Pseudoteaching is something you realize you\u2019re doing after you\u2019ve attempted a lesson which from the outset looks like it should result in student learning, but upon further reflection, you realize that the very lesson itself was flawed and involved minimal learning.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In many ways, recognizing pseudoteaching can be perceived as \u201ctrolling\u201d or casting a negative light on the work of others, therefore such explorations must be waded into carefully and with tact in mind.\u00a0 Further, as Burk is quick to point out in the pseudo-teaching FAQ<\/a>,<\/p>\n \u201cWe think pseudoteaching is something best discovered by oneself. And there\u2019s something about glass houses and stones.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The key point in the definition of pseudoteaching is that the lesson results in minimal learning.\u00a0 In many cases, the lesson itself may be flawed, but it\u2019s also important to realize that the flaw may be in the lesson\u2019s application to the specified audience, not the lesson itself.<\/p>\n As educators, I\u2019m sure we all realize that entire classes, as well as individual students, have widely varying personalities.\u00a0 My AP-C class loves Walter Lewin\u2019s OCW lectures, and have reported that they learn best when given a set of resources (textbook chapters, practice problems, and references to specific Lewin lectures) and allowed to explore and work through the material at their own pace.\u00a0 And their scores prove this out!\u00a0 Yet, when Lewin delivered these lectures at MIT, Noschese reports in his Action-Reaction Blog<\/a> that \u201cattendance at his physics lectures fell 40% by the end of the term and an average of 10% of students failed Mechanics and 14% failed E&M.\u201d<\/p>\n Providing the same materials to my 9th period Regents Physics class, however, would have considerably less than stellar results.\u00a0 Is the lesson itself flawed?\u00a0 No, the lesson itself has its time, place, and audience.\u00a0 The application of the lesson to the appropriate audience, however, is key to success.<\/p>\n In the same way, I believe the Khan Academy videos, flipped classroom strategies, and similar offerings all have value when used appropriately and with the right audience.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t begin to teach a course in physics where the entire year was spent watching videos, then expect students to have a full and complete understanding at the end of the year.\u00a0 Rather, I would expect this to be a disaster.\u00a0 However, using videos as a resource to introduce or reinforce concepts or applications, in conjunction with active learning methods, student inquiry and exploration activities, would likely merit much stronger consideration.<\/p>\n As another example, the Regents Physics review book I\u2019m finishing up, APlusPhysics: Your Guide to Regents Physics Essentials<\/a><\/span>, is designed as a guide to performing well on the standardized NY Regents Physics Exam.\u00a0 It reinforces standardized physics problem solving in line with a specific test.\u00a0 By itself, I would certainly NOT recommend it for use as a classroom\u2019s primary text, much like I wouldn\u2019t propose\u00a0 an SAT review book in lieu of an entire high school student\u2019s curriculum.\u00a0 These can be valuable resources, however, when used appropriately for the appropriate audience and in conjunction with other resources.<\/p>\n Physics education, and indeed, a vast majority of substantive topics in our world, aren\u2019t black and white.\u00a0 What is valuable and effective in certain circumstances may be considerably less effective in others.\u00a0 Pseudoteaching, therefore, may not always be indicative of a flawed lesson, but in some cases, may be indicative of delivering a strong lesson to the wrong audience in the wrong circumstances.<\/p>\n What makes Noschese\u2019s work so valuable to the physics education community is his willingness to take risks and question everything, including his own work.\u00a0 His late-night tweet questioning his previous comments is profound in that it highlights his ongoing self reflection.\u00a0 It is this ongoing process of assessing the status quo, implementing changes based on that assessment, and then critically examining the results to repeat this loop that is the foundation of authentic growth.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t this, in effect, the basis of our scientific method?\u00a0 These questions we’re discussing and debating have no simple answers, and no absolutes.\u00a0 As long as we continue to question ourselves, open our minds to alternative thoughts and methods, and take appropriate risks to try new pathways, our teaching will continue to grow, evolve, and most importantly, improve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a late-night tweet, physics teacher, colleague, friend and education reformer Frank Noschese questioned his exploration of the Khan Academy, in line with his recent work on the coined term \u201cpseudoteaching,\u201d developed jointly with John Burk.\u00a0 According to Noschese and Continue reading Keys to Growth: Assess, Implement, Reassess #physicsed<\/span>![\"bobby_studying_hg_clr\"](\"http:\/\/aplusphysics.com\/flux\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/bobby_studying_hg_clr_thumb.gif\" "\\"bobby_studying_hg_clr\\"")
<\/a> So why was this successful with my AP-C students?\u00a0 I would surmise that after an entire year of working with the students, building independence, and teaching them how to actively teach themselves, they\u2019re finally becoming comfortable with reading a technical textbook for understanding.\u00a0 They know how to actively listen to Lewin\u2019s lectures, and they watch the lectures as a team, pausing, working through the practice problems themselves, discussing connections to the over-arching concepts \u2013 in short, they\u2019re turning a passive learning experience into an active learning experience that works for them.<\/p>\n