| We have been presenting
a great variety of puzzles and puzzling oddities at Da Vinci Days, on our
Web sites, and at a variety of science events at local colleges and schools.
They are presented because they steer people, young and old, into thinking
in unfamiliar ways.
Solving puzzles, resolving cognitive dissonances, struggling with difficult problems—real problems—are the kind of activities that physics education research has found to be the only route to real understanding of physics and math principles for most students. The familiar lectures, and the textbook exercise problems, have proved disappointingly ineffective. Modern students acquire the science and math concepts much the same way as the original discoverers did -- by the "Eureka!" route. Let's create, try out, experiment with, modify, and disseminate such activities. |
The green panels to the right are the original puzzlers which appeared at the first of each month. Their answers, which appeared the following month, are the information panels to the left of the green panels. |
| Everyone
who understands a little science (or a lot) sees that the misunderstandings
of science are remarkably persistent, surprisingly pervasive, often preposterous,
occasionally pernicious--and that they are usually the pre-scientific ideas
that the scientific discoveries replaced. Modern science (science
from the past three or four centuries) is not what it seems at first
glance (and sometimes second, third, fourth, etc.)
It's more abstract. It's more mathematical. It's the recognition of patterns that are a little harder to see. These are the deeper patterns, the patterns of patterns of patterns, that mathematicians (like Keith Devlin) work with. Activities
that promote understanding of the persistently misunderstood science and
math must help reveal those patterns.
Many human habits can interfere with understanding of science: This page and the "Porlock" pages are being developed now, March, 2006 |
@ Da
Vinci Days, 2005
|
