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[Physltest] [Phys-L] Re: Meaningless problems in algebra texts



I don't have my library handy at the moment, but did that study deal
with the notion of people being at one operational stage with regard to
something like reading comprehension and at a different stage with
regard to physics type reasoning?
If we're thinking of the same study the basic idea was that you could
be formal operational in one area, but concrete operational in another.
I have students that fall into this sort of category, brilliant at
interpreting literature but can't distinguish meaningful variables from
trivial information when it comes to physics problems. I don't think we
should throw out all the piagetian notions of how the brain works just
because Piaget is not universal. The F that my car applies to my M
still causes my body to A every day even if its an approximation 23 or
so places over from the decimal. There are certainly some strategies
associated with various stages of piagetian development that help us
deal with the 'concrete reasoners' in our classes. Though I wouldn't go
so far as to give some sort of Piagetian assessment on the first day and
then assign individualized homework based on each students' profile for
the rest of the year...

Cheers,
Matt

"An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a
very narrow field."

- Niels Bohr


-----Original Message-----
From: Forum for Physics Educators [mailto:PHYS-L@list1.ucc.nau.edu] On
Behalf Of Jack Uretsky
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 12:01 PM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Re: Meaningless problems in algebra texts

On Piaget:
I thought that Case and Edelstein, <New Structuralism in
Cognitive
Development> (Karger 1993) demonstrated that the so-called Piagetan
stages
could not be meaningfully ascribed to individuals. The apparent stage
for
an individual fluctuates with time and task.
Regards,
Jack

--
"Trust me. I have a lot of experience at this."
General Custer's unremembered message to his men,
just before leading them into the Little Big Horn Valley
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