Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: Physics and the Paideia Process



In his Phys-l post of 4 Feb 2003 21:03:17-0500 of the above title,
Tony Wayne wrote (slightly edited):

"I'm currently taking another "how to educate" class. One of my
assignments is to conduct a Paideia (2003) seminar IN PHYSICS. . . .
does anyone teach a physics lesson involving the Paideia method? If
so what topic do you teach and what resources do you use to
springboard the discussion?"

For suggestions on a Paideia approach to physics teaching see the
comments quoted in Hake (2000), page 55, from John Hubisz's (1999?)
"To Improve the K-12 Physics Curriculum" (my CAPS):

HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ
The AAPT needs to consider capital "P" Physics (natural philosophy)
as a goal for reaching all children. Instead of a collection of
physics courses that some few may take, WE NEED PROGRAM OF PHYSICS
THAT IS A PART OF THE EDUCATION OF EVERY CHILD IN EVERY SCHOOL YEAR.
. . . [see the same point as made by Ken Ford (1989), Hugh Haskell
(2001), and Hake (2002a,b)]. . . Instead of individual courses that
often repeat material at a more sophisticated mathematical level we
should develop a physics continuum of material. . . . . The Paideia
Program is an excellent model of a way to teach this program, but
when it comes to science, the Paideia Program folks need help and we
can provide that help with selected readings from the masters.
Teachers unaware of this approach would do well to read "Reforming
Education" by Mortimer J. Adler . . .[Adler (1977)]. ..Providing
examples of the use of physics in forensic detective work, automotive
applications, archeology, history, sports events, medicine, around
the home, on the job, dispelling pseudoscience, and so on, WILL SHOW
THAT PHYSICS IMPINGES ON THE STUDENTS' DAILY LIVES AND IS VALUABLE
WHETHER OR NOT THEY CHOOSE A SCIENTIFIC FIELD OF STUDY. . . . THE
LARGE UNIVERSITY PHYSICS DEPARTMENTS HISTORICALLY HAVE NOT EMPHASIZED
THE PREPARATION OF TEACHERS. WE MUST IMPROVE THAT SITUATION. The
results of the working conference on "The Role of Physics Departments
in Preparing K- 12 Teachers" . . .(Koch & Fuller 1998). . . should
help us determine a road to travel in this regard.
HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ-HUBISZ

Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
24245 Hatteras Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
<rrhake@earthlink.net>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi>

REFERENCES
Adler, M.J. 1977. "Reforming Education: The Opening of the American
Mind." Macmillan. See also Adler (1982, 1988).

Adler, M.J. 1982. "The Paideia Proposal: An Educational Manifesto" Macmillan.

Adler, M.J. 1988. "The Paideia Program: An Educational Syllabus."
Touchstone Books.

Ford, K.W. 1989. "Guest Comment: Is physics difficult?" Am J. Phys.
57(10), 871-872: ". . . . PHYSICS IS DIFFICULT IN THE SAME WAY THAT
ALL SERIOUS INTELLECTUAL EFFORT IS DIFFICULT. Solid understanding of
English literature, or economics, or history, or music, or biology -
or physics - does not come without hard work. But we typically act on
the assumption (and argue to our principals and deans) that ours is a
discipline that only a few are capable of comprehending. The
priesthood syndrome that flows from this assumption is, regrettably,
seductive . . . If physics is not more difficult than other
disciplines, why does everyone think that it is? To answer
indirectly, let me turn again to English. Six-year-olds write English
and (to pick a skilled physicist writer) Jeremy Bernstein writes
English. What separates them? A long, gradual incline of increased
ability, understanding, and practice. Some few people, illiterates,
do not start up the hill. Most people climb some distance. A few
climb as far as Bernstein. FOR PHYSICS, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE
FASHIONED A CLIFF. THERE IS NO GRADUAL RAMP, ONLY A NEAR-VERTICAL
ASCENT TO ITS HIGH PLATEAU. When the cliff is encountered for the
first time by 16- or 17-year olds, it is small wonder that only a few
have courage (and the skill) to climb it. There is no good reason for
this difference of intellectual topography. FIRST-GRADERS COULD BE
TAUGHT SOME PHYSICS . . . (Hammer 1999). . . , SECOND-GRADERS A
LITTLE MORE, AND THIRD-GRADERS STILL MORE. THEN FOR THE ELEVENTH- OR
TWELFTH-GRADER, A PHYSICS COURSE WOULD BE A MANAGEABLE STEP UPWARD.
Some might choose to take it, some not, but few would be barred by
lack of 'talent' or background." (My CAPS.) For a cartoon version of
the "Ford Ramp" see Hake (2002b).

