Re: physics final project

["J. Green" <green320@RCN.COM>]

> I cannot agtee that high school courses should always be "fun".
> Real enjoyment comes when a student is able to overcome
> obstacles and succeed in mastering something that may
> seem to be difficult, or almost impossible, at first.
>
> Students who go through high school having nothing
> but fun are in for a rude awakening when they encounter their
> first rigorous course in college or the demands of their
> first meaningful job afterwards.
I'm not saying you should reduce the course material to a game, or turn the
class into a party.  I'm not saying that learning can't be accomplished
without it being entertaining.  In this situation, look at who makes up the
class.  I know students who have turned away from physics because they saw
it as a painful subject with no interesting aspects.  I thought the reason
for a "physics first" class was to create interest.  I think a class with no
final exam removes credibility from a class.  I also think that a four hour
final could kill any interest a 10th grader might have.
One reason I studied physics is that I enjoyed it.  That didn't come from
the satisfaction of success on a four hour test.  That came from the subject
itself, which was brought to life with demonstrations.  If I can't see a use
for something in the real world, I tend to lose interest rather quickly.

Is the point to increase interest in, and understanding of physics?  Leave
the four hour tests for physics majors, let the teenagers see what physics
really is.

J. Green