Re: Why Physics First?

[Hugh Haskell <hhaskell@MINDSPRING.COM>]

At 15:00 -0400 10/10/02, Bob LaMontagne wrote:
> This frightens me. Most elementary teachers not only have incredibly
> poor science
> skills, many are openly anti-science. I've taught evening courses
> for elementary
> teachers who needed science credits - and I've also taught a high
> school physics
> course - I'd rather teach the high school students any day! The
> elementary teachers
> were only interested in getting a passing grade so they could get
> their next pay
> increment. There was no curiosity of any kind - it was just "tell me
> what to memorize
> for the exam". I'm really scared of the idea of these people
> teaching science to
> elementary students - they're far better off waiting until high
> school where the
> science teachers actually have some science in their undergraduate
> course work.
I totally agree with your assessment, and that is why I have been an
advocate of using dedicated science teachers who move from class to
class, even school to school to teach science classes the right way.
It doesn't have to be every day. In the early grades, 2-3 times a
week should be plenty. I believe I have posted a rather lengthy
description of my proposal for proper teaching of science in the
elementary grades to this list, so I don't want to repeat it now. You
can check the archives for it. But I certainly don't want to leave
this task up to the elementary teachers that we are preparing now or
have prepared for the past several decades at least.

Hugh
--

Hugh Haskell
<mailto:haskell@ncssm.edu>
<mailto:hhaskell@mindspring.com>

(919) 467-7610

Let's face it. People use a Mac because they want to, Windows because they
have to..
******************************************************

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.