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[Phys-L] Re: Energy is primary and fundamental?



I would strongly second this. But, even more important is to have the
students develop higher thinking skills and habits. There is some evidence
that points to PER based courses as a good way of doing this. Since only a
small fraction of HS students who take physics actually end up pursuing
science or take another physics course, these are the students who
desperately need to raise their ability to think.

The latest issue of The Physics Teacher has a very interesting article which
suggests that conventional physics courses can actually destroy gain made in
a PER based course. While PER based courses probably do not have the
necessary components for maximal gain in thinking, they at least have the
features which have been found by Renner, Lawson, Karplus and Arons to raise
student thinking.

Anyone who is interested in learning whether there is a significant gain in
thinking can use the evaluation in Lawson, A.E. (1995). Science teaching and
the development of thinking . Belmont, California: Wadsworth as a pre and
posttest. As a matter of fact this evaluation could also be very revealing
in college physics courses.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


After following this thread for several days now let me jump in on
something
that I can finally agree with.

This will be my 29th year teaching physics to high school students. I
have
followed the rather traditional approach starting with velocity,
acceleration and then forces. Energy comes later in the course. This
approach has worked well but not having tried a different order I couldn't
argue for any strong point of view.

What I do feel strongly about is the point that Mike Edmiston makes and I
will second. For 99% of my students knowledge of physics is less
important
than what they can apply that knowlege to in furture courses and more
importantly their life.

Alan Levin
Columbia High School
Maplewood, NJ