Re: [Phys-L] Reading Logs -- and Textbook Comprehension

[Rick Nelson <rnelson696@gmail.com>]

For a quick exercise in why students cannot read science textbooks with
comprehension, try blog posts 3 and 4 at:

http://chemreview.net/blog/?p=65

Also see the short and inexpensive paperback "The Knowledge Deficit" by
E. D. Hirsch.

What reading comprehension studies say is: To read with
comprehension (and to answer questions on a well-structured topic
intelligently), first you need to memorize extensive background  on the
topic.
Science says that beyond the data in a problem, you can only reason with
elements of knowledge
that are well-organized in long-term memory.

The blog post may (or may not) demonstrate this.

-- rick nelson