(Warning : This post is mildly geeky. People with allergies are advised to stay away.)
I think I first started learning Physics as a subject in the seventh, or the sixth, or something like that. Although the physics then was more “A good scientist always asks questions” sort of thing, no real physics.
But even then, when we started learning the rudiments, Newton’s Laws in their most basic forms, I was hearing things like
“When one body hits another with a speed, the other body does not want to stay still, it wants to move.”
My teachers were personifying the objects, giving them likes, dislikes, and a mind of their own. You piece together enough of this, and soon you’ll be giving them personalities of their own.
“But… no! Friction and motion are mortal enemies! I watched the battle the other day, and light and sound were the moderators. They always seemed the calmest of the lot.”
People will argue about who like who, and who hates who, and who is better, or ‘gooder’. You’ll have Physikmon cards, and people trading, and trying to attain the perfect set.
“I’ll trade you sound for inertia.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“Sound diffracts easily!”
Possibly games for consoles, “Beat the Phenomenon” (Probably originate in Kerala, that one.)
An entire franchise, millions to be made of all this, all because some teachers are routinely personifying physics. Very cool, I think.
Although it is a very effective way of teaching, for people who have issues visualising, they just attribute it to the personality of the phenomenon, and that’ll be their explanation for a long time, or even forever.
This is a cycle, because if they go on to teach, then they’d teach the same way, and the kids they teach will teach the same way, and et cetera.
Although it is wrong to personify these things, they get the concepts right, and I suppose that’s what it’s all about.
I just find it downright hilarious.
6 comments:
I read upto
"When one body hits another with a speed, the other body does not want to stay still, it wants to move.”
and thought
When one body hits another with a speed, the other body does not want to stay still, it wants to beat the fuck out of the first one.”
And couldn't read more until I posted this.
I skimmed the rest though. It almost gave me a gag reflex.
Shite, no?
This is what happens when I have to type out some rubbish everyday.
Expect worse, I say.
Nono, the post wasn't shite, actualy, I wouldn't know, I didnt read it...
The educationality aspect.... yikes.
I should have stayed away, like you told me.
Sorry to pee on your parade, but you just failed your challenge.
But cousin, maths teachers can make this even worse. There was the woman in Ahmedabad, back in the 5th, who kept showing us "how the decimals jump" by making us get up and hop around: two hops to the right for "x100", three to the left for "/1000"... The people whom she made come to the front of the class (note that I don't say the blackboard) and "work out" (like, really) such insane and stupid problems as 19.5 x 10000 x 0.01 x 1000 x 0.000001 x... without shortening any steps, will never forgive her.
...besides, she also taught biology, and said "phatao-synthesis" without the slightest intention of being campy.
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