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Re: Thinking Level of students



Hi all-
Do you believe everything you read? Think about these purported
research results. Is the proposition that the research purportedly "show"
one that is logically provable?
Regards,
Jack
Who grew up with the Buck Rogers map of the solar system on his
bedroom wall.

On Sat, 8 Sep 2001, John Clement wrote:

The fact that the information is in the syllabus does not mean that they are
capable of understanding that material. The recent article in Sept Physics
Today gives the references to the research that shows that below 5th grade
students are not capable of understanding the elementary astronomy ideas.
Meaning 2 and 3 are exactly right. The usual lecture method does not
promote conceptual understanding as the research shows.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l@lists.nau.edu: Forum for Physics Educators
[mailto:PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu]On Behalf Of John S. Denker
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 7:07 PM
To: PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu
Subject: Re: Thinking Level of students


At 12:09 PM 9/8/01 -0700, Wes Davis wrote:
Many - if not most - of my college astronomy students are
unable to form
a mental picture of the relationship between the earth, sun and moon.

That statement is hard to interpret without some more details, some more
context.

I assume we talking about
A) the basic new moon / 1st quarter / full moon geometry,
as opposed to
B) lunar nodes, pairing of eclipses, and the Saros

Even under this assumption, is the message that:
1) They weren't born knowing it, and can't picture it until it has been
covered in class?
2) The picture doesn't "stick" even after it has been covered in class
in the usual way?
3) They are intrinsically unable to grasp it, no matter how it
is taught?
4) They can't do it quickly using mental images alone, even though they
could manage if given more time and/or pencil&paper and/or props
to work with?

Those are very, very different meanings.

======================

I would find meanings (2) and (3) quite shocking. Even meaning (1) would
be alarming. Geometric relationships in general, and the earth/moon/sun
geometry in particular, is commonly introduced in 2nd grade, and students
are expected to (mostly) "get it" by 3rd grade or 4th grade. (You can
confirm this by using google to find a bunch of 3rd-grade syllabuses. I
also checked with someone who teaches 3rd grade and has advanced training
in developmental psychology.)

Meaning (4) would be no surprise -- and no problem.

Bottom line: I don't understand what the point is.....



--
Franz Kafka's novels and novella's are so Kafkaesque that one has to
wonder at the enormity of coincidence required to have produced a writer
named Kafka to write them.
Greg Nagan from "The Metamorphosis" in
<The 5-MINUTE ILIAD and Other Classics>