tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post5350121122971761188..comments2024-03-11T13:47:03.621-05:00Comments on Physics and Physicists: How Not To Teach Physics?ZapperZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861398273820851809noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-58509325739104044442013-01-02T18:54:43.089-06:002013-01-02T18:54:43.089-06:00Most of the "unconventional" teaching st...Most of the "unconventional" teaching styles I've seen are not innovative ways of teaching physical concepts, but rather tricks to get the students to be mentally present and invested in their own education. While these tricks may produce some improvement in junior students who've yet to develop good study habits, I highly doubt they'd have impact on more mature students. Nothing can really replace the structure and mathematical rigour of a well-taught course. It's my opinion, as a student, that a good professor can balance both flavour and rigour. I would have HATED D.R.'s course for lack of organization. <br /><br />I think it's clear that the conventional styles do not appeal much to students who are not the "self-learning" type that D.R. describes. But, the purpose of a degree in physics is to train students for a career that REQUIRES self-learning. The philosophical debate is whether we should subtract from actual course content in order to teach students such proper study habits. I personally feel that these issues are better handled in tutorials and labs where there is more opportunity for interaction between students and the instructor. <br /><br />It's worth noting also that there are some students who are perfectly capable of doing well, but are not interested in putting forth the effort (though for good reason). I'm saying this as the lead TA for a first year chemistry tutorial, in which we challenge students to work together and think about the physical content of the topics in relation to everyday chemistry. The students who are most resistive to discussion are those in non-chemistry related majors who only have to take the course to satisfy a degree requirement. I've been told straightforwardly by a student, "I'm in applied health science; I know I could spend more time on chemistry, but I choose to focus my time on more relevant courses." Professors need to realize this is OKAY. Sometimes the students who are motivated to "self-learn" (usually the majors in the topic) are the most important to reach because they will actually apply the knowledge in the future. <br /><br />In summary, I think the challenge of "getting students to understand the physical content of the topic" is too often confused with "getting students to actually do work". Unconventional teaching methods claim to solve the first problem, but are really solving the second. While they may have merit, if the real problem is properly identified, then conventional solutions can be developed that don't sacrifice actual rigour that the "better" students need.Steve Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15767299905748676344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-47949349538170590962013-01-02T14:14:28.941-06:002013-01-02T14:14:28.941-06:00Having read Rancourt's post, it's really n...Having read Rancourt's post, it's really not possible to tell what kind of class this was intended to be. From his description of the course, it sounds like it was a conceptual physics class - I find it very hard to believe that first-year students taking a class consisting <i>entirely</i> of discussion of interesting everyday phenomena could actually solve problems in the end. Yes, physical intuition and insight are important, but there's a big difference between conceptual knowledge and being able to compute actual physics. That's why people who read popular, vernacular discussions of quantum mechanics differ from those who actually can calculate dipole matrix elements, etc.Douglas Natelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340091255404229559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-59152954683163323272013-01-02T13:04:06.385-06:002013-01-02T13:04:06.385-06:00I agree with most of your points, except your argu...I agree with most of your points, except your argument that the high results of some asian countries in tests show that the traditional method works. There are quite a few educational papers that show that Asian students taught in the traditional "cramming" way, are not good at physics concepts, even though they are very good at solving the physics questions that are usually asked in entrance exams and other exams testing undergraduate level knowledge of physics. Perhaps the best article about this is Kim, Pak, 2002, Students do not overcome conceptual difficulties<br /> after solving 1000 traditional problems, Am J Phys 70(7), 759-765joernwilmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11365230864371301426noreply@blogger.com