Re: Jackson on Jackson

["Roger A. Pruitt" <phrp@fhsuvm.fhsu.edu>]

Leigh Palmer wrote:
> > All other factors aside, physics instruction is still failing to reach an
> > unacceptably large number of capable students.

Not all capable students have the interest nor desire to become physics
majors. I had no interest in becoming a physician, a lawyer, or a
multitude of other professional people even though I was capable. Why
should I think in an egocentric way that all capable students should
enjoy physics just because I enjoy it?

Don't we need capable people in other professions? I tell all of my
advisees that they should make their professional choice based on
enjoying the work. They should find a profession where on Sunday they
look forward going to work on Monday, and being sad that on Friday they
have to wait until Monday to get back on the job. Obviously, people who
spend Monday and Tuesday talking about what they did on their past
weekend and the rest of the week planning for the coming weekend aren't
working in the appropriate field.

> I agree with this assessment. I don't know why it is true, but I can't
> do other than expect that our traditional methods are seriously flawed.
> Acknowleging that, what do I think can be done to improve effectiveness?
>
> I just finished grading an exam in introductory E&M. The performance of
> my students was mostly awful. I assigned simple problems which could be
> readily answered using only first principles. All problems were to be
> answered algebraically; no numbers were given.

Leigh, you have been teaching for a number of years. Do you find any
differences in the students now than when you first started teaching?
You apparently are finding what I find that students aren't comfortable
with working through problems algebraically. Our freshman want to
substitute numbers in immediately and then manipulate algebraically
equations loaded with numbers, many of which are in scientific notation.
Fortunately, we are able to work with them and are successful in
converting most of them to solving problems algebraically first, then
substituting numbers at the very end.


> I have just spent a half hour with one of the students who absolutely
> knew nothing about Gauss's Law, judging by what she wrote down on the
> exam (which she flunked). She has evident physics and math anxiety,
> yet after a half hour of one-on-one I think she went away with some
> appreciation of what Gauss's Law is. I've asked her to write up the
> solution to the problem she blew and bring it back (no extra credit).
> Since I also covered exactly the same material in lecture this may
> permit some insight into the relative efficacy of the two methods.

You didn't say if this was E & M in the second semester of the
introductory physics course or the introductory upper division E & M in
the major. If the latter, then she missed the boat in the beginning
course. If this was the beginning course, then you did the correct thing
to work one-on-one with her. Fortunately, in my case I have only 20-30
in the beginning physics course so that I can work one-on-one outside of
class with those that need the help.

> How many Jascha Heifetz would we expect to produce if we lectured to
> violin students instead of giving them individual instruction? Maybe
> physics is more like violin playing than it is like history.

Unfortunately, university administrations will not let us teach this
way. Our administration is constantly looking and the music department
here because of their low productivity caused by their one-on-one
private music instruction.

> Leigh

Roger Pruitt