The proposed Minnesota social studies standards better prepare students for trivial pursuit, not critically thinking about history, Austin High School teacher Bob Reige said at a hearing on the academic standards being considered by the Minnesota Education Department.

He, along with several dozen people, made complaints, suggestions and comments about the standards for social studies and science that states are required to create by the &uot;No Child Left Behind&uot; law. MDE expects the standards to be approved by 2004 for the 2004-05 school year.

&uot;There’s no rhyme or reason to it,&uot; Reige said of the social studies standards. He said the standards while full of many important facts will only restrict teachers from giving time to more important lessons and subjects. He said the standards left out sociology, psychology, and criminal science.

The hearing was the last of 14 held throughout the state.

&uot;People react to this like it’s concrete. It’s not,&uot; Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke said of the possible standards, before the hearing. She encouraged people to make specific suggestions on the elements of the standards, and told the audience she has heard the &uot;It’s a mile wide and an inch deep&uot; complaints.

But that’s what she got at times as teachers explained the standards requires the expense of new text books, are unnecessary, and require the over haul of already solid lesson plans at the expense of teaching critical thinking skills.

&uot;In order to meet the benchmarks for Academic Standards in Science, fourth grade students will be subjected to the &uot;mile wide, inch deep&uot; method of information. In the Academic Science Standards students will not have the benefit of in-depth investigations, interdisciplinary approaches and authentic assessments,&uot; Jo Cornell, of Mankato Public Schools, read from a colleague’s letter.

Jean Jordan, principal of Lakeview Elementary, remarked that the school district already spent time and money on standards in the mid-1990s which the Legislature voted out recently. She said at the time the standards were being implemented schools were assured they would remain in place.

She suggested that the commissioner not be appointed by the governor so that when a new governor is elected, standards won’t change again, forcing schools once more to redo their curriculums.

Steve Cunningham, a teacher at Albert Lea High School, questioned whether the group devising the standards, most of whom aren’t teachers, understand the constraints of classrooms, and the flexibility needed.

&uot;I think a lot of people think they have the answer because they were in school once,&uot; he said. He said he was relieved that the standards can still be changed.

Many people objected to the standards’ lack of the beliefs of creationism and intelligent design. Yecke said before the meeting that creationism can’t be taught by law, although it can be mentioned as a way of thinking.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock@albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)