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

[carmelo@pacific.net.sg]

Feynman once told Goodstein that in the long run, his most important  
contribution to physics would be not QED or the theory of superfluid  
helium or polarons or partons. His real monument would be his Feynman  
Lectures.

Goodstein, D. L. (1989). Richard P. Feynman, Teacher. Physics Today,  
(2), 70-75.


Here is a letter from Bill Satterthwaite to Matthew Sands… (Another  
“outlier”?)

"Dr Feynman's introduction says he does not think he served the  
students very well.… I disagree. I and my friends always enjoyed them  
and realized what a unique and wonderful experience they were. And we  
learned a lot. As for objective evidence about how we felt, I don’t  
remember any other regular lecture in my Caltech career getting  
applause and my memory says it happened fairly often at the end of Dr.  
Feynman’s lectures..."

Are there inquiry based lessons or Real Time Physics labs which are  
getting applause from students?


Best regards,
Alphonsus


Quoting "Dan L. MacIsaac" <danmacisaac@mac.com>:

> > From Feynman's 1963 preface to his lectures (third last para, p5 in  
> >  my Feb77 6th printing of Vol I):
> "The question, of course, is how well this experiment has succeeded.  
>   My own point of view -- which however, does not seem to be shared   
> by most of the people who worked with the students -- is   
> pessimistic.  I don't think I did very well by the students.  When I  
>  look at the way the majority of the students handled the problems  
> on  the examinations, I think that the system is a failure."
>
> > From last para in Preface:
> "It's impossible to learn very much by simply sitting in a lecture,   
> or even by simply doing problems that are assigned."
>
> All quotes R. Feynman, The Feynman Lectures
>
> Dan MacIsaac, Associate Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
> 222SciBldg BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 USA 1-716-878-3802
> <macisadl@buffalostate.edu>  <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>
> Physics Graduate Coordinator