Re: 2 million teachers in 2007!

[Richard Tarara <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Brian McInnes <bmcinnes@PNC.COM.AU>
> Yes, well written, Joe.  I've used it too for both those groups (I'm
> still called on in retirement to do work with them).
> Because it is thorough, it is slow moving.  If you are impelled by
> curriculum demands to cover this and that and the other, there will be
> problems of how to fit it all in.  If so, rebel against the
> curriculum, insist that understanding and not breadth of coverage is
> important. Unless these teachers master some fundamental physics and
> "own" the material they will have neither the ability nor the
> confidence to teach it.

> Brian McInnes

While I agree with your last statement, it is also the case that the
teachers in elementary and middle school classes are more likely to get a
large range of questions from their students that are not likely to fall
conveniently within the much smaller range of topics covered in 'inquiry'
courses.  In the best of both worlds such teachers would have taken a survey
course to get a feel for the breadth of the topic and an 'inquiry' (or
similar) course as a depth or 'methods' course.  In the real world where it
is an either-or proposition, it remains to be seen if being able to better
guide students towards the 'methods' of scientific enquiry concerning a few
topics produces better and more enthusiastic students at the H.S. and
college levels.  I would hope that the teachers would expand their science
knowledge beyond the few topics covered so as to better serve their
questioning students.  {Yes, I know that teachers coming through traditional
survey courses usually can't answer many questions 'correctly' but at least
they can often respond with information that points students in an
appropriate direction or at very least they won't leave the students
wondering why their teacher seems to know so little.}  I'm also hoping that
eventually we can develop a pedagogical compromise between breadth and depth
that will better serve the teaching profession and our children.

Rick

*******************************************************
Richard W. Tarara
Department of Chemistry & Physics
Notre Dame, IN 46556
219-284-4664
rtarara@saintmarys.edu

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see:  www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/ for details
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