>In international development models of activity, professionals gather up
>the existing information on an area, and use that knowledge to
>collaboratively design intervention-activities
>an academic might gather up the information available on "best" practices,
>that is, look at the contexts where educative practices organize a learning
>environment where students are actively engaged with the production of
>knowledge;
***
I'm currently a graduate student and this message really concerned me. I was
under the impression that the type of participatory, trouble-shooting work
Diane is describing was precisely the goal of educational research of a
particular type -- curriculum and instruction. Was I dreaming? Is the end
of the road different? If this isn't the goal, I think it should be. I'm
currently volunteering at my son's school and using many of these sorts of
skills to help them get wired, and from what I can tell, schools definitely
need to understand their options. I see this as my role -- as both a parent
volunteer, a journalist and an educational researcher.
As for best practices, again, I agree with Diane. Understanding options and
helping teachers, administrators, parents and students create the right
recipe seems to be the wise route. What someone else described as
procriptive versus prescriptive.
Louise Yarnall
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