My own experiences as a student in the classroom (powerpoint wasn't de rigueur until a few years ago, by which time I was halfway through grad. school) are slightly contradictory.
In addition to my graduate classes, not a single one of which was taught using powerpoint presentations, I sat in on various undergraduate courses in different disciplines (anthropology, pharmacy, biology, etc.). Most of those *were* taught using powerpoint. This is what I saw: A lot of students, who, because they already had all of the notes printed out or on their laptops, who paid almost zero attention to what was being said, and took no notes. The few who did take notes seemed to do it almost haphazardly, in between checking Facebook pages.
My own opinion is that physics, with its experimental justification and chains of reasoning, just does not lend itself well to powerpoint-style presentations. Those tend to be heavy on the bulleted lists, and weak on the chains. Of course, I have seen some good physics powerpoint presentations: they were, without exception, only a means to get information on the screen, and would have been indistinguishable from an overhead presentation except for the nice typesetting.
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Down with categorical imperative!
flutzpah@yahoo.com
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----- Original Message ----
From: Fink Trevor M <tmfink@ilstu.edu>
To: phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
Sent: Sunday, May 4, 2008 8:07:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Lecture vs Advocacy
As a current student I can tell you that the one most important factor that will help your students learn is your enthusiasm. If you think that what you are teaching is cool, like really and truly FUN STUFF, then it will come through in your voice. Another thing that is evidence of you thinking what you're talking about is cool is when you can come up with real world examples of how it is applied every day. I know this isn't possible with all physics, but if you can explain a phenomenon or an everyday occurrence and make me go, "Really?" then I just bought a ticket to the rest of your lecture...as long as you keep up your energy level. I'm not saying you need to be jumping around, you don't want to be crazy, but talk to me about physics the same way you would talk to me about why your favorite sports team is taking it home this year, or how your dive of the great barrier reef went, whatever gets you pumped! Please keep in mind, it is impossible to
fake this excitement (un
less you're a really talented actor, but lets face it, probably not), so don't try to act excited if you aren't, you'll be pulling the wool over exactly nobody's eyes. Instead, try to get excited about it like you were when you first learned it, remember what that revelation was like and where it led to! One last thing...if you are using overheads when the rest of their teachers are using .ppt presentations it makes you look like you are either lazy or just don't care (and if you don't care then why should I??). This may not be true, maybe you just aren't good with a computer, but not in our eyes, we are stocked full of judgment and ready to give some to you! If you don't know how to make a .ppt then talk to your TA or any of your students...we ALL know how to make one and will probably do it for nominal amounts of extra credit. Before having someone make one, please familiarize yourself with what a good presentation looks like. Ask the students if
there is a prof on c
ampus who usually has good .ppt presentations, sit in and watch a lecture, then go watch one of the normal ones...you'll see the difference. (Colors, movement, videos, etc. vs. Same color, text is plain font, just appears, etc.)
Ok, that was more than my fair share of opinion. Educators of Physics...get PUMPED!!