UTSA research supports K-12 instruction at San Juan Mission
Share this Story(Feb. 10, 2015) --The National Park Service recently hosted students from New Frontiers Charter School for a tour of Mission San Juan and, for the first time, it used instructional materials produced by The University of Texas at San Antonio(UTSA).
The provided materials, created as part of the CCS's "Education Curriculum for the San Juan Spanish Colonial Demonstration Farm project," were designed to engage students through decision-making and problem solving issues, mathematics, biology, economics and physics. These educational components would tie into facts about what life in Mission San Juan would have been like for early settlers.
Tom Castanos, coordinator of Education & Youth Initiatives at the San Antonio Missions, led the tour.
"The work put in on the curriculum from UTSA's Center for Cultural Sustainability is outstanding," said Castanos. "The academic depth coupled with the attention to detail makes it easy to use and share."
Funded by a grant from the National Park Service, a multidisciplinary team composed of UTSA faculty and staff produced a curriculum and lesson plans written to educate sixth through 12th grade students about Spanish Colonial lifeways.
William A. Dupont, FAIA, San Antonio Conservation Society Endowed Professor of Architecture and CCS director, worked closely with Kimberly Bilica, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development, and UTSA staff members Alycia Mauer, Claudia Guerra and Michael Mary to complete the endeavor.
“It’s always a pleasure to collaborate with talented colleagues and see work produced that has real value to San Antonio,” said Dupont. “My colleagues, Kimberly Bilica and Alycia Mauer, did a great job writing all the content for this project, and the center was very happy to work with faculty and grad students at our College of Education and Human Development.”
Castanos and his office plan to work with the San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation to host teacher workshops for local school districts as well as educate the Park Service staff using the curriculum.
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About the Center for Cultural Sustainability (CCS)
The CCS explores the continuity of the cultural systems of human existence and the common identities of heritage that bind people to places.
The CCS provides academic research and services to benefit communities, completes large-scale research projects, provides research and educational opportunities for graduate students, and convenes leaders in the field for dialogue on global practices concerning sustainable development and construction. For more information, visit www.css.utsa.edu.
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