With the Mascot Hall of Fame opening its doors to Whiting soon, Northwest Indiana prepares to add another entertainment destination to its ever-growing list of attributes. With a mission to honor great mascot performers, performance, and programs that have inspired tradition and positively influenced the world of sports for years, the Mascot Hall of Fame makes for an innovative, one of a kind experience.
Beyond the broad appeal of its subject matter, the museum also serves as an interactive children’s attraction. Parents will now have a new place to bring their kids for a day of fun learning. For the Hall to create an outstanding experience, an educator’s perspective was a must. Education students from Calumet College of St. Joseph had the exciting opportunity to collaborate with the museum for just that reason.
The CCSJ Education Department dove straight into writing plans and activities for the museum, all from the viewpoint of an Elementary Teacher. Dawn Greene, Director of Education Programs and Education Department Chair for Calumet College of St. Joseph, described the experience as incredibly positive.
“This valuable experience allowed the students and teachers to participate in connecting the activities within the museum to their core instructional subjects of Math, Science, English/Language Arts, and Social Studies,” Greene said.
Not only were students and teachers from the CCSJ Education Department invited to participate—practicing teachers from schools across Northwest Indiana were also involved in the planning.
“We hosted teachers from many school districts and every type of school in our area,” Greene said. “The goal was to create plans that highlighted STEM learning for students grades 3-8.”
The fruits of their efforts are ripe for the picking; the resulting plans guarantee just the sort of interactive learning opportunities that the museum was hoping to foster.
“The lesson plans are based on the core instructional subjects but incorporate the activities and exhibits that the museum will offer,” Greene explained. “Visiting students will be able to identify their subject learning goals through essential questions and learning outcomes identified in each activity.”
Visiting attendees of the younger variety will have plenty to gain from the Mascot Hall of Fame, but the attraction offered up a perfect hands-on experience to the educators, too.
“This was an excellent opportunity because it gave teachers in preparation the opportunity to work with currently practicing teachers at planning for project-based and experiential learning opportunities,” Greene said. “The students enjoyed the opportunity to network with the teachers, while also gaining experience in standards-based planning and the creativity of enhancing their students' learning opportunities.”
For more information on the upcoming Media and Teacher Days at Mascot Hall of Fame, visit their website. For more information on opportunities offered for students at Calumet College of St. Joseph, click here. Click here to learn about their graduate program.
