guide is for all teachers who wish to enhance their curriculum by incorporating objects and photographs into their lesson plans. Kindergarten, elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms can all benefit from expanded use of these rich materials. You can download a pdf version of the guide or contact the museum for a print version.

Tours
Tours of the Mathers Museum's exhibits and facilities are offered free of charge to school and community groups. Museum staff and docents will work with teachers and group leaders to develop tours to meet special interests and needs. If you'd like to schedule a group tour, you can make your request by submitting a Tour Request Form.

Children's Gallery
The Children's Gallery features exhibits and resource materials for children ages 3-8.

Museum Education Representatives
Museum Education Representatives (MERs) are trained in the techniques of "learning through conversation" to act as volunteer staff for the Mathers Museum Education Department. They lead tours, perform outreach presentations, and help plan and staff events at the museum and off-site. They also pursue special projects such as designing content for the Educators Corner, developing thematic tours, preparing activities for the Children's Gallery, and creating outreach kits. If you are interested in becoming an MER, or know someone who would be, please contact the Education Department at museumed@indiana.edu or [812] 855-0197.




University Services
The Mathers Museum provides a number of services to Indiana University faculty and students to supplement coursework. These services include:

Guided tours of exhibits

Special lectures

Demonstrations of selected artifacts

Student research/study projects utilizing the collections

Faculty and students are encouraged to contact Ellen Sieber, (esieber@indiana.edu) Curator of Collections, to review the Museum's collections. The Curator will work with faculty members and students to develop programs to meet their needs. If you'd like to schedule a group tour for your class, you can submit a Tour Request Form.


Museum Studies Classes
Three courses are available at the Mathers Museum to students interested in Museum Studies. On-line syllabi are available for:

A403/Introduction to Museum Studies

Offered through the Department of Anthropology

A408/Museum Practicum

Offered through the Department of Anthropology

Publications
The Mathers Museum offers an Occasional Papers and Monographs Series. The most recent title in the series, Reading Photographs, is now available on-line.