Docent Portal

Welcome DHS Docents!

As our docent program evolves, this site will be a resource for docent trainings, educational programming, and any DHS tour changes. This is our 'go to' spot for anything related to the Detroit Historical Societys volunteer docent program. Please scroll down and check out some of the great resources created by our team. After checking the page out, if you have a moment please fill out a brief survey!

Online Docent Schedule

Our online docent schedule has our current schedule in two month increments and is updated with the following month on the 25th (or there about)!
As a reminder the online calendars are working documents. They're updated as tours are booked, so check back every two weeks for more touring opportunities!!
If you have any schedule changes, or you would like to be automatically signed you up for specific days and times, please contact Bree at (313) 833-1419 or breeb@detroithistorical.org

Touring Dates for March and April are online NOW!

Training Materials

Our education department is in the process of creating training modules for new and current docents! These modules have been created with the intent of helping filter what content to include on docent tours as volunteers continue to learn about our museums.

All our current modules and quizes can be found here!

**Note: The education department will strive to upload one module a month**

Current tour outlines can be downloaded below:
Dossin Tour Outline
Detroit Historical Museum Historical Perspectives Tour Outline
Detroit Historical Museum Memories & Moments Tour Outline

Literature for other DHM galleries:

Brief summary of Detroit's musical history : Detroit's Musical heritage Summary
Summary of educational points and 'take aways' from the Kid Rock Music Lab: Educational 'Take Aways' One Pager

Watch our Presenting the Artifacts Mini-Series Now!!

This idea was created to help all volunteers of the museums better understand Detroit's stories and why they matter. This mini series explores the knowledge that our current volunteer core has about our artifacts, galleries, and the museums in general! Be sure to check to our YouTube channel for all episodes past and present!

Current Episodes (with links to watch):

Episode 1 • Kresge Store • Todd Jackson •

Episode 2 • Founding Animal • Andy Wilson •

Episode 3 • 1840's Print Shop • Ralph Rinaldi •

Episode 4 • DGLM Pilot House • Frederic Steiner •

Episode 5 • 1900's Pharmacy • Ted VanBuren •

Join us for our Fall 2018 Volunteer Enrichment series!

October 15^th at 10:00 a.m. Curator Chat: Dining on the Inland Seas Dossin Museum

Join us as Joel Stone talks about our Dining on the Inland Seas exhibit. He will dive into the history of luxury travel on the Great Lakes and discuss this one-of-a-kind collection of opulent culinary artifacts that mark the elegance of steam travel throughout the region

November 19^th at 10:00 a.m. Descending from the Clouds DHM Auditorium

Join us, as Steve Mrozek, retired US Army Paratrooper, discusses the history of American airborne forces. This presentation will take a close look at the early historical development of the parachute and its military implications on the battlefield. We'll have several examples of military parachutes with explanation of how they work. We'll learn what it takes to put "your knees to the breeze"!

December 17^th at 10:00 a.m. Hot Time in the Old Town DHM Gallery of Culture

At the turn of the last century, scandal broke out across America’s dancefloors, as rhythms of Ragtime infected and shocked the world. Join us as Kayla Chenault, School Enrichment Coordinator, and her dance partner, Daniel Wiland, chart the history of music and dance in the first parts of the 20th century with demonstrations of dances such as the cakewalk, the grizzly bear, the black bottom, and the castle walk.

Enrichments will resume February 2019

Did you know we offer Docent Trainings? Check out our past and future meetings!

NEXT MEETING: Fall 2018

Previously discussed the Art of Asking Questions - Inquiry-based learning is a preferred learning theory used in classrooms across the US. Reviewing how we ask students and the visiting public allows visitors to make their own personal connections to the exhibits and artifacts we're discussing. Remember we don't want to be an avalanche of information. By asking questions we can provide the information the group is interested in hearing.

We also reviewed the Docent Do's and Don'ts for our DHS docent core. This covers just a few reminders of how we should be conducting ourselves in the galleries and with the public.

Introducing Touring Cue Cards!!

In the coming weeks our education team will be piloting the use of cue cards for our touring docents. It is our hope that with the use of these cards we can prevent, tour back ups, ensure we are going to the correct gallery spaces and more!
Since we are piloting this please, be sure to contact me with your thoughts, hopes or suggested changes as we head into our busiest tour season.