Re: Projectile Motion

[Jack Uretsky <jlu@HEP.ANL.GOV>]

I agree with Jim (for once) and disagree with Rick.  You want to teach
concepts, so discuss concepts, demonstrate concepts, ask about concepts.
The math stuff comes later because otherwise it is a complete distraction.

In other words, spend classtime developing the knowledge that you want to
see in test answers.
                                        Regards,
                                                Jack


On Mon, 23 Sep 2002, Rick Tarara wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim Green" <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>
>
>
>
> > 1) Don't scream.
> >
> > 2) Don't give them a formula sheet.  If you do, they will figure that the
> > physics in on the sheet rather than in their heads -- not just your
> > students do this -- all students do this -- at least the algebra class
> does
> > this -- they spend the night before the test cramming and memorizing and
> > think they understand the physics.   Physics is conceptual not
> > mathematical.  In class ask them conceptual questions -- give multi-part
> > questions of the test and start with a conceptual question of two then ask
> > for  a calculation.
> Let them have a 'cheat sheet' but let them make it up themselves.  Collect
> these after the test and forbid the inclusion of sample problems on the
> sheets.  This eliminates the 'memorize the formulas' mode of cramming.  They
> will still try to memorize all their homework and all the example problems,
> but you need to be explicit that this will NOT really help--then the hard
> part--write exam problems where it won't.  Stress that you want them to be
> able to apply the knowledge on their cheat sheets to NEW situations as will
> be defined in the test problems.  It helps if they have done homework
> problems that can't be boiler-plated from examples in the book.
>
> Rick
>
> *********************************************************
> Richard W. Tarara
> Professor of Physics
> Saint Mary's College
> Notre Dame, Indiana
> rtarara@saintmarys.edu
> ********************************************************
> Free Physics Educational Software (Win & Mac)
> www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
> NEW:  Mac versions of Lab Simulations
> ********************************************************

--
        "What did Barrow's lectures contain?  Bourbaki writes with some
scorn that in his book in a hundred pages of the text there are about 180
drawings.  (Concerning Bourbaki's books it can be said that in a thousand
pages there is not one drawing, and it is not at all clear which is
worse.)"
                                        V. I. Arnol'd in
                                Huygens & Barrow, Newton & Hooke