I am a volunteer reader at the Princeton unit of "Learning Ally" (formerly "Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic") and I recently discovered that high school students are introduced to the concept of quantization well before they take chemistry and physics. For the past few months I have been reading onto computer files a…

Unparalleled academic journals not only provide a seaworthy vessel for the sharing and dissemination of innovative ideas, but also cause a perceptible wake with each new issue. For physics teaching enthusiasts, our flagship is "The Physics Teacher" ("TPT"), with its vibrant community of learners on board observing an extensive…

In last month's issue of "TPT," Michael Sobel turns our attention to the increasing number and broader population of students taking physics courses and urges us to reconsider how to better cater to their needs. We applaud the author for focusing our attention on this important issue. However, we find his proposal for teaching physics to…

Presents a mock interview with John Dewey in which the questions are from the present, and the answers are culled from Dewey's writings from 60-100 years ago. Questions relate primarily to the current state of education in science. (WRM)

Argues for innovation in teaching physics. Contends that the major premise of work in physics education is that educational innovations should be based on research into student learning, and that the effectiveness of an innovation should be evaluated by openly assessing what students have actually learned--a notion that is starling to those in…

Discusses the need for college science teachers to show students the fundamentals before expecting them to "dive in." Argues for the importance of homework in post-secondary science classes. (WRM)

Argues that high school teachers have given up on trying to teach equations and mathematics to poorly prepared, inner-city, or very average students. Describes a mathematical problem-solving physics course for all types of students from average to honors. (CCM)

A physics teacher with inner-city-high-school teaching experience contends that spillover violence, due in large part to gang activity in the neighborhood, affects the performance and career choices of inner-city young people and contributes to the paucity of minority students in science classes. This in turn contributes to their lack of…

Discusses issues related to perpetual population growth. Argues that if we believe that there are no limits to growth, we will have to abandon the concept of a spherical Earth which puts limits to growth. (JRH)

Suggests a way to change the role of physics teacher. Discusses the teacher as a coach, reducing anxiety, team cooperation, and a grading system including "forgiving learning" which recognizes student's progress. (YP)

Refutes the Doppler effect as the explanation of large red shifts in the spectra of distant galaxies and explains the relativistic effects in which the light sources approach the observer obliquely. Provides several diagrams and graphs. (YP)

Discusses a course proposal which concentrates on fewer topics and covering the topics in greater depth. Proposes a sequence in which each topic is introduced phenomenologically, the theory is developed, and the applications are discussed. Uses optics as an example. Lists some disadvantages and advantages of the proposed topical organization. (YP)

Focuses on (1) the current crisis in physics teaching in secondary schools and colleges due to decreases in student enrollment, and (2) the growing shortage of secondary school physics teachers. Discusses reasons for the crisis and presents an approach to solve this problem. (SK)

Many secondary/college textbook authors define current explicitly or implicitly, by the diagrams, in terms of negative-charge motion. Discusses several reasons why the "conventional current" direction is preferred. (JN)

Discusses criteria for writing, designing, and selecting a physics text including topics covered, target students, diverse problems, and focused content. (YP)