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Re: [Phys-l] Lecture Isn't Effective: More Evidence #2



We don't really have evidence that years ago students actually built better
understanding through the homework. We didn't give conceptual evaluations
then so there is no evidence. But we do know from other studies that
homework is not as effective as people think. Students often spend time
doing the wrong things for homework. Essentially the homework often
reinforces the wrong things. But there is some evidence from the Real Time
Physics labs that the coordinated homework improves understanding. I do not
have the exact figures, but I understand it is not a huge effect, but just
makes the labs somewhat more effective. So I think homework can have some
effectiveness, but mainly if it is well targeted, and it will be much better
in a Modeling situation where students share resulta. There is also the
program of "Rich Context Problem solving" developed by the Hellers. There a
major portion of problem solving is in class in groups. And then if you can
get them to do study groups, you can have more effectiveness. I understand
this happens with some PER programs.

For many of the cumminity college students jobs and family responsibilites
are a large contributer to the inability to do the homework, and the school
social life/athletics is a very small contributer. Four year schoosl may
have a different mix.

One of the big factors in homework is that a lot of it can be done by
equation hunting, and that was true when I went through school. The
chemistry prof (Robert Plane) commented, half facetiously, that most test
questions could be answered by dividing one number by one of the others and
throwing the third number away. When students have the option of finding
the right equation, then homework does not improve understanding. I have
found the books to be big culprits there. And of course why buy an
expensive book if you have the web?

One also forgets that at one time there was the concept of "gentleman's C".
So the idea of putting in minimal time is not all that new. So if we could
have a study where the students did more homework in a traditional way we
might be able to figure out if there is higher gain. This might be possible
by comparing some foreign classes with US classes. Then of course a
comparison between IE and tradtional would have to also be made for each.

I personally agree that more homework might be somewhat helpful, but that it
would not bring a traditional class up to IE levels. And the effect of low
thinking levels can not be overcome by just having more homework.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX


I see the problem as students refusing to spend significant
out-of-class time on-task. If this is the case, then
50-minute lectures three or four times a week just about
becomes the only time the student spends on that course, and
I would agree that lecture is not going to work.


I place most of the blame on our whole culture of athletics
and other extra-curricular activities, plus the number of
hours spent on a job to pay for college, plus the desire for
a social life (after all, college is supposed to be the best
time of your life). But I also place some of the blame on
the anti-lecture folks who essentially attempt to bring the
studying, book reading, group work, problem solving time into
the 50-minute period. This can be interpreted as giving up
on expecting the students to do anything outside of class.

I'm willing to be a "coach" during my 50-minutes in class
rather than a lecturer, but even the athletic coaches expect
running, and weight training, and other skills development
outside of the actual "practice time." And students
cheerfully give their sport this amount of time and effort.
What could we accomplish if students viewed physics with the
same enthusiasm as they view their sport?