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Re: [Phys-l] STUDY SUGGESTS NO CHILD LAW MAY BE DUMBING DOWNSTUDENTS



Besides Jack's objections to studies without uncertainties, there is virtually no way any of these 'studies' can control enough of the variables to be meaningful.
Do we have data on students with cell-phones and without? Data on email/messaging/internet usage. Data on parental encouragement or apathy. Data on hours of TV viewing. Data on peer attitudes towards learning? Data on nutrition, sleep, general health? MAYBE--but taken individually, it is terribly difficult to draw meaningful conclusions. All of these COMBINE with what is being taught, how it is being taught, how it is being tested, etc. There is little doubt in my mind that a big factor in what we are seeing in College students today is that there are ever increasing distractions that divert a lot of time away from their studies. Many instructors have all but abandoned the use of homework and rely on in-class exercises to do what should be done outside the classroom. Students are literally spending hours every day on the cell phones, on email/messaging, and sitting in front of the TV. There is also increased pressure to do community service, maybe an overseas experience, to be part of this club, that activity, etc. Fold that into the prevalent attitude that any failure on the student's part is not theirs, but rather the instructor's, and it is not hard to believe that performance is deteriorating. Simplistic answers like too much testing (or too high stakes--although I would prefer higher stakes, but with the consequences firmly on the students), lack of recess (a pitiful one), or the catch all "it's George Bush's fault" (soon to be unavailable), miss the complexity of the interplay of society and technology and the effects on individuals.

Rick
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Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN
rtarara@saintmarys.edu
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Free Physics Software
New lab module--Calorimetry
www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
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----- Original Message ----- From: "Folkerts, Timothy J" <FolkertsT@bartonccc.edu>
To: <alby@bleary-id.co.uk>; "Forum for Physics Educators" <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 1:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] STUDY SUGGESTS NO CHILD LAW MAY BE DUMBING DOWNSTUDENTS


>As a UK resident it's worth pointing out that this comes from
the Daily Mail, possibly the dumbest newspaper available

On the other hand, the Times has a considerably better reputation. ;-)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article721863.ece

Here is a link to a similar article from this more reliable source. And
a Google search showed that the story was covered in several British
newspapers.

Tim Folkerts



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