Education Must Capture Student Enthusiasm
DOI: 10.1063/1.4796324
Pantazis Mouroulis ( Physics Today, November 2000, page 78 ) writes that teaching “the Big Bang to college sophomores is a bad idea.” He goes on to say “Real science courses should be taught only when students have the background to appreciate and understand the material.” To be realistic, however, one first-year or sophomore astronomy course is often the only time we physical scientists get a crack at a student. We have to make the most of that opportunity by describing the most exciting aspects of our fields. Of course, we should be as clear as possible and link the discussion to a wider context and to scientific ways of thought, but if we wait until we “reinstate rigor in science instruction,” we will miss the overwhelming majority of students.
More about the authors
Jay M. Pasachoff, (jay.m.pasachoff@williams.edu) Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, US .
