Aaron and Rachael speak with Spring Grove teacher Jason Baker about his innovative anthropology and archaeology program, where students design civilizations, bury artifacts, and conduct real digs on school grounds. This hands-on elective sparks unforgettable "aha" moments and proves experiential learning still matters.
Aaron and Rachael speak with Spring Grove teacher Jason Baker about his innovative anthropology and archaeology program, where students design civilizations, bury artifacts, and conduct real digs on school grounds. This hands-on elective sparks unforgettable "aha" moments and proves experiential learning still matters.
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Voiceover:
Welcome to Duty Free Lunch, the official podcast of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Join us as we unpack the issues that matter most to you. From cutting edge classroom strategies to thought provoking policy discussions. If it impacts PSEA members, it's on the menu.
Aaron Chapin:
Hello and welcome to Duty Free Lunch. I'm PSEA President Aaron Chapin. I'm here today with PSEA Treasurer Rachael West. Rachael, good to see you again.
Rachael West:
Nice to see you too, Aaron.
Aaron Chapin:
Boy, it seems like forever since I've seen you.
Rachael West:
Right? It's like been half an hour or so.
Aaron Chapin:
Half an hour. That's right. We're here in the podcast studio. We're recording a bunch of podcasts today and next week we're getting a bunch into the tank ready for the new 2026 year.
Rachael West:
Can't believe it's about to be 2026 already.
Aaron Chapin:
Are you thinking about some resolutions?
Rachael West:
Yes.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh yeah?
Rachael West:
Mm-hmm.
Aaron Chapin:
Anything you want to tell us?
Rachael West:
I am going to make sure that I actually find ways to take care of myself this year.
Aaron Chapin:
Sounds like a good one. Of course, if you're listening to this and it's February or maybe June-
Rachael West:
Then maybe you will know whether or not I've actually managed to take care of myself or not so far.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh.
Rachael West:
Maybe.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Well, guess what? We've got another incredible guest lined up today.
Rachael West:
Awesome. I'm excited.
Aaron Chapin:
I know. This one's a good one too, coming from your neck of the woods.
Rachael West:
Exactly.
Aaron Chapin:
Your old stomping grounds. Today we're going to be speaking with Jason Baker. He's a social studies teacher at Spring Grove Area High School. And he runs a very cool, very unique anthropology and archeology program. And I don't just mean you get to read about these subjects. These kids actually get their hands dirty. In addition to researching and learning about ancient cultures, they get to build artifacts and conduct real archeological digs on the school grounds.
You didn't do that in your time there at Spring Grove, did you?
Rachael West:
No, they definitely did not have this program when I was at the high school.
Aaron Chapin:
No? Well, you want to know how they're doing this?
Rachael West:
I do.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, guess what? We're going to let Jason tell us all about it today.
So Jason, it's great to have you here. Thanks for joining our podcast.
Jason Baker:
It's a pleasure to be here.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, I can't wait to hear about this. This is something I've never heard about in school. So I'm really interested in all the nuts and bolts with this. So why don't you just give our listeners, Jason, a brief overview of how your program works?
Jason Baker:
Yeah. So when I first started teaching, I was teaching world history and you just diving into the textbook and it's dry, it's boring and it's ancient. And I came up with this idea saying, "Well, let's try to bring it to life. How can I make it more applicable or something that they would love?" And so in the world history course, I did this real small thing that we decided to let's build a couple artifacts, place it out there, have a different class, analyze it, and break it down. And from that, it then spawned into a larger perspective of creating anthropology, archeology, an actual class elective.
And so I've had kids and parents have had it now, I believe it or not, over this time period, and what happens is you have anthropology and archeology, so you learn about the cultural components of it, and then they get their hands dirty in the archeology part of it. And the kids have the opportunity to pick whatever civilizations they want, and then there's already out in the ground for a year and a half, artifacts from a different class that have done it. So they map it out, they analyze it, they dig it up, and they recreate it and bring it back into the lab. So it's a fascinating process.
Rachael West:
That's really cool. So this is definitely a unique program. We haven't really heard anything about this. So what convinced you that the students at Spring Grove needed and were ready for a program like this?
Jason Baker:
I think what convinced me is just to give kids different opportunities, not only from learning based process, but to me, one of my favorite movies all time was Indiana Jones. And going through the thing is, it's not what it actually is. There's different segments of Indy that can relate to this, but it was more of a perspective for me to let them experience what cultures are all about. And I really felt that the program would give kids an opportunity to see what languages are about or to give them an opportunity to see how mapping works or to see an opportunity, how different clothing and articles like that work.
Rachael West:
That's awesome. So the archeological dig has become a signature part of this course. And what does dig day unlock for students that sitting in a classroom and talking about the same things you were just saying, what does it change for them? How does that unlock something new that traditional instruction just can't do?
