I actually posted this for me EDUC class
Topic: Module 7: Discussion Board Question
Date: November 17, 2006 2:57 AM
Subject: Physics is painful and newspapers are full of fiber
Author: Blomquist, Jeffrey
I am in charge of physics recitations; more specifically, I am the leader of the class for a physics class designed specifically with art students in mind. The material offered is catered specifically to give a rounded view of all the "science-y" things (mechanics, planetary motion, electricity) and is evaluated in much the same way that a normal physics class would be: weekly homework, essays, tests.
The idea behind this class is to inspire the students to discover and appreciate the laws of physics and the immutable effect that the natural laws have on our lives. What they gather from the class is essentially this: Math is painful and scientists are lifeless husks of humanity, multiplying accelerations and masses on whims, and holding nothing sacred. This is reinforced by the icy recitations that they sit through, where animatronic teaching assistants spew answers and equations with blinding speed. The test, moreover, is filled with subtle algebraic trickery, and in the end makes one wonder if all of mathematics is little more than a Pythagorean trick to torture those with enough skill to hone a paintbrush.
This exposition is wordy, and certainly a rant, but I think it quite nicely sums up how many of the students in the class feel. It's impossible to teach at the pace of the slowest student, and it's unrealistic, even with continued encouragement, to believe that the slowest student will make it to office hours. But the blame for this chasm cannot be placed squarely on the shoulders of the professor, teaching assistant, or even the student.
The fact of the matter is that the information transmitted is not the weak point of the chain; the motivation for checking the understanding, however, is. By forcing students to complete hour-long calculations and full-pressure exams without the benefits of much more than a sheet of paper covered in letters and equal signs, you send the following message:
SCIENTISTS ARE BRILLIANT WIZARD CYBORGS.
This is a bad message. No; this is an AWESOME message. But to insinuate to a student that only those with born-ability can master a subject is not an /encouraging/ statement. In addition, to administer a test that will most definitely frighten students into catatonic submission does nothing to reinforce learning. Therefore, I propose the following:
-In my version of the class, lessons would involve hands-on lab-style explanations of physical concepts, supplemented with bootlegged movie clips.
-Hour long test sessions would be replaces with 3 hour, in-class group projects, in which a team of students /design/ a physics test, create a solution sheet, and are graded not only on their ability to understand physics, but on their /creative ability to apply it/.
-The semester is supplemented not only with visual and physical evidence of natural science at work, but with a popular science fiction novel, to show that the marriage of art and science is not fraudulent and contrived.
With these ideas in mind, the boarders between 'class' and 'humanity' would be blurred to create something like eating a newspaper: just as hard to swallow, but much easier to digest. The idea, after all, is to transfer information to a student in a way that they can eventually recall and use to enrich themselves and the environment around them.
Date: November 17, 2006 2:57 AM
Subject: Physics is painful and newspapers are full of fiber
Author: Blomquist, Jeffrey
I am in charge of physics recitations; more specifically, I am the leader of the class for a physics class designed specifically with art students in mind. The material offered is catered specifically to give a rounded view of all the "science-y" things (mechanics, planetary motion, electricity) and is evaluated in much the same way that a normal physics class would be: weekly homework, essays, tests.
The idea behind this class is to inspire the students to discover and appreciate the laws of physics and the immutable effect that the natural laws have on our lives. What they gather from the class is essentially this: Math is painful and scientists are lifeless husks of humanity, multiplying accelerations and masses on whims, and holding nothing sacred. This is reinforced by the icy recitations that they sit through, where animatronic teaching assistants spew answers and equations with blinding speed. The test, moreover, is filled with subtle algebraic trickery, and in the end makes one wonder if all of mathematics is little more than a Pythagorean trick to torture those with enough skill to hone a paintbrush.
This exposition is wordy, and certainly a rant, but I think it quite nicely sums up how many of the students in the class feel. It's impossible to teach at the pace of the slowest student, and it's unrealistic, even with continued encouragement, to believe that the slowest student will make it to office hours. But the blame for this chasm cannot be placed squarely on the shoulders of the professor, teaching assistant, or even the student.
The fact of the matter is that the information transmitted is not the weak point of the chain; the motivation for checking the understanding, however, is. By forcing students to complete hour-long calculations and full-pressure exams without the benefits of much more than a sheet of paper covered in letters and equal signs, you send the following message:
SCIENTISTS ARE BRILLIANT WIZARD CYBORGS.
This is a bad message. No; this is an AWESOME message. But to insinuate to a student that only those with born-ability can master a subject is not an /encouraging/ statement. In addition, to administer a test that will most definitely frighten students into catatonic submission does nothing to reinforce learning. Therefore, I propose the following:
-In my version of the class, lessons would involve hands-on lab-style explanations of physical concepts, supplemented with bootlegged movie clips.
-Hour long test sessions would be replaces with 3 hour, in-class group projects, in which a team of students /design/ a physics test, create a solution sheet, and are graded not only on their ability to understand physics, but on their /creative ability to apply it/.
-The semester is supplemented not only with visual and physical evidence of natural science at work, but with a popular science fiction novel, to show that the marriage of art and science is not fraudulent and contrived.
With these ideas in mind, the boarders between 'class' and 'humanity' would be blurred to create something like eating a newspaper: just as hard to swallow, but much easier to digest. The idea, after all, is to transfer information to a student in a way that they can eventually recall and use to enrich themselves and the environment around them.