From Trowels to Teaching: Public Archaeology and Education

Abstract Archaeology is not new to public education. However, scholars of archaeology education have noted the lack of a systematic approach to the field in the last two decades. In our case study of the Trowels to Teaching Workshop, a five-day professional development program for Maryland K-12 educators conducted in 2025 through the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab at Towson University, we offer a model for embedding archaeology education in existing applied archaeology programs in the academy. The workshop combined hands-on field and laboratory training, collaboration with Indigenous representatives from the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and the Pocomoke Indian Nation, and active participation by undergraduate student employees who both learned and taught archaeological skills. Formal pre- and post-assessments demonstrated significant learning gains among participating teachers, including increases in archaeological knowledge, confidence in lesson design, and awareness of descendant perspectives. The outcomes highlight how applied archaeology programs in universities can integrate teacher professional development into existing research, provide undergraduates with transformative teaching experiences, and deepen collaborations with descendant communities.