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Re: Problem solving or playtime?

Hi Cindy-
You write:
I am a second year high school physics teacher and I recently had an
evaluation conversation with my boss and it was suggested that I get
away from using the textbook. There are those that feel that classtime
should be spent on more outside activities and labs and computer work.
I agree that all of these things are very important, but I also know as
an undergraduate physics major that students need to know how to solve
problems. I can take my student's high school text and my freshman
college text and the two compare very closely. Why then would I want
to spend more time away from the text? I would like to hear your input
whether you are a high school teacher or a college professor.

Your observation that your high school text and your university
text "compare very closely" practically answers you own question. So
pretend, for a moment, that you're teaching the university course and
ask yourself "What experiences do I wish my students to have had before
I they came to me?" Then design a course that gives your high school
students those experiences.
I don't know where the idea came from that there is a "standard
introductory physics course", be it in high school or college, that
provides a student's proper introduction to physics. The idea seem
to be uniquely North American, but, like influenza, it is unfortunately
catching on worldwide. I recently compared notes with one of my
colleagues, a world-class physicist whose early education was Australian
(Adelaide). He had four years of physics (and four years of chemistry)
in high school. Each year was a complete introductory course; successive
years were each respectively narrower and more intensive. There were,
thus, four years to develop intuition and experience to enable physical
thinking. Why should we be chagrined that U.S. students, without such
preparation, act lost when confronted with a university level physics
course in high school?
Regards,
Jack