Not wanting to be too cynical but :) Could most of this not be political at least for physics? Great press that physicists do other stuf besides the stuff that most people don't understand? Is, spending 2.5 million of a couple of classrooms for the benefit of a few failing students worth it? I know that perhaps all areas could learn from this method but hasn't active learning, hands on, team-work approaches been known for a long time? As well, the ones who were failing will not become physicists, and the ones who will become physicists will do so despite the instructional method. It seems to me to be a PR thing mostly. With this "new" approach they attract a lot more students and money into the department. --Mike
--- On Tue, 1/13/09, Dr. Bob Wildblood <[email protected]> wrote: From: Dr. Bob Wildblood <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [tips] At M.I.T., Large Lectures Are Going the Way of the Blackboard - NYTimes.com To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 2:08 PM Christopher Green wrote: The [MIT] physics department has replaced the traditional large introductory lecture with smaller classes that emphasize hands-on, interactive, collaborative learning.... There are a group of faculty at Indiana University Kokomo who have been doing an interactive learning process called "Team-Based Learning" which was developed by Larry Michaelsen, Arletta Knight, and L. Dee Fink and is very interactive, group processy (I know that isn't a word, but it works), and the students love it. The paperback which has all of the information necessary only costs about $23. It's the scoring sheets that costs more (sort of like Scantron sheets). Bob Wildblood, PhD, HSPP Lecturer in Psychology Indiana University Kokomo Kokomo, IN 46904-9003 [email protected], [email protected] "It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others." (Anonymous) We have an obligation and a responsibility to be investing in our students and our schools. We must make sure that people who have the grades, the desire and the will, but not the money, can still get the best education possible. - Barack Obama We have in fact, two kinds of morality, side by side: one which we preach, but do not practice, and another which we practice, but seldom preach. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
