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Re: [Phys-l] Student engagement



The system that was not working "optimally" also produced Heisenberg, Schroedinger, etc.

As far a students seeming unprepared and not being able to write a simple equation - I feel that we are simply imposing math and science education on people who simply have no aptitude for it. Overeducating people is a tragic waste of human potential in other areas.

Bob at PC

________________________________________
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of John Clement [clement@hal-pc.org]
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 1:12 AM
To: 'Forum for Physics Educators'
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Student engagement

American education has produced a number of physics Nobelists.
How many were products of physics courses that would be approved by PER
enthusiasts?
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Ahh yes. Just because a system works some, does not mean that it is working
optimally. I admit that the very top will often excel even when the
teaching is wretched. Einstein is an example of that.

snip....................................

Sorry, but the old saw that we have done well in the past is an indication
of our "good" education is not proof of anything. It could very well be an
artifact of other things. The usual complaint by college professors that
students are coming in unprepared is a good argument that something is
broken. But the evidence is that teachers are actually doing much the same
thing they have been doing for years. I have students who have taken and
passed college calculus, but they can't write a simple equation or an
integral. So what was going on? The evidence from the physics conceptual
evaluations and new math conceptual evaluations line up with the idea that
the education is not working well. This is compelling evidence, but the
number of Noble Laureates has not been statistically correlated with the
type of education, so it is absolutely no evidence of anything about our
educationl system.

snip....................................