You'd be surprised how many students have never cut up a caribou or cut up a seal, or have ever heard of igunaq. In addition to an overview of relevant scientific terms, the new curriculum places emphasis on how igunaq is made and invites students to compare the process with other types of ripened foods, such as cheese and yogurt. We're trying to show a model of how things can be done successfully in the North. The new curriculum's promoters have been somewhat less successful getting the resources out to teachers. Although the material is currently available on computer disk, Lloyd suspects the fact that it doesn't exist in book form yet may present a formidable obstacle.
Teachers are like any other person.
Our next step is to get this out to the teachers and say, 'Hey, we've been working on this, we've been trying to get it to you. Now we're really going to show you how we'd like to see it pursued. In developing the new curriculum, Lloyd said the committee tried to keep in mind the peculiar challenges facing educators in Nunavut. Helpful to teachers Teachers likely to gain the most from the new resources, Lloyd said, would be those who are relatively new to the North, and those who have limited science teaching experience. Last week, Douglas presented Lloyd and the Baffin Science Committee with a special award in recognition of their work.