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Re: What Flows?




1. At some particular level, it is often the case that more than one
description of a phenomenon or class of phenomena will work equally well.
Isn't it a waste of time to argue over points until we decide what level
students we are talking about and have some realistic idea what their
experience and initial conceptions are? It is entirely possible that for
many students at the introductory level the points we argue are esoterica
with no logically necessary basis in _their_ experience with the phenomena
(including what we show them in class). Hence, the relevance and
significance will not be meaningful at all.

Insisting that our students accept a more complicated explanation for their
experiences than their experiences (including those we provide in class)
'logically demand or support' is a kind of training which is _exactly the
opposite_ of what we wish, namely: accept this more complicated explanation
for which you can see no logical requirement because We say it is True.
So, whether they are non-science majors or they are physics majors, this,
it strikes me, is not something I, and I hope others, would ever want a
part of.

2. Do we have _any_ justification for being so arrogant as to insist that
we are so absolutely in the possession of Truth that we can take the
responsibility of dictating language and "stamping" what we do not like
out? The history of physics certainly does not justify such a position.

3. Do we have _any_ evidence that the insistence on using particular words
has any significant effect on the thinking of any significant number of our
students concerning the nature of the phenomena? This has been advocated
and practiced many times before, but one could argue that what we
accomplish is turning people off to us and our profession more than
instilling in them any of our 'Truth.'

4. 'We' seem to be talking as if by using the "Right' words, the correct
and 'True' meaning will automatically be available to all who hear them. I
don't know of any evidence that supports this.

Just my $0.02 worth. Just trying to understand why physics teaching is
such a spectacular failure when we try to look for conceptual change as a
result of physics teaching.
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AMEN! AMEN!

I know that many of us (I've said this before) would be subject to the same
criticisms if we were to get outside of our own areas of expertise. My
guess is that most of us would be terribly inconsistent (wrong?) if we tried
to sort out the distinctions among analogies, metaphors, similes, etc in
English literature. If an English major gets all hot under the collar and
yells at the computer monitor because some of his or her colleagues just
don't seem to get it right, do I really care? I'm with Rick Tarara. I'll
live with a dose of ambiguity if it helps me see the basic concept. I'll
deal with the subtleties later when the need arises.

I often tell my students, "You can live a full and fruitful life without
knowing this!" And I believe it. Let's turn our students off by being
TOO picky over points that may not be worth it in the long run. Pick your
battles carefully. You can't (and maybe shouldn't) win them all.

Peace.

Van
Dewey I. Dykstra, Jr. Phone: (208)385-3105
Professor of Physics Dept: (208)385-3775
Department of Physics/SN318 Fax: (208)385-4330
Boise State University dykstrad@varney.idbsu.edu
1910 University Drive Boise Highlanders
Boise, ID 83725-1570 novice piper
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Van E. Neie ven@physics.purdue.edu
Purdue University
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