Authentic learning in field schools

Preparing Future Members of the Archaeological Community

Bibliographic Data

ID3918943
AuthorsJennifer E Perry, Jennifer Perry (0000-0002-8772-0718, corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume36
Issue2
Pages236-260
Publication date2004-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0043824042000261004
OpenAlexW2073910762
LanguageEN
Citations received31
References cited30

The field school is one of the most common forums in which individuals obtain practical training and experience in archaeology. Given the emphasis placed on such programs, questions arise regarding their objectives, the pedagogies employed and their effectiveness in preparing students for careers in archaeology. Field schools conducted on San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of California, serve as useful case studies for considering such questions. These programs are discussed in the context of relevant learning theories to evaluate the role that they have played and been expected to play in the development of future archaeologists. In this paper, it is argued that their ultimate benefits are in the opportunities they provide for authentic learning through the formation of a research community. These experiences engage students as active participants in the culture of archaeological research, something that cannot be achieved in the classroom setting alone. Keywords: San Clemente Islandarchaeological field schoolauthentic learning Acknowledgements I should like wholeheartedly to thank Andy Yatsko and Mark Raab for continuing to involve me in archaeological research on San Clemente Island and supporting the writing of this paper. I also extend my sincerest appreciation to those who responded to the survey: Karin Anderson, April Beisaw, Jim Cassidy, Kristina Gill, Erin King, Josine Jones, Megan Larson, Kelly Minas, Kirsten O'Brien and Ivan Strudwick. Furthermore, I should like to thank Coreen Chiswell, former laboratory director for the field school, who trained me for the same position and who, along with Andy, her husband, has always provided insight, encouragement and support in the pursuit of my professional goals in archaeology. Notes Jennifer E. Perry is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Pomona College, one of the Claremont Colleges. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, she has been investigating the prehistory of the Channel Islands off the coast of California and the adjacent mainland since 1992. Her research interests center on the development of complex hunter-gatherer-fisher societies in coastal settings, with emphasis on the indigenous Chumash and Tongva people of the northern and southern Channel Islands, respectively. Additional informationNotes on contributorsJennifer E Perry Jennifer E. Perry is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Pomona College, one of the Claremont Colleges. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, she has been investigating the prehistory of the Channel Islands off the coast of California and the adjacent mainland since 1992. Her research interests center on the development of complex hunter-gatherer-fisher societies in coastal settings, with emphasis on the indigenous Chumash and Tongva people of the northern and southern Channel Islands, respectively

Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Field (mathematics · Field research · Pedagogy · Sociology · Adult and Continuing Education Topics · Anthropology · Higher Education Learning Practices · History · Innovative Education and Learning Practices

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