In a Phys-L posting of 3/20/98 titled =93Ideocosmology=94 Leigh Palmer
writes:=20
=93Rather than facilitating their construction of knowledge, I'm going to
tell them...(my students)... what they know that isn't right and tell
them what is right that they wouldn't =91construct=92 on their own in a
thousand years without getting it from an authority.... I don't believe
modern time is any different in this respect from ancient time or my
childhood. Teaching and learning is a fundamental human function which,
in my opinion, is done no better in modern time with "innovative"
techniques than it was done in centuries past.=94
The data (1,2) seem to belie the last sentence. I attach the abstract of
ref. 1.
References
1. R.R. Hake, =93Interactive-engagement vs traditional methods: A
six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory
physics courses,=94 Am. J. Phys. 66, 64 (1998) and on the Web at=20
<http://carini.physics.indiana.edu/SDI/>. =20
7. R.R. Hake, "Interactive-engagement methods in introductory mechanics
courses," submitted to the potential new =93Journal of Physics Education
Research=94 and on the Web at the above address.
Richard Hake
Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
24245 Hatteras Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
<hake@ix.netcom.com>
<http://carini.physics.indiana.edu/SDI/>
ATTACHMENT (abstract of AJP 66, 64 (1998).
A survey of pre/post test data using the Halloun-Hestenes Mechanics
Diagnostic test or more recent Force Concept Inventory is reported for
62 introductory physics courses enrolling a total number of students N =3D
6542. A consistent analysis over diverse student populations in high
schools, colleges, and universities is obtained if a rough measure of
the average effectiveness of a course in promoting conceptual
understanding is taken to be the average normalized gain <g>. The latter
is defined as the ratio of the actual average gain (%<post> =96 %<pre>) t=
o
the maximum possible average gain (100 =96 %<pre>). Fourteen "traditional=
"
(T) courses (N =3D 2084) which made little or no use of
interactive-engagement (IE) methods achieved an average gain <g>T-ave =3D
0.23 =B1 0.04 (std dev). In sharp contrast, forty-eight courses (N =3D 44=
58)
which made substantial use of IE methods achieved an average gain
<g>IE-ave =3D 0.48 =B1 0.14 (std dev), almost two standard deviations of
<g>IE-ave above that of the traditional courses. Results for 30
(N =3D 3259) of the above 62 courses on the problem-solving Mechanics
Baseline test of Hestenes-Wells imply that IE strategies enhance
problem-solving ability. The conceptual and problem-solving test results
strongly suggest that the classroom use of IE methods
can increase mechanics-course effectiveness well beyond that obtained in
traditional practice.