Dear Gavin, My experience sounds similar to yours, but some 25 years earlier.
My Chemistry and Physics teachers tried to teach us in metric units (generally cgs in chemistry and mksA in physics, but also some of the, then very new, SI), but they also reckoned that we would probably end up in a mixed unit environment, so they also taught us about what they called 'old' units. The Physics teacher went to considerable trouble over this even-handedness between old and new. He even taught us the difference between the two fps's (foot pound second and foot poundal second) and the fss (foot slug second) systems, in case we turned out to be engineers. With the wisdom of hindsight, I regret that my teachers did not make a decision to adopt SI, as soon as they could, and not trouble us with the knowledge of the old ways. I think that we all would have benefited from a teaching technique that involved us all in a total immersion in SI. Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Geelong, Australia Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online newsletter, 'Metrication matters'. You can subscribe by sending an email containing the words subscribe Metrication matters to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- on 8/3/04 7:30 AM, Gavin Young at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > My Benson Polytechnic High School and Portland State University physics and > chemistry classes only used SI in the textbooks and lab experiments. I > graduated from college in 1987. However my high school also had non-SI > versions > of their science courses for those who did not plan on college. The science > classes I took in college were designed for engineering majors. > > Quoting Pat Naughtin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > >> Dear Stan, >> >> For many years language teachers have championed a technique of language >> training called 'total immersion'. With this technique, students are placed >> in an environment where all communication is done in the language being >> taught -- there is no translation or training in how to translate between >> your native language and the new language. Linguists have reported very high >> success rates by using this method. >> >> Famously, the Spanish Department at La Trobe University in Melbourne used >> this technique. From the moment that students enrolled in Spanish, they were >> confronted by this immersion technique. The Department's receptionist spoke >> only Spanish; enrolment forms were written only in Spanish, and the staff >> did not speak any other language to students. >> >> I wonder how effective a similar metric science education program would be >> using similar methods. >> >> Your science classrooms and laboratories would only have metric rulers (in >> metres and millimetres -- with no double sided scales); all masses would be >> metric only, in grams and kilograms; all measuring cylinders would be in >> litres and millilitres; and all thermometers would be Celsius only. >> >> All lessons, experiments, and calculations would involve SI units only; >> there would be no calculations involving old imperial or old USA units, nor >> would there would be any calculations involving old metric units. In >> particular, there would never be any requirement to convert any units from >> old to new -- students could develop their new SI metric mindsets from >> direct experience. >> >> Cheers, >> >> Pat Naughtin LCAMS >> Geelong, Australia >> >> Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online newsletter, 'Metrication >> matters'. You can subscribe by sending an email containing the words >> subscribe Metrication matters to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> -- >> >> on 29/2/04 1:27 PM, G. Stanley Doore at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >>> Effective metrication must begin in schools. >>> >>> Rather than teach metrication for general purpose use, the SI must be >> taught >>> and used exclusively in science classes and courses since science uses >>> metric virtually exclusively. In this way, students will relate to >> science >>> much easier than trying to force them to use the SI outside of science or >>> using English units in science. In this way, students will be prepared >> for >>> conversion outside of science without creating disturbances by the adult >>> population. In fact, students could be a catalyst for educating the >> public >>> about the SI and its ease of use and its coherency. >>> >>> As for volume vs. mass, liquids could be measured by volume while solids >> by >>> mass. Ingredients should be given in mass of each element per kilogram >>> and/or for the total volume a container's contents. That way you can >>> compare the density of the fluid with water which is virtually 1 kg/L. >>> >>> Stan Doore >> >> > > > Gavin Young > http://www.xprt.net/~hightech , http://www.renewableelectricity.com, > http://www.electric-automobile.com
