If you reply to this long (8 kB) post please don't hit the reply
button unless you prune the copy of this post that may appear in your
reply down to a few relevant lines, otherwise the entire already
archived post may be needlessly resent to subscribers.
In response to my post "Another Acerbic Arnold Arons
Anti-Advanced-Agenda Argument" [Hake (2012)], Physoc's Marc Sabb
(2012) changed the subject heading to "Another Acerbic Questioning
of -Advanced-Agenda Argument" and wrote [bracketed by lines "SSSSS. .
. . "; my insert at ". . . . .[[insert]]. . . ."]:
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
On that point I think the heading here is a bit strong in it's
wording so I modified it. . . . .[[What?? And yield to the
anti-alliteration advice of psychologist Donald Zimmerman's
<http://mypage.direct.ca/z/zimmerma/> to "Always assiduously and
attentively avoid awful, awkward, atrocious, appalling, artificial,
affected alliteration" ??]]. . . . I wouldn't think anyone is "anti"
advanced physics (and other sciences) topics in general physics.
I have always mentioned new discoveries that are taking place with
students and devote a few minutes most days to a discussion of them.
. . . . . I had Harrison Schmitt come and give a riveting talk to my
class one time years ago (oddly I could not get very many staff
people interested in attending). I had David Kring (U. Az at the
time) bring in meteorites and my students had the rare joy of holding
a piece of Mars in their hands. I had Carolyn Porco, chief imaging
scientist on Cassini come in and give a talk just after the launch.
And we discuss LHC, LIGO, and inkjet printing of skin, heart valves,
and violins.
Most kids like talking about these things along with black holes and
time travel. But I do not actually teach lessons associated with
these topics. I use them as carrots.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Arnold Arons (1974) in his "Toward wider public understanding of
science: Addendum" had this to say about using advanced topics as
carrots - see the last paragraph:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
My recent article with the above title. . . .[["Toward wider public
understanding of science"]. . . . has elicited a number of
responses, and several of these independently focus on two themes:
(1) that many college teachers do not bring to their grasp of nature
and origin of physical concepts the basic understanding necessary for
the kind of instruction that I advocate, and (2) that many students
are intent on reaching immediately for modern, "exciting," topical
ideas of science and society and its societal impact and are
unwilling to devote the intellectual effort necessary to comprehend
ideas underlying, or preceding, the ones in which they are
"interested."
These are nontrivial questions regarding the validity of positions
advocated in my article, and I would value the opportunity to respond
to them.
I am not as pessimistic as my correspondents seem to be about the
teaching capacity of our colleagues: I am deeply convinced that a
statistically significant improvement would occur more of us learned
to listen to our students. . . . . .Were more of us willing to
relearn our physics through the dialog and listening process I have
described, we would see a discontinuous upward shift in the quality
of physics teaching. I am satisfied that this is fully within the
COMPETENCE of our colleagues; the question is one of humility and
desire.
With regard to the second point raised by my correspondents, I can
only say that I myself have never had the kind of trouble they
describe. It seems to me that troubles with this attitude arise only
when a teacher does not really have the courage of conviction and all
to readily surrenders to specious demand.
For those students who come with an articulate interest in "modern"
theories or ethical and social problems, I see nothing wrong in
starting with a look at the problems that have initially engaged
their interest. As one makes entry into those problems, however, and
finds concepts and ideas that are not understood, he should make the
relevance of the latter compellingly clear and show the students that
intellectual honesty requires going back to the necessary
fundamentals. Otherwise one succumbs to unnecessary superficiality
and dilettantism. In my experience, students have been receptive and
cooperative; they do NOT stubbornly insist on superficial chit-chat
once they see where intellectual integrity lies.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References
which Recognize the Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)
<rrhake@earthlink.net>
Links to Articles: <http://bit.ly/a6M5y0>
Links to SDI Labs: <http://bit.ly/9nGd3M>
Blog: <http://bit.ly/9yGsXh>
Academia: <http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake>
REFERENCES [All URL's accessed on 11 Feb 2011; most shortened by
<http://bit.ly/>.]
Arons, A.B. 1973. "Toward wider public understanding of science," Am.
J. Phys. 41(6): 769-782; online to subscribers at
<http://ajp.aapt.org/resource/1/ajpias/v41/i6>. See also Arons (1974).
Arons, A.B. 1974. "Toward wider public understanding of science:
Addendum," Am. J. Phys. 42(2): 157-158; online to subscribers at
<http://ajp.aapt.org/resource/1/ajpias/v42/i2>.
Hake, R.R. 2012b. "Another Acerbic Arnold Arons Anti-Advanced-Agenda
Argument," online on the OPEN! Phys-L archives at
<http://bit.ly/xIfajw>. Post of 7 Feb 2012 09:29:35-0800 to
Physhare, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, and Physoc.
Sabb, M. 2012. "Another Acerbic Questioning of -Advanced-Agenda
Argument," online on the CLOSED! Physoc archives at
<http://bit.ly/zRRKL5>. Post of 11 Feb 2012 09:13:53+0700 to Physoc.
To access the archives of PHYSOC one needs to subscribe :-(, but that
takes only a few minutes by clicking on <http://bit.ly/dVm2AM> and
then clicking on "Subscribe or Unsubscribe in the right hand
column)." If you're busy, then subscribe using the "NOMAIL" option
under "Miscellaneous." Then, as a subscriber, you may access the
archives and/or post messages at any time, while receiving NO MAIL
from the list!