Re: Simulations

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@sfu.ca>]

> At 08:20 AM 1/13/98 -0800, Leigh wrote:
> |>One more note on Simulations in Physics.  I think a very good pedagogical
> |>tool is to have students WRITE simulations.  I'm not talking about writing
> snip
> |
> |I want to applaud this honest statement heartily. In my view this is the
> |*only* way in which simulations can be effective teaching tools.
> another snip.
>
> As should be clear from my earlier comments, I disagree with Leigh. In the
> paper "Case Study of the Physics Component of an Integrated Curriculum,"
> Robert Beichner et al, submitted to JPER, we discuss the components of a
> successful experimental physics course. Student performance was considerably
> better than in the traditional parallel courses as measured by a number of
> different exam types.  Computer simulations (with no programming) played a
> key role in the classroom.

Of course I'm being obtuse here. I think these PER efforts are worhwhile;
I just don't think their conclusions are yet sufficiently reliable to be
trusted, and when they contradict my strongly held prejudices I am most
reluctant to accept them.

My point was to suggest that simulations are not effective *relative to
reasonable alternatives which are more readily implemented*. For example,
the projectile motion simulation I mentioned is no more effective in my
opinion than giving kids instruction on observing what happens when they
pitch rocks in an open field, perhaps mixing in some tennis balls and
styrofoam balls for variety (and different air resistances). I am no
longer amazed when I discover that the differing performances at
different elevation angles and densities can be new information to some
of my students, especially girls who somehow were never encouraged to
see how far they could throw a baseball. Certainly that exercise should
be compulsory for any physics student who has been thus culturally
deprived. A computer simulation is an absolutely inappropriate approach
in such a case, and as I pointed out, there are always some of those
among the students we teach.

Leigh