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Re: [Phys-L] Sequence




Dewey Dykstra wrote 2 very interesting but lengthy papers called
_Why Teach Kinematics? I_ and WTK II_ that contain details and data.
I believe he was unable to get them published, but I will ask that he
share them with us. I found them quite provocative and insightful,
but I appreciate well-thought-out heresy :^).

Dan M

Dan MacIsaac, Associate Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
462SciBldg BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 USA 1-716-878-3802
<macisadl@buffalostate.edu> <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>
Physics Graduate Coordinator & NSF Investigator for ISEP (MSP) and Noyce


On Mar 18, 2014, at 4:21 PM, John Denker <jsd@av8n.com> wrote:

On 03/18/2014 12:59 PM, James Cibulka wrote:
Anyone here have an opinion on sequence?

All experience indicates that the sequence doesn't matter,
within broad limits.

The only thing that has ever made sense to me is the spiral
approach. On the first turn around the spiral, introduce a
lot of things, touching them only lightly. On the second
turn, revisit everything, emphasizing connections between
concepts. And so on, gradually adding breadth and depth.
Before long, nobody knows or cares where you started.

SOMETIMES there are are external reasons for starting one
place rather than another. For example, in the context
of private pilot ground school, there are life-and-death
reasons for starting with energy. Other contexts will
sometimes produce different considerations.

Mostly, though, it's a question of taste.
De gustibus non disputandum.

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