Jason Baker:
So every single kid is built into different committees. So some could be building or looking at government or economics or clothing or art or religion, et cetera. And the whole dig experience or dig day is that they build these different components of every culture and civilization, and then they also are going out and rediscovering these different components. So if they're doing the Celtic culture or the Viking culture or the Greek culture, they understand that every civilization is built of all of these different ingredients and then they're bringing it back to the classroom and analyze.
So the big dig day is what every kid is looking forward to. They get to be and we learn about stratigraphic approach. You learn about how artifacts, the older they are, the deeper they are in the ground, and they'll be able to rediscover them and bring them back to the classroom and then reput it back what they think it is rather than the dusty old textbook, which someone else gives a different perspective. So it's that higher level thinking and that theory process that they say, "Hey, this is how I interpret, how I see it," versus what someone tells you in a textbook that's out there.
Aaron Chapin:
So does dig day happen once, like a year, or is it like after different portions of certain studies that you do?
Jason Baker:
Right. So the way in which it works, the size of the class, they're building four different civilizations and of those four different civilizations, it takes them about a month or so to design it. Then they go out into the archeological field and then they different classes dig up those different civilizations. So it's like two full days of outside research that's there.
Aaron Chapin:
That's great.
Rachael West:
That's awesome.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. I've never heard of this kind of stuff before. It's really interesting. So look, as educators, we always talk about these light bulb moments when students are first analyzing, in your case, they're analyzing the artifacts that they've unearthed. Can you talk about those light bulb moments just a little bit more for us?
Jason Baker:
Yeah. So it's like putting the pieces of the puzzle together. So for me personally, and for the students, that light bulb moment is, "Oh my gosh, that's how religion connects to government." "Oh my gosh, that's where the food and the family and the housing works." Because when you're doing an archeological dig site and you're creating it the first time, you're planning it how you would actually experience it in the real world. So when you're going to Williamsburg or Jamestown and they're redigging up the civilization, that plant process is actually out there so that when you're digging it up from there, you can then bring it back and say, "This is how the family actually operated," or, "This is how their government actually worked and function."
So that light bulb moment's like, "Oh, now I understand how all of this is interdisciplinary connected with one another." And it lets us be able to do language interpretation. So all the artifacts and things that are there, like the Rosetta Stone, you may have heard about that before in history. So if you're doing hieroglyphics, they have the ability to then break down what that story represent hieroglyphically, or they might do ruins from the Vikings or the Chinese characters and cultures, and then that gives them a better understanding of that culture and civilization as well.
Aaron Chapin:
It must be really satisfying as a teacher when you witness those light bulb moments.
Jason Baker:
It definitely is because they're going, "Wow." And you sit there and you go, "This makes more sense to me," rather than what a teacher tries to get out of a textbook that's there.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. I remember those days, and it's a high, no matter how lousy the week can be, Rachael.
Rachael West:
Yeah. Sometimes it's a tough week when you're teaching freshmen algebra.
Aaron Chapin:
Fifth graders in language arts. But when they have those aha moments, it's like, wow.
Rachael West:
Yeah. I kind of miss the seeing the light bulb turn on, that look on a kid's face when they finally make the connection on your own and you're like, okay.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah, absolutely.
Rachael West:
So we obviously all are experienced in teaching different things and the light bulb moments might look a little different in each of our classes, but you've described your class as one that reaches every kind of learner. So how do you structure the course in a way to help students find their place and how they can contribute to the class, even if they aren't matching up necessarily the same way to their peers?
Jason Baker:
Yeah. So there's so many different ways in which I create where everyone has different learners. First of all, I believe in leadership, leader in me, where individuals create roles. So there's like an executive committee, there's the head honcho of it, and then there are I consider the different worker be. So within the element structure, people are building and understanding what their role is to help out others, the different cultures and civilizations that are there.
And then you have the skill based elements. So you have some students that could be better writers and they want to go find a great Greek story that they want to translate and they would be focusing on that. Then you would have students that are better artist and they might be making a fresco or a mural and they'd be designing that element that is there. Then you have some kids that are better in science and math, so they could be focusing on the mapping and figuring out how the civilizations and cultures should be planted and intertwined.
And then you have the students that are just really hands on and they just like to build things and get created with that. And so they're very good on the digging part and the finding the artifacts and sorting elements and the tagging and the bagging. So to me, this thing, whether you want to get hands on dirty or not, even though the kids love to do that, most of them do, it has a niche for all sorts of different types of styles and learning for kids.
Rachael West:
That's awesome. A little tough to do in an algebra class. So I love hearing where there's places for those kids to find a place for themselves. So this is, like you said, a definitely unique program. And have you had students that have gone on to study anthropology or archeology in college after having experienced your class?
