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Re: [Phys-l] Time Outside of Class



I wonder what will prevent the anxiety attack on the day of the make-up?

________________________
Joel Rauber
Department of Physics - SDSU

Joel.Rauber@sdstate.edu
605-688-4293



| -----Original Message-----
| From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
| [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf
| Of LaMontagne, Bob
| Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 4:12 PM
| To: Forum for Physics Educators
| Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Time Outside of Class
|
| I just had a parent call me to explain why her son did not
| come to the first exam in my General Physics course here at
| Providence College. She said that he always had anxiety
| attacks on the day of his Physics exams in high school. She
| wanted me to give him a makeup because of his disability.
|
| My first thought: Why is a student who is deathly afraid of
| physics trying to become an engineering major? The Mom
| insists that he LOVES physics and technical courses, he just
| has a strong dislike for math :-(
|
| I am awaiting the call from Students Services telling me that
| I have to accommodate the make-up.
|
| Bob at PC
|
| > -----Original Message-----
| > From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
| > bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of White, Pat
| > Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2007 10:18 PM
| > To: Forum for Physics Educators
| > Subject: 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.
| >
| > _______________________________________________
| > Forum for Physics Educators
| > Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
| > https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l
| >
|
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