I am not a physicist but have taken many physics and
chemistry courses and have taught physical chemistry
for 34 of my 37 years. During this time I have dwelt
on the value of demonstrations in class and been witness
to an extraordinary range and selection of same.
My conclusion is that demonstrations that fail to
REQUIRE the active, interpretative involvement of the
audience do not differ substantially from passive
entertainment modes, comparable to (M)TV.
There are a variety of modalities that can foster
active, interpretative involvement, from the one-minute
paper to competitive interpretive groupings, but they
must be undertaken by all.
Thus I believe it is NOT the demonstration experiment
in the lecture hall, but what is done with it, that
matters.
John N. Cooper, Chemistry
Bucknell University
Lewisburg PA 17837-2005
jcooper@bucknell.edu http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/jcooper
VOX 570-577-3673 FAX 570-577-1739