Routing out the Rote Physicists have one of the best jobs in the entire industry of science: they boast a low unemployment rate of 4.5% (Shaugnessy 1); and their median employment salary is $106,840 (19-2012 Physicists 1) which is more than twice the national average (Social Security 1). That could all change if the next generation loses interest in physics. Although physicists have been directly linked to the discovery or invention of " the transistor, the laser, splitting the atom, TV and radio, MRI and PET scans, quantum theory and relativity, and unraveling the DNA molecule" (Kaku 1); the newer generation of students still dislikes physics. A recent study shows, that when compared to biology, only 37 percent of students chose physics as a topic of study by Year 10 students(Williams 1). The same study asked students the reasons why they disliked physics, and the majority of them chose its difficulty/ hardness (48%) along with its unenjoyability (30%)
…show more content…
Physicists should be trained more interactively; having to think more and engage more in the concept of focus. This style of learning is called active learning. The proper definition of active learning is "a process whereby students engage in activities, such as reading, writing, discussion, or problem solving that promote analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of class content"(Active Learning 1). This learning style has proven to help students with not only their grades, but their attendance rate. According to a study done by Desluariers, Schelew, and Wieman; students who were taught using active learning were able to complete a physics test with an average score of 74% ( the average for the control was 41%) and had an increased attendance rate of 20% (3). The fact that the test scores went up shows that the subject was less difficult and the fact that the attendance rate went up shows more interest and more
Physicists should be trained more interactively; having to think more and engage more in the concept of focus. This style of learning is called active learning. The proper definition of active learning is "a process whereby students engage in activities, such as reading, writing, discussion, or problem solving that promote analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of class content"(Active Learning 1). This learning style has proven to help students with not only their grades, but their attendance rate. According to a study done by Desluariers, Schelew, and Wieman; students who were taught using active learning were able to complete a physics test with an average score of 74% ( the average for the control was 41%) and had an increased attendance rate of 20% (3). The fact that the test scores went up shows that the subject was less difficult and the fact that the attendance rate went up shows more interest and more