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One teacher's agenda for a class visit to an interactive science center
Author(s) -
Lucas Keith B.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/1098-237x(200007)84:4<524::aid-sce6>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - center (category theory) , class (philosophy) , psychology , mathematics education , pedagogy , science education , sociology , computer science , chemistry , artificial intelligence , crystallography
Abstract This article reports on the agenda of an exemplary teacher as she planned for and implemented a visit to an interactive science center by her class of 12‐year‐old boys. Pre‐visit preparation involved the students in the creation of a mini‐science center in their classroom, and spanned almost a full term. The students appropriated their teacher's agenda, which was that they exploit the unique facilities of the center to learn about science and technology, and to have fun in so doing. Post‐visit activities and reflections on the visit by the teacher and six of the students are discussed, and suggest that the outcomes were largely in accord with the teacher's agenda. During the visit, a critical episode involving the teacher, several of the students, and two of the center explainers occurred, and this episode serves to illustrate some consequences for outcomes when there is a lack of congruence between the agendas of key stakeholders involved in such a visit. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 84: 524–544, 2000.