Curriculum

The Curriculum of the Riding Through History Program is a multi-disciplinary learning experience that includes instruction in photography, digital communications and craft media. A variety of life skills directly pertinent to preparing for the two-week cycling tour are also transferrable to challenges that students will face later in life. In the weeks prior to the start of the trip, art practice at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild is integrated with workshops in team and leadership development, historical awareness, communications skills, and physical conditioning.

Arts Training The students are divided by discipline into three groups. These groups are their primary studios in which most of their artwork is generated.

  • Ceramics
    Ceramics students use symbolism to represent three places of which they are able to take a picture. Each site is suppose to symbolize fear, safety, and/or a landmark. They then represent each of these in a tile. The final project involves a "quilted" bed which consists of the tiles and a colorful mosiac for the edge and middle to represent the ceramic portion of the Summer Program.

    Students from other studios also work on creating a tile in ceramics using the same process, however, only one tile is created, representing their symbolic emotions.

  • Photography

    Photography students fine-tune their picture taking skills using manual cameras. They are also responsible for developing and printing their own film.

    Students from other studios spend time developing their picture taking skills with the digital cameras as well as point and shoot cameras.

  • Computers
    Computer students work on developing their evaluation skills enabling them to critique various websites. They also develop the layout and design of the Riding Through History site.

    All students work on the internet, researching artists of political and social importance. They can choose from a list of artists such as Kathe Kollwitz, Diego Rivera, Sue Coe and Pablo Picasso, whose work is extremely politically charged, find sites on the internet relating to them, and answer questions about their work. Students also spend time working with various sites that deal with the Underground Railroad. With this information, they are asked to develop a plan for escaping from a plantation during the early to mid nineteenth century. An example of this exercise can be viewed here.

    • Historical Awareness
    One hour each week is devoted to workshops and research on Civil War Era History. Workshops focus on slavery as a recurring social/historical phenomenon as well as specific themes, places, people and events that shaped America's Civil War period. Field trips to sites related to the Abolitionist movement in Pittsburgh offer opportunities for students to creatively reflect and comment upon the historical and contemporary significance of their community.

    Leadership Development
    Activities that foster personal and social development of student participants are integrated in all workshops, seminars and studio work. Weekly studio activities, including clay olympics events, encourage students to collaborate, cooperate and support one another while building skills in manual dexterity, critical thinking and problem solving.

    Communications Skills
    Each week of the program, all students participate in workshops and activities that stress the development of written and oral communications skills. These experiences include interviews, debates, journalistic writing, as well as informal classroom discussion and studio critique. In the final week of the program, students prepare brief oral presentations on their work and experiences.

    During the cycling journey, students on the trail team keep daily audio and written journals. They also transmit daily e-mails and photos to MCG's home team for compilation into the web site.

    Physical Conditioning
    In preparation for the cycling journey, students participate each week in a range of physical activities designed to build strength, endurance, coordination and flexibility. Activities include aerobics/stretching sessions, walking, jogging, spinning, cycling and weight training. Students also participate in bike construction and maintenance and bike safety seminars.