Re: Less is less

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

On Sun, 30 Jun 2002, Steve Clark wrote:

> But what I haven't seen in print anywhere is what the "less is more"
> philosophy does to student motivation. My experience as well as my
> professional judgement suggests that students will be more motivated to
> learn the physics if they have TIME to incorporate it into their own
> cognitive structures.


        And this is exactly the point I was after initially (Yes, Jack, I
intentionally framed my question to imply its answer).  As long as we are
locked into a 4 year curriculum in college for majors, or a single 2
semester attempt to instill physics into pre-meds, or a 3 year attempt at
all the sciences at the secondary school level, then the "less is more"
strategy is doomed to failure.  A more comprehensive science curriculum
starting, as has been suggested, in 5th grade would be of benefit to us all.
That's a tough political row to hoe.

                     Mike Monce
                     Connecticut College