The Physicists Intervene

SEP 01, 1991

For over 150 years American physicists have been making forays into elementary and high school science teaching. Their novel approaches have usually worked—but the results have always been short‐lived.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881271

Clifford Swartz

In 1826 Joseph Henry went down from Albany, New York, to visit the United States Military Academy at West Point. He observed that one article very necessary in teaching chemestrys is found in this room. VIZ. a blackboard on which the student is taught the atomic theory and all algebraic formula and chemistry. Indeed, it appears to be one of the principles of teaching in this institution that everything as far as practical should be demonstrated on the blackboard.

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References

1. The quotes from Henry’s writings are from B. M. Swartz, Phys. Teach. 16, 348 (1978).https://doi.org/PHTEAH
2. A. E. Moyer, Phys. Teach. 14, 96 (1976).https://doi.org/PHTEAH
3. A. Romer, Phys. Teach. 16, 78 (1978).https://doi.org/PHTEAH
4. G. Holton, Phys. Teach. 5, 198 (1967); https://doi.org/PHTEAH
this issue has four other articles describing Project Physics.

More about the authors

Clifford Swartz, State University of New York.