Re: FW: politeness etc.

[Dan MacIsaac <Dan.MacIsaac@NAU.EDU>]

On Tuesday, February 4, 2003, at 12:29 PM, Matt Harding wrote:
> As long as you are able to avoid taking it personally, blunt critiques
> are the best.  One of my biggest complaints as a beginning teacher is
> that I struggle to find people (other than my students) who will be
> critical of my work.  Telling me that I'm doing a fine job doesn't help
> me to progress.  That being said, I know that I tend to get defensive
> when people are critical of my work.  Its important, yet not easy, to
> take care how you express your criticism.

I call this "fine job" trivial feedback the "student teacher effect" --
when student teachers are asked to critique one another's at-college
teaching performances (e.g.- microteaching) they are overly generous
and not constructively critical.  So are cooperating teachers and
university faculty who are not expert mentors in the particular field
being student taught.  If a novice is to become critically
self-reflective in a complex situation, they require explicit guidance
by an expert.  If you are looking to learn how to generate meaningful
constructive critique of your own physics teaching, a good step would
be to check out my RTOP article in Nov02 TPT at:
<http://ojps.aip.org/vsearch/servlet/
VerityServlet?KEY=PHTEAH&ONLINE=YES>, (search for RTOP and download
the.pdf), and the RTOP website at:
<http://physicsed.buffalostate.edu/AZTEC/RTOP/RTOP_full/>.  The AAPT
also sponsors a summer National Meeting workshop in the use of RTOP to
develop critical self-reflection in one's own physics teaching; you
should consider attending that workshop (Madison, WI this year).

In grade school teaching it is very important for teachers to do lots
of student encouragement and supported learning, and this is a
necessary part of the culture.  Teachers help people.  Sometimes (but
certainly not always) they use blunt critique.

Traditional university physics culture (especially graduate study and
research) has embraced the often-hostile, cutting "legal
advocacy-style" debate of ideas and usually neglects the interpersonal
relationship side of interactions.  Traditional physics culture is
almost certainly responsible for creating a lack of particular
populations -- like women and African-Americans in the field; they're
staying away in droves.  Physics continues to pay a high price for this
traditional culture.   Some of us want this culture to change, and we
are working very hard at change. (AIP even reports that there are fewer
than 1% minorities in _HS level_ physics teaching.)

PHYS-L also suffers from the interpersonal woes of electronic
communities -- the inability of subscribers to read body language.
Some participants post quickly (without reflection) and without care in
their writing, so that unintended sarcasm and hurt is conveyed.
People say things in email they'd never say to another human being's
face.  Posting individuals forget they're contributing to a public
discussion, not a private debate.

On top of all of this PHYS-L is a mixed community where many
populations including several levels of grade-school teachers and
several varieties of professional physics researchers interact.  I
think that we can all meaningfully collaborate to our mutual benefit,
but that we do need to remain professional, courteous and
interpersonally supportive when we discuss issues on PHYS-L.  I'll
email you privately with some very pointed remarks if your posting tone
is not professional, courteous and supportive.  I have done this for a
number of people this past month (you know who you are) but John's
apology came as an unexpected and unanticipated surprise to me -- I
didn't email him.  Please do feel free to use private email exchanges
to monitor and police PHYS-L to be the kind of community you want to
participate in.  I don't want to be the only person accountable for
tone on PHYS-L and I sure don't want you-all staying away in droves.
And John, thank you very much for your apology and for your postings --
you are a scholar and an ornament to PHYS-L.

Dan M, PHYS-L listowner (and part-time politeness policeman)

Dan MacIsaac, Assistant Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
222SCIE BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave , Buffalo NY 14222 USA 716-878-3802
<macisadl@buffalostate.edu>  <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>