Re: [Phys-l] Divagations on Doceamus

[Richard Hake <rrhake@earthlink.net>]

In my post "Latest Doceamus against inquiry-based learning" [Hake 
(2010)], I wrote:

"A recent thread 'Latest Doceamus against inquiry-based learning' on 
the 'Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education' (RUME) list has 
discussed an article by Sweller, Clark, & Kirschner (SCK) (2010) 
titled 'Teaching General Problem-Solving Skills is Not a Substitute 
for, or a Viable Addition to, Teaching Mathematics'"

In response, the erudite Brian Whatcott (2010), in his Phys-L post 
"Divagations on Doceamus" wrote:

"I caught sight of this evocative word just now, 'doceamus'. 
Subjunctive, first person plural; prescriptive in effect, yet not 
imperative: that we SHOULD teach... Nothing of the simple nor 
straight-forward. A whiff of the common room, the pipe smoke of temps 
longues perdues. Abstruse, redolent of the dusty foot-note. Stuffy. 
Clerical. Refined. Recherche'. One expects to see an 'Igitur' 
qualifier."

According to <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doceamus>: doceamus: 
Latin - Verb doceamus, first-person plural present active subjunctive 
of doceo <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doceo#Latin>.

In any case the "NOTICES OF THE AMS" column title "doceamus" is 
defined at the top of the Sweller et al. (2010) article 
<http://bit.ly/i7wori> as "let us teach."

Judging from the inclusion of Sweller et al. (2010), the column title 
takes due account of the distinction between teaching and learning 
[Barr & Tagg (1995)] - as does an old cartoon:

Boy to friend: "I taught my dog to talk". 
Friend: "I don't hear him talking."
Boy: "I said I taught him; I didn't say he learned!"


Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References which Recognize the
      Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)
<rrhake@earthlink.net>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi>
<http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com>
<http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake>

REFERENCES [All URL's shortened by <http://bit.ly/> and accessed on 
12 Dec 2010.]
Barr, R.B. & J. Tagg. 1995. "From Teaching to Learning: A New 
Paradigm for Undergraduate Education," Change 27(6); 13-25, 
November/December; online as a 111kB pdf at <http://bit.ly/8XGJPc>.

Hake, R.R. 2010. "Latest Doceamus against inquiry-based learning," 
online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/etl0dc>. Post 
of 8 Dec 2010 19:58:52-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and 
link to the complete post are being distributed to various discussion 
lists and are also on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at 
<http://bit.ly/fFzJn8> with a provision for comments.

Sweller, J,  R.E. Clark, & P. Kirschner. 2010.  "Teaching General 
Problem-Solving Skills is Not a  Substitute for, or a Viable Addition 
to, Teaching  Mathematics," Notices of the AMS, November;  online as 
a 86 kB pdf at  <http://bit.ly/i7wori>.

Whatcott, B. 2010. "Divagations on Doceamus," Phys-L post of 11 Dec 
2010 13:31:59 -0600; online on the OPEN Phys-L archives at 
<http://bit.ly/hmFFJo>.