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Re: physics before math????



Rick Tarara repeats the Lederman push, and adds the additional statement
that the desire is to have four years of high school science with the fourth
year being an advanced elective.

I also push four years, with electives for the general student, but I have a
compromise plan. Parts of my compromise plan are very old... it's partly
what high schools around here were doing when I went to high school. I
graduated from high school in 1968.

At that time the "college prep" students took a four-year science sequence
of
- general science (physical science)
- biology
- chemistry
- physics

The general/physical science was introductory physics and introductory
chemistry. Hence, students who took general science followed by biology did
exactly what Lederman, et.al. propose. They got a bit of physics, then a
bit of chemistry, then a year of biology built upon the physics and
chemistry from the previous year.

After all, if the physics and chemistry are primarily conceptual, and are
based only on simple algebra, and primarily provide supporting science
background for what comes later... half a year of each is fine.

* * * Aside * * * My school at that time only required two science courses
for graduation. The bulk of students took general science followed by
biology... and that was it. Aside from being only two years of science, the
subject sequencing was actually quite good.

* * * Back to the main track * * * The year of chemistry in the junior year,
and the year of physics in the senior year were rigorous college-prep
courses. By the time I got to the senior year I had had two years of
algebra and one year of analytical geometry. My senior year I took trig
concurrent with physics. This meant we could do a vector analysis, etc.
Although we did not do any calculus in high school at that time (no limits,
no derivatives, certainly no integration) I felt my high school math (and
chemistry and physics) were excellent preparation when I began a
chemistry/physics double major in college. I wish my entering
chemistry/physics students today were as well prepared as I was.

Yes, I know, back then we also walked through 5 feet of snow, uphill both
ways. But seriously, the subjects taught and the sequencing were really
quite good back in the sixties. I've seen a lot of "changes" over the past
30 years, and I can't say I see much improvement. The drive to get calculus
into high school, as well as "advanced topics" such as anatomy,
microbiology, molecular biology, advanced chemistry, advanced physics, etc.
just don't make any sense to me. I repeat, if my present college students
had what I had in high school, and did a reasonable job with it (i.e.
understood and could use most of it) I would be a very happy person, and I
believe my chemistry and biology colleagues here would strongly agree with
me.

Summary: I would advocate the general science, biology, chemistry, physics
track for students who think they might want to be scientists.

For the others, assuming we want four years of science, I would first do the
general science and biology, then I think there could be things like earth
science, astronomy, science ethics, environmental science, and other
integrated science courses for the junior/senior year. Unless they're
totally bogged down in extracurricular stuff (band, choir, sports, clubs) it
seems the students heading into science could also take the ethics,
environmental science, etc. as electives in addition to their college-prep
chemistry and physics.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail: 419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817