Posted by: Dean Fink Posted on: May 17, 2001 at 9:48 PM Message: Hi Jane I was attracted to your poster by the title Honor Teachers (we Canadians put a 'u' in there -It's our British heritage). I think you have captured a key to sustaining change that does not come through in many posters. Too often project directors assume they know the answers and often forget to ask the questions. Teachers like student construct their understandings based on age , gender, ethnicity etc.. I'd be interested in how you 'managed meaning ' with your teachers. Many 'hands -on' programs tend to become 'activity traps' -activity for the sake of activity. People bring different 'meanings to a change. How do you ensure that the activities have some meaningful purpose? Were you able to address this issue? You mentioned the possiblity of a separate science teacher etc, would this not further fragment the overall elementary program. Science, from my reading seems to be moving into much more interdisciplinary directions rather than building parapets around it. Finally, how does your inquiry approach square with the reductionism of standardized tests, or are you lucky enough to live in a state that doesn't experience this plague (at least 'foot and mouth can be eradicated - maybe we could burn all the test producers). Thanks for sharing your work I enjoyed it. Dean

Further Replies or Comments:

• Honoring teachers - Jane Hazen Dessecker