🚀 go-pugleaf

Oops - I accidentally sent a personal reply intended for Michael Feinberg
to PHYSHARE.  Sorry, Michael!
        But since you've all skimmed my reply, I'll take the opportunity to
speak of the importance of local physics alliances for high school physics
reform. (Michael had expressed frustration that his local physics alliance
had become inactive, and offered to help in getting one started again.) I
quote from a Modeling Workshop description that Prof. David Hestenes wrote
last summer:

        "An essential component of high school physics reform is
eliminating the professional isolation of individual teachers. This can be
achieved by organizing physics teachers into 'local alliances' which are
linked electronically for easy communication, collaboration and mutual
support of teaching activities.
        Participants in the Leadership Workshops will be expected to
disseminate the program to local alliances through some sort of Local
Workshops....
        It is worth recalling that nationwide high school physics reform
has been tried before, most notably with PSSC and Harvard Project Physics.
They were worthy efforts, but their effect was limited, we surmise, because
some of the ingredients for sustained reform were missing.  Though focused
on course content, the PSSC teacher workshops, almost inadvertently, had a
powerful social component. Some participants are still teaching today, and
they retain a strong impression of the invigorating camaraderie among
teachers that the workshops engendered.  To promote and sustain such
camaraderie is one reaon why local alliances and networking are needed.
This is one reason why we can expect more from reform the next time
around."

        Any thoughts?

Jane Jackson (Professor of Physics, Scottsdale Community College--on leave)
Dept. of Physics, Box 871504, Arizona State University, Tempe AZ 85287-1504.
E-mail: jane.jackson@asu.edu  (My alias is jacksonj, if you're on BITNET.)
PHONE: (602)965-8438.  FAX: (602)965-7331.