Hake, R.R. 2000. "Is it Finally Time to Implement Curriculum S?" AAPT
Announcer 30(4), 103 (2000); on the web as ref. 13 at
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake> This paper concerns improving
the education of undergraduate physics majors by instituting a
"Curriculum S" for "Synthesis." But because that's a small part of a
much larger educational problem in the U.S. there's a lot of material
on the reform of P-16 education generally (P = preschool).

Hake, R.R. 2002a. "Physics First: Precursor to Science/Math Literacy
for All?" Summer 2002 issue of the American Physical Society "Forum
on Education Newsletter" Summer 2002; online at
<http://www.aps.org/units/fed/summer2002/hake.html> and as ref. 19 at
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/>.

Hake, R.R. 2002b. "Physics First: Opening Battle in the War on
Science/Math Illiteracy?" Submitted to the American Journal of
Physics on 27 June 2002; online as ref. 20 at
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/>.

Hake, R.R. 2002c. "Re: Socratic Method," post of 14 Nov 2002
14:32:54-0800 to Phys-L, PhysLrnR, Physhare, and AP-Physics; online
at <http://lists.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0211&L=physhare&O=A&P=8821>.

Hammer, D. 1999. "Physics for first graders?" Science Education
83(6): 797-799; online at
<http://www2.physics.umd.edu/~davidham/1stgrdrs.html>.

Haskell, H. 2001. "Re: Physics for Ninth Graders?" Phys-L post of 25
Sep 2001 20:51:32-0400; online at
<http://lists.nau.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0109&L=phys-l&P=R36757>.

Hubisz, J. 1999?. "To Improve the K-12 Physics Curriculum", formerly
at <http://www.aapt.org/>/ "AAPT Planning for the
Future"/"Improvement of K-12 Physics Curriculum" where "/" means
"click on." Today a search of <http://www.aapt.org/> for "Hubisz" and
"To Improve the K-12 Physics Curriculum" yielded no information,
suggesting that Hubisz's article has been removed :-( .

Koch T.C. & R.G. Fuller, eds., PERC 1998: Physics Education Research
Conference Proceedings 1998, online at
<http://physics.unl.edu/~rpeg/perc98/index.html>.

Paideia. 2003. Website at <http://www.paideia.org/>: "PAIDEIA
(py-dee-a) from the Greek pais, paidos: the upbringing of a child.
Paideia schools offer a unique approach to active learning (sic).
Paideia's two-fold goal is to teach all students to think, and to
enable all adults in students' lives to see themselves as life-long
learners. To this end, the Paideia classroom combines three
instructional techniques: didactic instruction, coaching of academic
skills, and Paideia seminar discussion. . . . [called by Adler (1982)
'Socratic Teaching.' The complementarity of Socratic (NOT Platonic as
in the "Meno" - See Hake 2002c), didactic, and coaching instruction
is discussed by Perkins (1992)]. . . . Together, these three types
of instruction have been proven to enhance the literacy, problem
solving, and thinking skills of students at all grade levels and
abilities. Paideia is also known to enhance school climate and
culture, leading to a safer overall environment for learning." See
especially the list of Paideia-related books under "Products."

Perkins, D. 1992. "Smart Schools: Better Thinking and Learning for
Every Child." Free Press, page 55-58. See also page 229: ". .
.today, in the essential schools movement launched by Theodore Sizer
[see Hake (2000) for references], in Mortimer Adler's Paideia
schools, an in other initiatives across the American landscape, we
see students, teachers, administrators, university people, and others
working toward more thoughtful patterns of education and drawing upon
this accumulated savvy.