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: Pedagogy



One concern that I'm sure most of us have with 'working example problems' or
even sending students to their book (or other texts) for worked example
problems is that we know that many, many students then try to memorize the
example problems and solve every other problem they encounter by 'plugging
in' new values to old problem templates. This actually works for the most
part [I'm sure many of us did the same thing back in the dawn of time when
we were faced with an approaching test.] However, we now know that this is
NOT, in general, a good way to problem solve.

It then really is incumbent upon us to try and TEACH problem solving, at
least in the introductory courses. That means concentrating more on general
problem strategies and providing plenty of exercises that don't fit the
'plug & chug' mode. Some texts are getting better at providing such
problems (Hecht has quite a few) and there are problems available from the
Heller's at Minnesota that can be modified for local use that clearly demand
well-tuned problem solving skills.

What I am less certain about, is what one should do in upper level
courses--even graduate courses. I can't offer advice because we teach
nothing here beyond the three basic math levels of intro courses. However,
I can see that in some cases that instructors might deliberately refrain
from presenting 'sample templates', but just as others have said, I can't
believe that these instructors would not deal with students one on one if
they came for help.

Ultimately, there is much to ponder in what said earlier--perhaps in too
harsh terms 'blood sport'. My memories of my undergraduate and graduate
days revolve around being in an empty classroom (we had keys) at 2 AM,
working on problems and literally screaming at each other..trying to defend
our solutions. Of course sometimes, at the end of a shouting match one had
to say 'Uh....never mind!' but that was good too. We weren't plugging and
chugging at that point and we weren't dependent on worked examples. We were
doing physics and solving problems and ultimately being successful at each.

Rick

*********************************************************
Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana
rtarara@saintmarys.edu
********************************************************
Free Physics Educational Software (Win & Mac)
NEW: International Energy Project
energy management simulator
SIMLAB-Pendulum lab simulation
www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
Energy 2100--class project
www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/ENERGY_PROJECT/ENERGY2100.htm
********************************************************


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Edmiston" <edmiston@BLUFFTON.EDU>


We maintain a fairly long bookshelf in our library of "alternative
textbooks." These are textbooks roughly equivalent to the required
text, but not adopted for one reason or another. I often refer students
to these alternative texts so they can find more worked-out examples
than their text contains.