Who are we helping...II

["Dewey Dykstra, Jr." <dykstrad@varney.idbsu.edu>]

Jim Green wrote:

> Folks, I have read Dan's paper and I can give it the strongest
> recommendation -- despite his misuse of the four letter word "heat" (:-) --
> he just simply refuses to listen to reason. (:-)  The graphical
> demonstration of T#2 is quite powerful and the classroom materials suggested
> seem very useful.  Teachers all, take a good look,  Jim Green

It's good to hear a recommendation and that there are people trying to make
a fresh look at the teaching of 'thermo' to physics majors.  I'm glad that
Dan and Tom and others are working on this.

BUT...what about the rest of us...?

I don't see anything in what Dan describes that appears appropriate for
anything other than Junior level physics majors.  A number of us who
participate in these discussions do not teach Junior level physics majors.
We teach students who are either not there yet or will never be there.  In
fact we teach the more than 100 times more students who will never be there
and the teachers of those students.

What about the rest of the students?...

I wonder what percentage of all of the discussions of issues of teaching
physics on Phys-L have actually still been attending to issues of
non-physics majors' learning at the time they 'finished'.  My impression
over the years is the percentage is very small.  Going through the whole
Phys-L archive from its start to investigate this issue could make a
fascinating study.  I can think of several major discussions that actually
started with a question that had arisen directly from the teaching of
non-science majors and ended with a 'solution' or discussion on at least
the calc level of intro physics, never having really addressed at the end
the original question considering the actual level of students in which it
arose.

It appears that in the end it may be that we never really deal with the
issues of non-physics majors learning; the discussions always seem to move
away from this sooner or later (mostly sooner is my impression).  Yet,
these non-physics major students, that we and the teachers we teach teach,
comprise more than 100 times the number of physics majors.  What should
this 'picture' be telling us?

Are we going to continue to leave decisions about the teaching of a
majority of these students to others?  Sure makes it easier to stand around
and complain and pontificate?   ;^)

Just wondering...

Dewey

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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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