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Re: What to teach (was: American students do poorly)



On Thu, 26 Feb 1998 13:01:41 -0500 Tim Folkerts said:
What is "physics"?
First I would ask what is science? ans: Science is a process or methodolgy
for investigating nature. Physics is just a subset of science. It is
science applied to a particular area of nature.
What "facts" should every student know after a year of physics?
Since physics is a process, facts are not the critical issue. There are many
supposed facts which are useful, but no single fact is critical and all facts
are subject to change and revision.
What "skills" should every student have after a year of physics?
1. Formulate a problem or question.
2. Carry out an investigation.
3. Analyze the results of an investigation and make reasonable or justifiable
conclusions from these results.
How do we best accomplish this in 3-4 hr a week?
1. Give students opportunities to do 1-3 above.
2. Have students study examples of 1-3 above that have been performed by
others. Ideally I think the examples should include some of the best work we
know, but students should also be exposed to some substandard work so they
can appreciate the limitations and pitfalls and learn how to avoid them.
Do the answers depend on whether the students are physicists,
chemists, engineers ...?
In a first year or introductory course I don't think so. It's too eary to
specialize. Students when they do specialize need to already have some breadth
of exposure so that they have some context in which to view their specialty.
Besides, basic physics is so basic that it is pretty much the same in every
context. This in itself is a valuable perspective to have as it makes the
student aware of the power of physics and the adaptability and flexibility
of those who have been trained as physicists.


--- Tim Folkerts


P.S. When I get my own messages back, they always say from
"To:phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu", not my name. Is that how it appears to
others, and if so, does anybody know how to fix this?

I never have this problem except with phys-l.


********************************************************
Timothy J. Folkerts Tim.Folkerts@valpo.edu
Dept. of Physics & Astronomy 219-464-6634
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, IN 46383