Re: [Phys-l] base knowledge erosion

[Michael Porter <listmoe@gmail.com>]

On Feb 27, 2006, at 11:23 AM, Spagna Jr., George wrote:
> I once announced that students should meet me at the
> Observatory if was clear on the night of a scheduled lab, or in the
> science building if it wasn't.  A student asked, "How do I know if  
> it's
> clear?"

I'm sure the student was suitably embarrassed a moment after asking  
the question. I hope they were, anyway.

This may not be cluelessness as much as it is assumed ignorance -- a  
phenomenon I warn my students about on a regular basis. It seems that  
any notions of common sense and real-world experience are erased by  
walking through the door of my classroom (or maybe it's me?!).  
Restating questions in the context of "Okay, suppose one of your  
friends walked up to you at the mall and asked..." gets past this,  
sometimes. Sometimes it *is* cluelessness!

---
Michael Porter
Colonel By Secondary School
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada