One teacher's agenda for a class visit to an interactive science center

This article reports on the agenda of an exemplary Leacher as she planned t or and Implemented a visit to an interactive science center by her class of 12-year-old boys. Pn-visit preparation involved the students in the creati on of a mini-science center in their classroom, and spanned almost a full t erm. The students appropriated their teacher's agenda, which was that they exploit the unique facilities of the center to learn about science and tech nology. 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 sugg est that the outcomes were largely in accord with the teacher's agenda. Dur ing the visit, a critical episode involving the teacher, several of the stu dents, and two of the center explainers occurred, and this episode serves t o illustrate some consequences for outcomes when then is a lack of congruen ce between the agendas of key stakeholders involved in such a visit. (C) 20 00 John Wiley & Sons. Inc.