Ok, here comes a post from a "lurking" woman. I am on an editorial review
board for Springer-Verlag. We are publishing a new series of text books
called "Undergraduate Texts in Contemporary Physics". I thought that Thomas
von Foerster's note might be of interest to people on this list. Please
contact Tom if you are interested. Also if anyone is writing (or thinking
about writing) a text please get in touch with me (schwarz@vassar.edu). We
are looking for books!!! I can let you know if your idea might fit in this
series. Give it a go! To those of you who have never written a book, trust
me, from someone who never thought she would write anything, give it a shot.
Cindy Schwarz
P.S. Since I generally don't write, mostly because I just don't have the
time, with being department chair, teaching 4 courses and spending some time
with my two sons and my husband, I will take this rare opportunity to plug
my books and CD. All can be found on amazon.com. If you want more info go to
my book page
Understanding Physics is an innovative undergraduate course in physics
designed for students preparing to enter careers in fields outside of
science or engineering, including, especially, students planning to
teach, or already teaching, in K-12 classrooms.
The new course is inspired by the famous Project Physics Course,
developed at Harvard University and other institutions in the 1960s and
70s. Project Physics became known for its success in attracting students
who would not traditionally have studied physics and for placing the
concepts of physics within the broader humanistic contexts in which they
arose. This approach has recently again received endorsements in the
recommendations offered in the "National Science Education Standards"
from the National Research Council and in the "Benchmarks for Science
Literacy" from Project 2061. These recommendations are being used in
revisions of many State teaching standards. Understanding Physics is
among the first courses to accommodate them at the college level.
While following the trail blazed by Project Physics, Understanding
Physics incorporates the most recent advances in understanding how
students learn physics and where they encounter difficulties, promotes a
more active engagement with the material than its predecessor, and offers
more flexibility to instructors in adapting the course to the needs of
their students and to their own needs and interests.
The material is divided into two self-contained semesters which may be
studied in either semester and in any order. The course materials
comprise a 700-page textbook; a closely related Student Guide, containing
inquiry-based laboratory investigations and additional materials; and an
Instructor Guide containing examination questions, resource references,
and other helpful information. The final version of these materials will
have undergone vigorous in-class testing and review. These and other
materials will be available on the World-Wide Web, along with links to
related resources.
The authors have designed all of the course components to work together
in providing students with an integrated educational experience in
physics. Each chapter contains questions designed to help students
confirm what they have learned and to encourage students to explore and
inquire beyond the reading, in individual study, laboratory work, and
group discussion. (Bibliographical resources are given for each chapter.)
The inquiry-based laboratory investigations include in-depth
explorations, student-designed inquiries, and text-related
mini-laboratory explorations that may be used as hands-on activities or
as demonstrations with student participation. The suggested equipment is
deliberately "low tech" in order to afford students maximum experience
with the phenomena. The apparatus is inexpensive and common to most
instructional laboratories. Some ways to incorporate computer usage are
suggested as students gain familiarity with the laboratory apparatus and
methods.
Instead of dividing the material into more-or-less disconnected units, as
is often done, the text provides a connecting narrative from beginning to
end and a conceptual framework. In this way, students gain a deeper
understanding of the current ideas about the physical world than they
would gain from a passive encounter alone or than the isolated recitation
of facts, formulas, and concepts might allow.
In short, Understanding Physics enables students to gain a much fuller
appreciation of physics as both a discipline and a body of knowledge than
previously achieved: a real sense of the nature of scientific research,
what our current concepts really mean, where they came from, and why we
think we know what we know.
Preliminary editions of the textbook and of the student and teacher
guides suitable for classroom use will be available for review or testing
in January 2000.
If you are interested in trying out this new innovative course (with a
traditional feel), please contact:
Thomas von Foerster
Springer Verlag
175 Fifth Avenue
New York NY 10010
Phone: 212-460-1515
Fax: 212-533-5587
E-mail: tomv@springer-ny.com
or
Professor David Cassidy
Natural Sciences Program
Hauser Hall 100
Hofstra University
Hempstead NY 11550
Phone: 516-463-5537
Fax: 516-463-6394
E-Mail: dcassidy@pppmail.appliedtheory.com
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Short description:
Understanding Physics is an innovative undergraduate course in physics
designed for students preparing to enter careers in fields outside of
science or engineering, including, especially, students planning to
teach, or already teaching, in K-12 classrooms.
The new course is inspired by the famous Project Physics Course, renowned
for its success in attracting students who would not traditionally have
studied physics and for placing the concepts of physics within a broader
humanistic context. The new course incorporates the most recent advances
in understanding how students learn physics, promotes a more active
engagement with the material than its predecessor, and offers greater
flexibility to instructors to adapt the course to the needs of their
students.