Critique of teaching objectives in colleges

In agreeing to address this conference on the subject “Critique of Teaching Objectives—College” I had wondered whether this particular area was perhaps a little apart from our principal consideration, namely that of the improvement of high school science as a means of augmenting the production of future physicists. Now that I have listened to Fletcher Watson’s report about the extremely small amount of college physics studied by the average high school teacher who is called on to teach physics, it looms as a very important aspect of our problem. Since it is evident that the general college physics courses provide essentially the only contact of the average high school physics teachers with this subject, it is of deepest importance to inquire as to whether the quality of such college physics courses is not to a large extent reflected in the manner in which high school physics is taught. Let me make two points clear at the very outset: first, I intend to be blunt and perhaps even brutal in my criticism of general college physics courses, and secondly, I wish to make it clear that I am excluding from such criticism those of my colleagues present at this conference who are engaged in teaching such courses. Now that I have cleared the atmosphere, I will drop all semblance of tact and state categorically that in my judgment the average elementary college physics course falls far short of even modest intellectual standards and fails utterly to satisfy present day requirements in physics education. This situation is deplorable, to say the least. I am amazed, not so much that high school physics leaves so much to be desired, but that it is as good as it is, when one considers the low quality of beginning college physics courses and the extraordinary difficulty which a high school teacher faces in keeping up even partially with the rapid advances in physics. The lack of professional competence of high school teachers of physics is undoubtedly due in no small measure to the mediocre standards of the average college physics course, and these in turn stem in no small degree from the unprecedented rapid rate of growth of physics and its applications, as well as to the sharp increase in complexity and subtlety of modern physical principles.

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