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-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
[mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf
Of Shapiro, Mark
Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 4:13 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Mary Burgan's Defense of Lecturing
I've used both lecturing and more active teaching methods.
The active methods produced slightly better results, but the
major problem these days is not the teachers, it's the
learners. They no longer seem to be willing to expend any
time studying.
I've just retired after 36 years of teaching. This past
semester I taught two sections of an introductory physics
sequence with calculus along with two active learning type labs.
Most of my students were taking 9 or more semester units of
science and math classes. I emphasized that they needed to
put in at least 3 hours of study for every hour in class.
However, when I surveyed the classes during the semester I
found that no student was spending more than 10 hours a week
TOTAL studying for ALL their classes.
Unless students are willing to expend a reasonable amount of
effort on learning, nothing we do with regard to teaching
techniques will help much.
Mark
Dr. Mark H. Shapiro
Professor of Physics, Emeritus
California State University, Fullerton