Re: College nowadays - What "should" students know?

[Richard Tarara <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

I certainly second everything Michael has said.  I would like to add one
more thing.  Most HS teachers should look at their courses as the ONLY
physics these students will ever take (likewise for most College teachers of
non-calculus Intro Physics).  In that light, does your course present the
student with a realistic view of what physics is, what physicists do, how
physics contributes to the whole of human knowledge, and how physics
specifically contributes to the social/economic welfare of the society?
Admittedly hard to do this kind of thing with an AP style course--but those
students WILL likely be taking college physics.  Doing the sorts of things
Michael suggests would work towards the goals I've suggested.

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

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----- Original Message --IN PART-----
From: Michael Edmiston <edmiston@BLUFFTON.EDU>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
> So please continue to have fun... but also make it clear that hard work
> is involved, and do that by requiring that the students actually do
> some of the hard work.  Don't disillusion them.  (I think I created a
> new verb there... but you get the point.)  If they come to college with
> a realistic view of what physics is like (because they've don't it)
> then I am not going to worry as much about whether they covered this
> specific topic or that specific topic.  I think I am pretty safe in
> saying that because if they have truly gone into anything with
> sufficient detail to appreciate what the real physics is like, then
> they must have covered "the basics" as a prerequisite to that (whatever
> those "basics" are).
>
> Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.              Phone/voice-mail:
419-358-3270
> Professor of Chemistry & Physics        FAX:
419-358-3323
> Chairman, Science Department            E-Mail
edmiston@bluffton.edu
> Bluffton College
> 280 West College Avenue
> Bluffton, OH 45817