Pedagogy: story lines for introducing GR?

Andy Resnick

I use the story line #3 in class (health science students, algebra-based intro). Nobody has mentioned that liberal arts majors are going to be totally lost by all the jargon being thrown around here- presumably you realize that :)

Edit- I also introduce GR by analogy to the surface of the Earth- moving North-South vs. East-West introduces the notion of a 'fictitious force', combined with the paradox that force-free mechanics (motion in straight lines) appears violated for free body motion, because we can cancel gravity with a fictitious force. Thus gravity and curvature are interchangeable.

I don't know how much sticks, but I enjoy telling the story... :)

piareround

Correct! Actually I think that he publish a "lesson plan" of how to teach GR using wormholes. (http://www.physics.uofl.edu/wkomp/te.../wormholes.pdf)

I cite this as a way that you might attract liberal arts majors who might be more interested in the historical side of GR. :)

After all, we cannot simple come from a simple Piagetian based teaching style but must include social communication, scaffolding and interaction (Vygotisky) while appealing to twenty first century learning need to address different intellengences (music, art, kinestetic, etc.)