Re: Is competence in physics as a requirement for teachers of physics?

["Donald E. Simanek" <dsimanek@eagle.lhup.edu>]

On Sat, 8 Nov 1997, Hugh Haskell wrote a great posting with lots of
insights and food for thought, and especially well-written to boot. I
regretfully cut all but this:

> But someone who knows nothing of a subject, regardless of their ability
> at pedagogy, is doomed.  They won't be able to answer questions, and it
> will be obvious to the students that they don't know the subject. 

This touches upon an issue we've seen little mention of here in the
discussion of what makes a good teacher. That is the ability to earn
student's respect for the teacher's understanding and intellect. The
student who must frequently say "I don't know" and furthermore
demonstrates that he or she "can't find out" soon loses that respect. Of
course somehow teachers must communicate to students that some questions
are beyond the present level of the course, and that more math and more
physics background is necessary to properly grasp some things. But
students can sense when this is used as a cop-out to cover the teachers'
ignorance. Even in that situation, a well-educated teacher should be
able to say *something* correct and meaningful and useful in response to
the question.

And when teachers in their areas of ignorance (and we all have them) make
the mistake of confidently communicating *wrong* information or concepts,
they are setting the stage for monumental loss of respect. Many of my
teachers earned my loss of respect in that way. When a teacher told me
something that I could easily show was wrong either by my own efforts, or
with the help of a good library, I no longer trusted *anything* that
teacher told me. I wondered "What is wrong with this teacher; what was
wrong with this teacher's own education?" Of course, for me, this was a
good thing, for it taught me that the only worthwhile education is that
one gets by one's own efforts and sweat. It taught me that libraries are
the greatest source of education. It taught me not to ever take anything
as correct just because someone claiming authority or expertise said it.

So I guess my view that teachers ought to have education well beyond the
level that they teach is partly because this additional strength of
background will ensure that they will less frequently dispense false
information and concepts to students. They will be more likely to *know*
the limits of their own understanding, and not step beyond them
carelessly. Such a well-educated teacher, when asked a question beyond the
limits of the course, can say *something* correct and meaningful about it
at a level the students can appreciate, based upon the teacher's own
understanding, not something parotted from a textbook or a coffee-table
book on gee-whiz science. 

> BTW, while I agree that we act as coaches or mentors to our students, I
> have a problem with "cheerleaders." We encourage the students and support
> them when they need it, but it seems that that is a far cry from
> cheerleading, which, at least in my mind, is more of a mindless urging of
> the spectators than the students, and that has no place in teaching.

Well put--mindless boosterism I call it. Another 'great lie' of the
educational establishment is perpetrating the notion that attitude and
enthusiasm can overcome all obstacles. It's almost a "magical" attitude, a
belief that if you think you can do it, you can. It's not entirely false,
but it can encourage false hopes. There's no use telling a person they can
run the 1 minute mile if they only try harder. We all have limitations,
and while most people can come nearer to reaching them through greater
effort, they eventually bump up against them. Not all of us are equal
in ability, or have the same limitations.

	-- Donald

......................................................................
Dr. Donald E. Simanek                            Office: 717-893-2079
Prof. of Physics                    Internet: dsimanek@eagle.lhup.edu
Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, PA. 17745          CIS: 73147,2166 
Home page: http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek            FAX: 717-893-2047
......................................................................