Partners in Process: How Museum Educators and Classroom Teachers Can Create Outstanding Results

Collaborative processes by nature are not neat and tidy; and if mismanaged, they can lead to chaos rather than creative productivity. However, when a museum and a group of teachers establish a respectful peer community that maximizes all the members talents, truly impactful teaching and learning result. This article analyzes the Great Chicago Stories project, a partnership among the Chicago History Museum, sixteen teachers, and other stakeholders, as a model to examine the challenges and rewards in developing, implementing, and evaluating shared projects.