Jason Baker:
Yeah, there's not a ton of them, but there's more ... For me, there's a couple different things to think of. This class is practical for all life skills. And so you may not be going necessarily anthropology or archeology. It's going to help you become a more well rounded individual in lots of different aspects. But I have had a couple students ... One of the things that most people aren't familiar with, any federal building in a lot of sites have to actually do digs. You can't just build it without federal government approval or permission. And so I've had students that they get paid to just go out there and dig sites that are there to make sure there's no ancient ruins. And I've also had kids that have worked actually at the Susquehanna River, and there was a site right up by Harrisburg, actually, where you guys are located at, that they were doing the Susquehannock Indians.
And I've had students in the past work down in Jamestown and Yorktown, and actually one of my former archeology students, you can get involved in the historical society. And so [inaudible 00:12:17] Historical Society, that girl's actually running it now.
So there are plenty of elements that lets them get back within the community, even if that doesn't become necessarily a full-time or personal job, but it definitely shows you how in our culture, in United States, anthropology affects us all in archeology because you can't do anything without following federal government rules and regulations and all aspects of what we do is interconnected to it.
Rachael West:
Oh, so it sounds like there's some long-term impacts of your course, even if they're not going directly into that for college, but there are things that they might tie into what they do long-term outside of school.
Jason Baker:
Absolutely. And you also get where kids remember this. This is something you ask them 20 years ago, no offense to your algebra there, but during the words of the problem, they're not going to remember that. They may love algebra or other components to it, but they'll always remember the big dig day. They're always coming back to it. And then I have, like I said, where I've been there for so long, the kid was like, "My mom had that, or my dad took this class, and it was their best experience they had in high school." And then when it gets posted on the website, everyone's writing comments like, "I remember that time." So it's one of those lifelong experiences that are out there.
Aaron Chapin:
Wow. I bet you, Rachael, that there's kids that remember your algebra class.
Rachael West:
They might remember the class. I'm sure they don't remember dig day, but I'm sure they remember some nonsensical thing I did like fall down or something.
Aaron Chapin:
So Jason, in an age where technology and AI are rapidly changing classrooms, it seems like this kind of tactile discovery based learning, it's more essential than ever. Would you agree?
Jason Baker:
Definitely. I mean, AI has its tool and its use. And as teachers, we're going to have to be able to figure out how to utilize that because it's not going to go away, but the thinker needs to be able to think. And the moment we decide to have AI take over every component and without us actually understanding the process and doing it, we're going to be troubled as a society in civilization. This dig does not allow kids to just generate something, they have to actually physically create and design. And to me, that is a lifelong skill that is extremely important for them.
However, to help you out with AI, you can also, and I incorporate actually the last time a little bit, now you've found some artifacts, you give your interpretation of it, then you can actually take ... After they do their design, because they have to do what's an AMC and a BMC, basically they're breaking down what it is and the value and all that stuff. Then you can take that artifact, take a picture of it, and then you can do what some other experts or research say, and then you can determine if your experience of it is similar to that. So you can then build on it. So I've actually incorporated that component as another step after when they bring back to the laboratory, have to design and have to retake what the story is, then you can then see what the experts say by taking a picture of it and seeing it.
Aaron Chapin:
Look, it sounds like your students are having an absolute blast doing this. So as you start to look ahead, because look, as educators, we're always looking ahead, always see what can be different. How do you hope that this program is going to grow or evolve in the coming years? How do you want it to be different?
Jason Baker:
Everything continues to develop. Not only I mentioned a little bit about that AI component, but we transitioned from 40 minute traditional to block. And so now I have the opportunity for them to, in the classroom, dig a little deeper, no pun intended, when it comes to building the actual artifacts and designing things so that they can get that process a little bit better, which I like. And then also in combining how they're doing stuff, looking at the ancient and how did it affect the modern day time period. And so you can go to the path to the president and see how it bridges.
Aaron Chapin:
How many students do you have in your ...
Jason Baker:
So it depends on per year. I'll either get one or two classes, so they average around 20 of them. Right now, currently I have two sites out there, and it's not like a secret or anything. The kids know where they were that they did it. I've had students come back desperately wanting their artifacts back when it's all done. They'll email me and they're like, "I want my tri-ream." We talk about other things that are there and they're like, "Okay, Riley, you can come back and get your books that you did all these little intricacies things in to keep." Because we use the art department, we use everyone's resources in the school to do it. They fired a kiln. Those artifacts can last 10,000 years in the ground. So it is designed interdisciplinary with all the different fields.
Aaron Chapin:
All right.
Rachael West:
That's amazing.
Aaron Chapin:
Hey, Rachael.
