In my honors physics class, we read the book The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, a collection of speeches and essays by renowned physicist (and somewhat cult-figure) Richard Feynman. When we started doing this, I decided on two things.
- I didn't want to ask them factual questions about the book. Rather, I wanted them to reflect on how some of the book's themes play out in the 21st century.
- I wanted these conversations to be public, so we use Twitter chats to hold our discussions. With Feynman being such a well-known figure, I hoped that people would stumble upon the discussion and join in. That's only happened once so far. Because the questions aren't just about science, some of my colleagues have joined in, responding sporadically to insights about ethics or learning.
Some of the discoveries I have made as a result of doing this were planned. Others were accidental. I knew that if I asked the right questions, I could get deep reflection and insight from my juniors and seniors. Some examples
- I gave them the Oppenheimer quote ""I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." Then, I asked, "Do you think he was overly dramatic, or was this the correct response?" There were some who interpreted it from a very 2020 perspective, feeling like he was fishing for people to tell him he was wrong. Others said they would have felt the same way, knowing they had invented something so destructive. Others pointed out that Feynman and many of his colleagues entered deep depression after the bomb was used.
- There is a story in the book where Richard Feynman is sent to Chicago to gather information but is not allowed to talk about his Top Secret work and was instructed to lie. I asked, "When he was sent to Chicago, he was instructed to lie in order to get information from people. This atheist said his conscience bothered him. What do you think of that?" While I expected their answers to discuss the ethics of lying and whether it is every okay. (Rahab lied to protect the spies and is praised in Scripture. Christians lied to Nazis about the Jews they were hiding in their basements.) I didn't expect an answer that led to the philosophical question of whether we, as humans, have a universal sense of right and wrong.
- Our discussion on the pros and cons of nanotechnology is too long to write about here, but it was quite interesting.
- Last week, I asked "Feynman says, “The imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man.” He gives a gravity example. What is something in nature that you find astounding because you could not have imagined it?" I got answers ranging from Yosemite's cliffs to Auroras to snow hanging from tree branches to sunrises. One said that he couldn't wrap his mind around the massive nature of outer space. One student even said golf courses and clarified that while they were man-made, they "derive their richness from what is already there on the land."
- I also posted, "Feynman observes that a roaring ocean is made of tiny particles all following patterns. How has God made it so that individuals (whether atoms or people) cause a massive outcome no one of them could on their own?" Answers ranged from blood cells to armies to the wind.
I didn't expect these exact answers, but I did expect that, if I posed the right questions, I could get deep thought. What I stumbled upon was that it is a way to make connections on a non-academic level.
- The boy who provided the answer about Yosemite talks about Yosemite a lot. He's a rock climber, and once he visited Yosemite, it became his dream to climb El Capitan. I've learned a lot about climbing from him, and, while I'll never climb a rock, I love national parks so we have a basis to share.
- In the first chat we have, I post, "When Feynman describes how molecules make a catastrophe called fire, he is so joyful. Is there any learning that makes you feel joyful like that?" My intent was that they connect the rest of what Feynman has to say to something they like (because, let's face it, they don't all have a consuming passion for physics). What I realized the first year while grading these was that I now had a list of my students' passions. Since physics relates to absolutely everything, I make a list and try to connect practice problems or concept illustrations to the things they love. This is, of course, easier if they are passionate about cars, golf, or exotic animals than it is if they are interested in politics or economics.
In the past few years, I have found much joy in asking my students open-ended questions, in which the point is less about getting a "right" answer than an interesting train of thought. What I most love asking is "What's your favorite . . .? Explain why." It could be about their favorite thing they have learned in this chapter or what they think is the most interesting thing about the human ear or who their favorite scientist is. The answers they give to those questions are longer, more interesting, more amusing, and filled with far more information than the answers they give to the standard "explain how this works" questions (I do still ask those when needed because it doesn't make sense to ask them what their favorite thing is about how boats float or what's the most important part of the breathing process). I find it even more valuable to do this with middle school students because it stretches them past memorizing in a way that doesn't seem scary. (What 8th grader doesn't want to talk about their favorite things?)
Teachers, I know it can't be every question on every assignment, but try to find ways to allow your students to show their insight, not just their learning. Even if it is only one question per chapter test, you will find great joy in grading them.
(And, if I can make just one Coronavirus reference, during these next few weeks when we are all teaching online, these are ways to assess learning at a distance in a way that isn't possible to cheat.)
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