🚀 go-pugleaf

Donald,

You said so many things to which I wish to respond!  I'm glad that my student
teacher is doing the paper grading!

Donald said
>... this PHYSHARE group is puzzling.  I read the message threads and find a
lot of people who don't seem to be reading with care, post hastily
thought-out responses, ... In fact, I've seen very little *serious* and
*thoughtful* discussion, here -- it's mostly parroting of positions.

Please, Donald, note the long name of the group, "Sharing resources for high
school physics."  We are high school physics teachers!  This means that most
of us teach 5 classes per day (or more) with 2 or more preparations, meeting
with 100+ students daily!  In addition to that, many have a supervisory
assignment along with the sponsorship of an extracurricular activity.  We
rarely have as much as15 uninterrupted minutes during the day for
contemplation.  We have no, read that *NO*, clerical, laboratory,
demonstration, or grading support -- of any kind!  At least, we communicate
with one another, learn from one another, and try to develop camaraderie and
to give one another support.  Criticizing us for this is not productive.

Donald said
>...and, I suspect not having clear definitions of those words, and not all
understanding the same definitions ...

and

>No one has bothered to give even one example of a concept in physics of any
importance which can effectively be presented without mathematics.  Yet
someone a couple of weeks ago seemed to be saying that was possible.  Now
folks have backed off to the position that it's ok to use algebra in a
'non-mathematical course.

I think that you have misunderstood the nature of a conceptual physics course
at the outset of this discussion.  A conceptual physics course
is *not* a course *devoid of mathematics*!  We use formulas.  We have
quantitative labs.  We use graphs.  We derive equations from graphs.  We add
vectors.  We resolve vectors into components.  We use right angle
trigonometry.   I don't recall anyone claiming that you can teach physics
without *any* mathematics!  However, algebraic problem solving does not a
physics course a make!

Donald, the following group of remarks is both condescending and insulting to
high school physics teachers.
>Reading this list, and interacting with high school physics teachers at AAPT
regional meetings, I have the disturbing feeling that many physics teachers
exist in a world of their own, insulated and isolated from non-academic
physicists.  Many of them have 'gotten by' without forming solid concepts
themselves.  Many did not excel in physics courses themselves.

I know many of the members of this list personally, and you are way off base
here.  I did, in fact, excel in my college physics courses, and I know that
this is the case with many of the members of this list.  I freely admit that
my present level of conceptual understanding was reached after many years of
teaching, but I was a very good student!  I communicate with a few real-world
physicists via e-mail, but I do not think that they consider themselves to be
non-academic.

You made some valid points, Donald, but sometimes it was difficult for me to
see them because of your condescending attitude.

Cherie Lehman
  usually writing from clehman@vm.cc.purdue.edu