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Re: [Phys-l] Student engagement



See below
Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556

On Dec 7, 2009, at 11:38 AM, LaMontagne, Bob wrote:

To me, grammar school, and to some degree high school, is a place to gain skills - like reading, writing, music, mathematics - that can be used later when the mind is ready to "think". I see little benefit from young students performing "discovery labs" or using other techniques promoted by PER. In fact I think that any science education in elementary school is a complete waste (overeducation).
There is a growing set of data that strongly suggests that student centered guided inquiry using notebooks as scaffolding produces significant gains in learning. You need to look at the data.

The basic skills are far more important and are useful to almost everyone, regardless of whether they pursue a college education later in life or are part of that minority that pursue science as a career. I look to Louis deBroglie, the creator of wave mechanics, as a model. His basic training was in the humanities (his degree was in history) - yet he was able to make the transition to physics as his interests changed because he had the capacity to think. The exact subject matter in his early education was irrelevant.
I'd be very interested in the reference for this claim about deBroglie...both as the creator or wave mechanics and that his early education contained no science. I don't think that was case for the early grade in 19th century France, but I could be wrong.

So once again, we need to look at the data.

joe