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Well, Robert, I can tell you this. When I talked to my daughter
about
energy levels, and Hund's Rule, and such, her comment to me was,
"Well,
wonder why she didn't tell us that?"
So you can talk about us not knowing the "why" of the universal
rules all
you want. I don't pretend to know "why" the universe is as it is.
But I do
know some of the rules, and I can try to explain them as best I
can to a
student. I will NEVER (keyboard isn't broken....all caps on
purpose!) tell
a student "That's just the way it is."
Besides....why try to teach about electron configuration in
Biology class?
Seems there are plenty of topics to cover in that field that she
actually
knew something about. Or should be at least.
Ruth
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Carlson" <Raacc@AOL.COM>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2001 7:16 PM
Subject: Re: Middle School Physical Science Texts: dishonesty
Mark,to be stuck
First, I think you might want to get a new keyboard. It seems
on
all caps.experiments
<< Where did the "general rules" come from? QUANTUM THEORY.
And I suppose these had nothing to do with real data coming from
involving the study of nature's rules. Quantum theory is justso much
mathematical poetry unless it accurately describes nature.That's the way
it
is.THEORY ARE
Do you agree with the rules? YES. THE PREDICTIONS OF QUANTUM
EXTREMELY GOOD.on a black
In other words, they can tell me that a red queen may be placed
king below the aces in solitaire, but not above. They are agood model
for
nature's rules, but if they don't work, then nature still rules.BUT
Can
you explain them to me within any level of why questions? YES,
PROBABLY
NOT AT A LEVEL THAT A MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILD COULD UNDERSTAND.game, be as
Or, will you finally admit that these are the rules of the
they
are? THE POINT IS THAT PROPERTIES OF ATOMS CAN BE UNDERSTOODWITHIN THE
CONTEXT OF A VERY GOOD GENERALLY THEORY THAT REQUIRES A MINIMUMOF
ASSUMPTIONS.Why does
So, if you can explain the rules, then, why is there matter?
matter
attract matter? Why do unlike charges attract and like chargesrepel?
answer, it
<< Even for more basic questions where we don't have a pat
seems toanswer to
me that it would be better to say that "we don't know the
thattell the
question, but you might be the one to find out" rather than to
kidthe correct
that "that's just the way it is".>>
What's wrong with saying, "That's the way it is," if this is
answer? THE STATEMENT IS A TAUTOLOGY. IT CONVEYS NO NEWINFORMATION TO
THE
STUDENT. IF I DIDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION, I WOULDSAY SO TO
THE
STUDENT AND HELP HIM OR HER TO FIND THE ANSWER. FOR QUESTIONSWHERE WE
DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, I'D SAY JUST THAT. THERE IS NOTHINGWRONG IN
LETTING
STUDENTS KNOW THAT THERE STILL ARE OPEN QUESTIONS.If a
There are always open questions. But, not always open answers.
field
goal is worth three points, then it is worth three points. Thatis a rule
of
the game. When the rules are well defined, what's wrong withtelling
students they are well defined?FOR
How do you explain the hydrogen atom having one proton and one
electron? I DON'T. THIS ISN'T THE ONLY STABLE CONFIGURATION
HYDROGEN.
DEUTERIUM (1 PROTON, 1 NEUTRON, 1 ELECTRON) ALSO IS A STABLECONFIGURATION.
proton and one
It's not that you don't explain why a hydrogen atom has one
electron, it's that you cannot explain it. There is noexplanation other
than, this is a rule of nature's game.ignorant
<< The former is a good scientific answer, the latter is just
authoritarianism. But, I'm just being a bit irascible thismorning.>>
but you
Tell me what makes "we don't know the answer to that question,
mightENCOURAGES STUDENTS
be the one to find out" a good scientific answer. IT
TO
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHY THINGS ARE THE WAY THEY ARE.it is).
Why is it better than
saying this is what has been observed in nature (that's the way
SCIENCE IS MORE THAN A COLLECTION OF OBSERVATIONS. CONNECTINGOBSERVATIONS
TO THEORIES HELPS STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ISSYSTEMATIC
BEHAVIOR
IN NATURE.observations. But,
You are correct, science is more than a collection of
not
telling students that the observations are what they are is adisservice.
Theories may not correctly model nature and nature couldn't careless
whether
we understand her. However, if nature says something, thenthat's the way
it
is. Listen to her, and test your models against what she says.figure in a
Also, I don't have any problem with there being an authority
classroom. I certainly hope the teacher is the authorityfigure.
Concerning"intellectual"
the ignorant part, this seems a typical response in the
community as part of an argument. Please explain. IN MY VIEWTHE
TEACHER
NEEDS TO GUIDE STUDENTS TO UNDERSTANDING, AND TO HELP THEMLEARN MORE.
ONE
CAN BE AN AUTHORITY FIGURE WITHOUT BEING AUTHORITARIAN.the
This sounds reasonable. However, I hope you are not considering
biology
teacher that was the topic of this thread a few days ago anignorant
authoritarian simply because she supposedly told a student"That's the way
it
is" in response to an electron configuration. This is unjust.
Bob Carlson