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Re: [Phys-l] Time Outside of Class



Hi
I agree that we do get our joy's with the ones that change their lives. This year I have come across an extraordinary thing. At my school the students are not allowed to drop classes after they have begun. Three of my students have found that if they get their parents to bring them to the doctor and he writes a note that my class is to stressful for their mental well being they can drop it. Can you believe parents will stoop to this level. By the way all three where passing my class at the time of the drop, they just where not getting "A's".

Patricia L. White
Physics/Chemistry Teacher
Manchester Twp. High School
101 S. Colonial Dr.
Manchester, NJ 08759
pwhite@manchestertwp.org
732-657-2121

________________________________

From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu on behalf of Rauber, Joel
Sent: Wed 2/21/2007 12:09 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Time Outside of Class




Rick T. Wrote in part:
|
| OK--we now see ALL that you do (have downloaded your quizzes
| and will have a look). Here is the next question--one for
| all (I think). Does anyone else worry that this much formal
| structure may actually hurt students later on in their
| studies, or even later on in life, when they have courses or
| work that requires significant new learning and they have to
| do it on their own?

Yes, Me.

|Is all this structure we are seeing in
| PER courses, all the inside of class work that used to be
| outside of class work, preparing students to be life-long
| learners?

A colleague of mine, a music professor expressed similar reservations,
he used to refer to this as the baby-bird feeding method of instruction.
Going over the material in little pre-digested bits and pieces. Despite
all the rhetoric about developing problem solving skills, independent
thinking, life-long learning skills; the actual praxis appears often to
do the opposite.

|I honestly don't know, but my instincts give me serious
| doubts. Is the 'need' for all this structure a reflection
| on student
| preparation or on students' lack of taking responsibility for
| their own learning, or both, or neither?

IMHO, both!

I'd add an important also, it's a lack of our collective responsibility
as the educators in our society. I try not to blame the students for
not taking responsibility and trying to get away with "stuff" in their
studies, students have always tried to do that since pre-history. Its
more the fault of the education establishment for not holding them to
the standards of taking that responsibility for learning.

I believe one teaches responsibility by giving responsibility; and
allowing the people given the responsibility to screw up. That is, you
have to be willing to let people fail and make mistakes. And there has
to be real consequences . . . E.g. lowered grades without extra credit
to make it up as if it didn't happen, etc etc etc

One nice things about high school and college is that it is a place
where you can make screw-up and not have it permanently ruin your
existence (in general); unlike screwing up responsibility given in the
workplace. One can retake that physics course you got an F or D in. At
our school the most recent instance of a course replaces the transcript
grade of previous instances in GPA calculations; for example. You can
usually get into some sort of college or vo-tech program after messing
up your academics in high school and thereby improve your situation with
sincere effort.

One of my favorite examples early in my career was a non-trad student,
about 28, who was coming back to college after flunking out as a
sophomore and having a career for about 6-8 years as a guitarist in
regional band. Marriage and children were a major cause in coming back
and deciding to become a physics major.

This guy wasn't the brightest student in my introductory classes, but he
consistently gave the best performance on my tests; back before they had
become watered down. The student put in the work to learn the material.

I'm sure most of you have your own favorite examples. They are part of
the "joy" one gets as an educator.

Joel R.

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