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[Phys-L] Re: In the Private Universe



I see your point, but reading a VCR manual is much easier than a student
reading/understanding a physics text for a potential grade. You can't
compare the two.

Forum for Physics Educators <PHYS-L@list1.ucc.nau.edu> on Wednesday,
February 23, 2005 at 6:12 PM -0500 wrote:
|
| Reading is certainly important. I think we all agree on the
| historical signifcance of the printed text. However like all
| skills and strategies, the fact that it works well for some
| things does not imply that is works well for all. In science
| it certainly works to provide a posterior foundation, to
| codify the canon, so to speak. But that does not mean that
| one can learn well from it.
|

One of the points I'm making isn't whether or not one can learn well
from reading, its that it is a necessary skill for educated person and
one that is necessary to function in many contexts.

E.g. I'll need to be able to read the manual for my VCR in order to know
how to set the time function on it. The fact that I am able to read and
learn from a very technical source of printed material, i.e. the manual
(which may be read over the web, there is nothing magical about paper)
enables me to prevent the blinking time light on my VCR.

If I don't have that skill, blink blink blink

And certainly one of the goals of education is to impart that skill upon
the tabula rasa,

At least I hope that that is one of the goals of the eduation of my
daughter.

Joel R