Smithsonian Offers Online Exhibit on Teaching Math and Science in the Age of Sputnik

September 28, 2007

In recognition of the dramatic changes that occurred in U.S. education half a century ago, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History has developed an online exhibit called "Mobilizing Minds: Teaching Math and Science in the Age of Sputnik." It offers a glimpse of the artifacts and educational technology that came into use in the United States after the Soviet Union orbited the first satellite.

What happened on Oct. 4, 1957, forced a change in the way science and mathematics would be taught in the U.S. — inside and outside its classrooms. Reform in the teaching of physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, and mathematics required new school books, materials, and lab equipment.

As described in the exhibit, parents also played a role. They bought children A.C. Gilbert chemistry sets, Digi-Comp mechanical computers, and anatomical models like "The Visible Man." With aid from the federal government, schools obtained apparatus for teaching, from Cuisenaire rods to molecular models to giant slide rules. Teams of scientists and teachers wrote new textbooks, with related films and equipment. The online exhibition features some of these objects as well as Sputnik-era lunch boxes, children's books, music and video clips.

The exhibit is divided into the following units: "The Cold War and Sputnik"; "Excitement"; "Reform"; "Teaching Mathematics and Science in the Home"; "Techniques of Learning—Novelty and Diffusion"; and "Curricula—Novelty and Diffusion." It also offers references and links for further information.

Source: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History