[Prof. Karen Goodlad]

Create a post on the OpenLab Site citing or quoting a specific passage from “Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman” that speaks to attitudes toward research and engaging students towards research. Also take a moment to comment on another member’s post.

[elaine]

This speaks to both engaging students in education and everyday research.
It begins on pg 211 when Mr. Feynman is in Brazil teaching a group of science students who were becoming teachers. They were dong well on their wrttien and oral PhD exams- but he became curious about their responses and questioned them further outside of the test. He found that they were quite good at memorization but not at critical or creative thinking. No thinking outside the box. He realized the students “shut down” class members who took up” valuable class” time asking questions that might lead to this type of thinking! Sound familiar.
It is a syndrome I find with my Nursing Students- they want to memorize- if I pose the question in a different way they have trouble solving the problem. We stress critical thinking skills are necessary but then we push for passing the NCLEX and stuffing them full of that data! I am wondering if we can find a balance so we can graduate a Nurse who is truly prepared for anything.

[rmichals]

I also found the section on Feynman’s experience teaching in Brazil really important. We must to be able to recognize when students have just memorized something but don’t understand the underlying ideas.

[elaine]

True and Feynman’s book brings it home that it is not a new issue nor limited to American students it would be good to find ways to ensure they get the concepts not just memorize the facts.

[urmi]

I found Feynman’s character very interesting and intriguing. Not only he was brilliant, he was also very funny and witty. I shared the chapter “Who stole the door” with my eleven year old son and he burst out into laughter when he heard Feynman saying, “…There is something funny about the glasses you gave me – they’re filled in on the top, and there’s a hole on the bottom” to the waitress of the restaurant.