{"id":532,"date":"2024-10-23T16:24:06","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T16:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sem.austincc.edu\/astronomy\/?page_id=532"},"modified":"2024-11-18T15:35:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T15:35:53","slug":"astronomy-physics-professor-dr-jim-heath-teaching-methods-style","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sem.austincc.edu\/astronomy\/astronomy-physics-professor-dr-jim-heath-teaching-methods-style\/","title":{"rendered":"ASTRONOMY & PHYSICS PROFESSOR- DR. JIM HEATH, Teaching Methods & Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What To Expect In Class:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

I’ve heard it said that the purpose of education is to give people the ability to tell when someone is “talking rot” and when they are making sense. This skill is becoming even more important in the modern day, surrounded as we are by science and technology. Con-artists and opportunists are learning to wrap themselves up in technology to better deceive people; astrologers carry around laptop computers, for example. I believe that science courses should help give people the tools they need to become “scientifically literate,” and be able to evaluate “scientific claims” in their lives as consumers and voters. It is my hope that my courses can serve part of that purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n

People might look at my teaching style and dismiss it as mere \u201csage on the stage\u201d lecturing, but I consider it to be a narrative style.\u00a0 My Appalachian heritage places a great value on storytelling, and I see myself as telling the \u201cstory\u201d of physics and astronomy to my students.\u00a0 A good storyteller always involves the listeners in the storytelling process, so I always want to make my storytelling a dialogue instead of a monologue.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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TO MY ASTRONOMY STUDENTS:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The simplest and most obvious goal for my courses is to convey to you the basic concepts of astronomy.<\/span> I realize that very few of you would even consider a career in astronomy, so this course is not necessarily “pitched” to future scientists. I hope to be able to give you enough of a background in the “facts” and theories of astronomy to be able to understand claims made by astronomers in the popular media, and maybe even enjoy astronomy as a hobby.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A deeper goal is to give you practice in “thinking scientifically.”\u00a0 Both in-class material and graded activities are intended to help you improve your abilities to organize, reason, make conclusions based on evidence, and otherwise think logically.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> These are skills that employers are looking for, and skills a scientifically aware citizen should have. Everyone has these skills inside them, and part of my job is to help you sharpen these skills.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, the most important goal in the class is to have fun. Astronomy is an exciting field that is changing every day, and a fun hobby to pursue. I hope some of my enthusiasm about science and astronomy will be infectious. However, remember that a lot of the responsibility for this rides on you: you can only have as much fun as you allow yourself to have. Be involved in the class! Be energetic!<\/strong><\/p>\n

My exams are mostly essay because I am interested in testing your understanding of the material, not just your raw knowledge. The emphasis will be on the ability to analyze (break things apart) and synthesize (put things together), rather than your ability to memorize facts. Accordingly, I will focus more on whys and wherefores in my lectures, instead of throwing a stream of trivia at you, which would bore all of us.\u00a0 However, I do NOT want my own words regurgitated back at me on the tests. You will be expected to explain things in your own words, and in plain English. I also prefer essay questions because I am a believer in partial credit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My philosophy behind homework assignments in astronomy is as follows. Many times we read a fact in a textbook, like “the density of Saturn is so small it would float in water” or “the mass of Jupiter is such-and-such”, and blindly accept it. Such blind acceptance, both in science and in “real life”, is dangerous. The purpose of the homework is to get you to confirm these “facts” for yourselves. Many of the great computations of astronomy can be done by non-science majors using high school freshman algebra and a simple scientific calculator!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some truths about taking this class:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • It is not unreasonable for me to expect you to come to class on time every day that you are physically able.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • It is not unreasonable for me to expect you to take notes in class.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • It is not unreasonable for me to expect you to do all the assignments.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • It is not unreasonable for me to expect you to read the book and so other activities to prepare for class.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    All of the above are essential to your learning in this class, or any science class.\u00a0 You are all adult learners, and I will treat you like adults, responsible for your own learning. I provide the opportunities; you must provide the energy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    TO MY PHYSICS STUDENTS:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    I realize that many if not most of you will not be pursuing careers in physics.\u00a0 Therefore, I have structured the class to help you develop important skills as you learn the basic principles of physics. While your employers and future employers will very likely not care much how many laws of physics you are familiar with, we know that they will value the following skills:<\/strong><\/p>\n