Re: Less is less

[Chris Horton <chrisahorton2@HOTMAIL.COM>]

Jack wrote:
>  >As far as time is concerned, don't forget: Less is more.

Tim replied:

>  Sorry Jack, but I still think less is less.  The reason I became
> interested in physics is because my high school teacher taught/covered many
> topics. If the high school concentrates its efforts on a few topics, other
> topics that might turn a student onto science may never get taught/covered.
>  >

Several points.

1.  Sadler's famous study among others shows clearly that less is more - as
measured by student success in college physics.

2.  We need to be clear about our goals as physics teachers.  My practice is
guided by my goals for every student in my class.  If in the process I turn
a few students on to physics as a career or a major interest so much the
better.  But I will not sacrifice the least prepared or able of my students
for this.

3.  Beware the assumption that the way we learned is the best way because we
are a success story which proves it.  Our world can no longer afford to use
the success of a few in physics to justify the failure of the many.  It is
not acceptable that only a few percent of students take physics in college,
many fail at it and many more learn only how to plug numbers into equations.

4.  If you had been in my class the process of learning physics might very
well have fascinated you (as it does me) and you might well have gone on to
study more in college, where you would have rapidly gained in breadth.  You
can't know whether the approach you learned by is the only one that would
have turned you on.

Chris Horton



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