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.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
April 01 2001
Education Must Capture Student Enthusiasm
Jay M. Pasachoff
Jay M. Pasachoff
Search for other works by this author on:
Physics Today 54 (4), 94–95 (2001);
Citation
Jay M. Pasachoff; Education Must Capture Student Enthusiasm. Physics Today 1 April 2001; 54 (4): 94–95. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4796324
Download citation file:
288
Views
Citing articles via
The lessons learned from ephemeral nuclei
Witold Nazarewicz; Lee G. Sobotka
FYI science policy briefs
Lindsay McKenzie; Jacob Taylor