Re: [Phys-l] Student engagement

[Jack Uretsky <jlu@hep.anl.gov>]

I suggest that the example of modern medicine, is inapt.
I was present at my son's graduation from UT (Houston) medical school when 
the dean said to the assembled graduates, and parents:
	"Half of everything we've taught you is wrong; we just don't know 
which half."
					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




On Sun, 6 Dec 2009, John Clement wrote:

> 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.
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> Again, notice I said that it seems that some people will always rise,
> despite the system.  And both of these people came from places and times
> with wealth, freedom, and security.  These would seem to be important
> factors.  Einstein, Newton, and Galileo came from families with resources
> and in times with intellectual ferment and a measure of freedom.  Even the
> ones who came from poorer famililies still had opportunities provided by the
> society beyond the educational system.
>
> As to breeding more physicists of mathemeticians, we certainly do not need
> 10 times as many, but we do need people with basic thinking skills.  The
> math and science courses are I submit creating memorizers and people with a
> phobia against math and physics.  Also they are creating people who are more
> likely to latch onto demagogues and ignore evidence when they vote or
> otherwise make decisions vital to our society.
>
> So I submit the educational methods are not proven by the top, but by the
> average, and the dropouts.  The top scientist prove nothing about the
> efficiency of the educational system.  Looking at them is like looking at
> Faberge eggs to show how superior your industry is.  They show the level of
> craftsmanship of those artisans, but not the level of industry.  Russia
> produced some of the most exquisite jewelry, supported by a feudal society.
>
> At one time medicine was just an art with an element of science and now it
> is a science with the necessary art.  If physicians took the attitude that
> it worked in the past so we should not look at research we would still be
> letting blood and applying leeches for most common ailments.  There is
> plenty of existing and ongoing research, and it agrees very well so far.
> Why not come up with research based arguments?  After this is a company of
> intelligent scientists.
>
> John M. Clement
> Houston, TX
>
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