Re: [Phys-l] "Unlearning"

["Dan L. MacIsaac" <danmacisaac@mac.com>]

> Did you read John's article?
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> bc  wonders if Ann teaches the pendulum is isochronous.
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> On 2010, Sep 09, , at 15:45, Ann Reagan wrote:
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> > Re: Comment: "Why do HS teachers insist on teaching what must be unlearned?"
> >
> > You mean, why teach things we all KNOW are wrong, like F = ma or P = mv? Or why teach that thermal expansion is linear , or that air obeys the ideal gas law? Perhaps because in a wide range of important cases, it gives a useful working approximation that describes the world in which we live. 
> >
> > Dr. Ann M. Reagan


Great (and I feel extremely appropriate and fruitful) topics arise from an examination of Bernard's statement, but I feel that Ann starts to get at a number of issues arising from the internal consistency and general tone of Bernard's comment.

- Who sets the agenda of what -must- be taught? This is NOT fully under control of the classroom teacher and there are several -truly- egregious examples in science teaching (evolution; climate science etc).  Certainly significant digits are widely required by state standards in secondary school science, including chemistry as well as physics.  Some of these standards are set by non-experts, and often wholly inappropriate people.  Scientifically literate citizens need to get politically involved in such.

- the incomplete nature of scientific knowledge (and what "wrong" means in what context)

- the incomplete nature of individual learning (and what it means to learn something "right" in what context)

- the use of idealized models to approximate natural phenomena under restricted domains and ranges (more nature of science; all models are "wrong" out of context)

- the learning of developmentally appropriate models by students rather than the most complete current knowledge in the field, or even more advanced intermediate models that have misleading attributes (I'm still thinking about this one; but I think it's quite ok - if not inescapable to deliberately teach and learn "wrong" or incomplete ideas at times)

- whether anything can be "unlearned" at all (short of brain disease or physical injury, I'm highly skeptical.  I think that inescapably you have to be flat out "wrong" or incomplete and inaccurate and explore that as part of the process of significant learning. )  

I strongly believe that blaming teachers in this context or injecting pendulum isochronicity into the conversation is unhelpful though.

Dan M, who is really enjoying this thread

Dan MacIsaac, Associate Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
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