Re: ?????????

["Fred Bucheit" <fbucheit@oak.kcsd.k12.pa.us>]

> > I asked, in a Conceptual Science course for non-science majors, "who
can
> > explain changing shapes of the moon to a child?". Nobody raised the
hand.

       I am not at all surprised at this. Because of the nature of testing
and because of the enormous amount of *information* we think we must impart
to students, we end up treating students like parrots.  We have students
name the phases of the moon on a test. Who has time, or will take the time,
to EXPLAIN or DEMONSTRATE how two spheres revolving around each other
illuminated by a third, distant sphere interact. What teacher asks a
student to EXPLAIN  something on a test. 
     Those who promote the teaching of Science primarily  through
mathematical modelling are responsible for this result. There is no time
left for physical or conceptual modelling. Only a tiny fraction of 1% of
people see any meaning in a mathematical model. Yet it is the PRIMARY
teaching method used in many science courses. 

Fred Bucheit

Nothing has meaning except in relation to something else...including phases
of a moon.