Everyone is still willing to argue that everything's pretty much fine on
the basis of (I'll even give Rick some other science majors) 5% of those
receiving physics instruction become scientists or engineers (when nearly
all of our population for the last few decades have had some physics at
least in jr high, I'd say 5% is generous). And you're ignoring the effect
on the rest of the population. So your contention is supported on 5% of
the output ignoring the other 95%?
Almost all of the responses have focused on the "success" with examples
within this 5%.
So in Rick's words I am "dismiss[ing] the 'practical' accomplishments of
'traditional' instruction by ignoring the products of that instruction" so
in the future we should accept an assertion because in 5% of the cases it
works and 95% it does not? Gee this seems pretty bizzare to me. I don't
think that this would be very convincing in most physics settings, would it?
Just because it also happens in some other subject too, does this make what
we're doing okay?
Apparently, the indication that most students do not do well on something
like the FCI isn't important either. Hmmmm.....
If the fact that the overwhelming end result of physics instruction for 95%
of the students who receive it is dislike, belief that they cannot
understand it, and no evidence of understanding of it (FCI and other tests)
isn't data ("The plural of anecdote is not data!"), then where's the "data"
that says "that rigorous work in problem solving has... sharpened their
critical thinking skills, that they ... have a better understanding of the
physical world than before instruction, that they ... have a better feel
for the methods of science is hardly objective."?
Finally, for now, I'm wondering where the fact that I am pointing to the
failure with the 95% says automatically that I am _also_ referring or
specifically saying failure with the 5%. (I have suggested that the 5%
might be better for a different kind of initial instruction, but have I
specifically said that the 5% are failed too? I don't think so.)
So it's okay then to ignore our effect on the 95%?
;^)
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
"Physical concepts are the free creations of the human mind and
are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external
world."--A. Einstein in The Evolution of Physics with L. Infeld,
1938
"Don't mistake your watermelon for the universe." --K. Amdahl in
There Are No Electrons, 1991.
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