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Are high school physics teachers qualified without the background?



I responded to a message from a college teacher that effectively stated
that a high school physics teacher needs to have either majored in physics
or taken a lot of physics courses in college to be an effective high school
teacher. Apparently this person was frustrated with the level of physics
students he had in college. To blame poor performance of students in the
university on their poor high school teaching is a bit presumptuous. I also
take exception to insinuating that one who has only had a year of physics
in college cannot be an effective high school teacher in physics. My
reaction was that perhaps the teacher in college try teaching a bit better
instead of simply lecturing. A lot of physics teachers are super without
the strong college background. A lot of poor physics might have all the
background in the world and not be able to get it across.

Mike Monce wrote the following: "Two weeks ago I spent a day in a state
wide meeting between high school and college level teachers to discuss
implementation of national science standards in the state. The morning
session was very useful, the afternoon session eye opening! That session
involved the high school teachers bashing the college personnel about
"lecturing" and not "doing a good job teaching"

Interesting topis.

Bob Blankinship