Reply to comment

Conceptual Physics Follow-Up Discussion:

I felt like we had a very engaging discussion today (perhaps our rapid responses were somewhat provoked by our *observers*?) about how we perceived the conceptual physics lecture and what we believe science literacy is and how it should be taught... A recurring issue that comes up in class, and in my own thoughts, is how to reconcile pedagogical ideas that apply for non-physics majors classes and classes for majors... In the last paper I wrote, I explored the idea that women are absent from fields like physics and engineering because these subjects are, perhaps, not often taught in relation to humanity. This doesn't just mean consequences of our actions on society and the environment, but also our own agency in experiencing, doing, and making scientific knowledge. From what I saw in Peter's class, he really tried to convey this... we can be responsible knowledge seekers and decision makers without being professional scientists.

I like what Odile said in class today about having an influence in science without pursuing a science career-track... we can be involved in the implementation part of science (energy types, as a for instance) without producing the knowledge itself. So, even if a student does not want to fulfill a career full of mathematics, that person can and, indeed, should still have a role in understanding the science available and making good decisions based on that knowledge. And, getting back to people who want to major in or who are interested in pursuing physics further - it is still important to teach this to these students! They, too, should understand their own role in making science and how it will affect the rest of the world. Professor Nice jumped into the conversation today to say that this does happen in physics classes, but I wonder to what extent and also how Bryn Mawr classes differ from larger research institutions. I can bet you would find some very big differences there.

As for the "to have math, to not have math" portion of our discussion today... I agree, to some extent, with the sentiment that Alex and Flora expressed. They seemed discontent with the lack of math in the class, and I can see where Barad might take issue with this as well. I still believe that it is good to cater to the end of the spectrum that feels an aversion to mathematics but takes an interest in science. I realize this may conflict with Sky's comment about science as a "problem solving" endeavor (in that, we learn to do this via science), but I feel that it is important to maintain this atmostphere for those specific students.

Teknolust: Sweet colors, wierd movie - who was in who's reality? More to come on Wed.