Re: Homework (Was Measure of student understanding)

["Michael N. Monce" <mnmon@CONNCOLL.EDU>]

On Mon, 29 Apr 2002, Rick Tarara wrote:

> 2)  The real active engagement is to actively engage the student's brains.
> There are many ways to do this--self motivation having been cited recently
> as one.  It seems to me that much of the 'new pedagogy' focuses on forcing
> students into situations where they _must think_ whereas more traditional
> pedagogies simple expect that thinking to come from those students who are
> serious about the course.


        This is the crux of my reading of what the PER literature is
saying.  After 20+ years of teaching the intro. course the biggest change
I have seen is in the way students approach the course. The PER literature
is very useful in addressing this change. The lecture/lab format worked.
The problem for me, is that *now* it doesn't work nearly as well as it
used to.  Until the students become more self-motivated in their learning
again, the new strategies are worth looking at.  Of course, people being
people no one teaching technique will ever work for every student.

                        Mike Monce
                        Connecticut College