Rachael West:
What?
Aaron Chapin:
It's pop quiz time.
Rachael West:
Yes. Are you ready for a pop quiz?
Jason Baker:
Sure.
Rachael West:
Okay. So what is the most memorable object or moment your students have experienced through this program?
Jason Baker:
Ooh, there's a lot of good ones that [inaudible 00:17:33]-
Rachael West:
We'll let you get away with two.
Jason Baker:
One of the memorable moments, the kids were blown out. There was a massive torii, Japanese, that was in the ground. It was six feet long by four feet deep and they get it and they're like, "Artifact." And they get so excited because kids yell all the time like, "Artifact" when they're doing it because it's like, but then they have to painfully clean it off because you can't break it, then you destroy it, then you have to rebuild it all back in the classroom. So they're constantly digging and it just kept going and going and going and it got bigger and bigger. Took them forever to get it out of the ground. So that was a hilarious moment from them.
And then there was a lot of little functioning artifacts that actually worked times people put into it. Like there was a Greek, the Minoan civilization was the first one ever designing yo-yo. And then they dug it out and then all of a sudden, oh my gosh, it actually works. And it just got kind of a funny thing to see the kids do that. But to me, it's always great when they do this artifact moment.
Aaron Chapin:
Do you do these digs in the wintertime too?
Jason Baker:
No, it would be really cool to do it. But the kids don't want it in May. They prefer ... In the past, it's been like October, beginning of November. And you think it's cold, yes, it gets cold, but you're out there working, making a sweat, doing this thing, and then if you're doing it at the end of school year around May and you're like, "Oh, it's so hot, Mr. Baker." And they're sweating.
Aaron Chapin:
What was the school district like when you first came to them and said, "Hey, I'd like to start digging up the yard."?
Jason Baker:
They think I'm crazy in every aspect because I've created like 10 different electives. So I did mock trials. I'm a mock trial captain, we compete across the state. I do lots of unique random things. So this one was probably just on par. They're like, "There's another thing he wants to do." Way back when we just had sociology and psychology and then they've added tons since then.
Aaron Chapin:
So you're saying the school district didn't put much of a fuss when you asked them if we could dig up the backyard?
Jason Baker:
No. Yeah, yeah. It doesn't cost them anything. So I guess if I asked for like $10,000 to do it, they'd be like, "No, that ain't going to happen."
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Well, this is a really interesting and unique approach to education. It's great to hear how you are just getting the kids excited about this topic matter. I love it.
Rachael West:
I just love the idea of seeing kids out there doing a dig. As soon as you said, comparing it to Indiana Jones, that was my image of my mind of them or Jurassic Park when the beginning when they're actually out there digging. My son would love this class.
Aaron Chapin:
Imagine you're driving down the road, you see kids out in the school yard just digging away.
Rachael West:
Just digging away.
Aaron Chapin:
Oh my gosh. Well, thanks for being so inspirational to these students. Again, this is why we love this podcast. So look, we have great staff. We have them in, but by far, our office team just loves these teacher and support professional stories because this is what makes our school so special and you're doing a remarkable job. So thank you very much.
Jason Baker:
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.
Aaron Chapin:
No, hey, everybody, we are out of time. So again, thanks to our guest, Jason Baker and thanks to all of you for tuning in. Do you have feedback for us? Maybe you should send us an email. Nobody sends us emails, Rachael.
Rachael West:
I know. I'm a little sad about it. Maybe they should explain to Jeff why he should be here at work.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, they should. We should have people write and complain that Jeff ... No, maybe they're not going to complain though. Maybe you could thank us that Jeff's not here.
Rachael West:
Maybe.
Aaron Chapin:
I know.
Rachael West:
They can give us their opinion either way.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, you got to email us everybody. Come on. You need to entertain us. There's days we're sitting in the office, we really could use an email to make us laugh.
Rachael West:
Absolutely.
Aaron Chapin:
Yes. You got to send us an email to podcast@psea.org. Look, we had contests and nobody even participated in the contest.
Rachael West:
Well, maybe we need to advertise-
Aaron Chapin:
Nobody wanted to have dinner with you and Jeff.
Rachael West:
Maybe it's because you included Jeff. Maybe they should just have dinner with me or maybe me and you. Who knows?
Aaron Chapin:
I don't know. I don't know. I'll think about it for the next podcast.
Rachael West:
Okay.
Aaron Chapin:
I'm Aaron Chapin.
Rachael West:
And I'm Rachael West.
Aaron Chapin:
And you have been listening to Duty Free Lunch. Bye for now.
Voiceover:
You've been listening to Duty Free Lunch with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Visit psa.org/podcast to learn more, and don't forget to subscribe and share. Paid for by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.