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Why care?



From: Leigh Palmer <palmer@SFU.CA>
Subject: Textbook goofs
[...snip...]
Given my belief that no one reads the textbook, why should I
care that they don't seem to learn?

At the risk of answering a rhetorical question...

We must care because it is that which matters most.

On this list there is frequent evidence that good teachers have different conceptions about fundamental notions in our field. Our differing conceptions just point to the fact that teaching is a messy, inexact business. And it is messy for many more reasons than just the limitations in our understanding of the topic. Not least among these reasons are our personal insecurities and those of our students. Our job to break down the communication barriers created by our insecurities is more important than whether we teach the Work-KE theorem "correctly" or not. Don't get me wrong debates over concepts and semantics are important. However, caring about our students, and specifically whether they learn, must come first.

I met a woman this past weekend who told me her horrible experience in introductory physics. We have all heard similar stories I'm sure. She liked the topics and worked hard, but never got much out of the class. The professor simply filled the board with equations each lecture, and showed no interest in whether the students were comprehending him. Who knows, the professor may have explained every topic without making a single mistake. But I do know that his inability or unwillingness to show that he cared was a real hindrance to this woman's learning.

For those interested in learning how to inject more humanity into their teaching, may I suggest Parker Palmer's book "The Courage to Teach".

Rob

**********************************************
* Rob Davies, Ph.D.
* Lecturer and Laboratory Manager
* University of Denver
* Department of Physics and Astronomy
* Denver, CO. USA
* rodavies@du.edu
**********************************************