- #1
Dr. Proof
- 27
- 0
Many high school and college students do not understand Mathematics and/or Physics. Based on the schools I have attended, I have observed that Physics is taught from a textbook perspective, with a lab class full of nifty experiments that do not conclusively prove anything. I believe we have taught students to become arm-chair Physicists. Physics is based totally on physical proof; Galileo figured this out because while everyone was arguing about whether or not heavy objects fall faster than lighter objects, he (according to legend) dropped two objects from the leaning tower of Pisa and found out the truth. Is it not amazing what we learn when we stop arguing and start experimenting! People can't argue with the facts! And the facts lead to a more educated people and a better world and economy! Why was it that technology didn't advance back in ancient times? It was because people allowed their mystical religions and preconceptions to control them, instead of the physical evidence. Now, I believe we should take students into the lab before we take them into the classroom. Make them observe falling objects, collect the data, and come up with the equations. Once you have the data on paper, writing the equations becomes easy. I believe that teaching students in this way would give them much more confidence in their problem-solving abilities. The goal of teaching (I beleive) is not to spoon-feed people facts that they must memorize, but to teach them how to get to those facts themselves; in other words, a good teacher will teach his students how to learn, not just what to learn. Please chime in and tell me what you think.