Abstract
Physics education research, a field that is now over 100 years old, has made it clear: the key to teaching physics successfully is to prioritize getting the concepts across, and the mathematical representation (“laws”) can come later. On the other hand, conceptual representations are steeped in culture and language, while the corresponding “laws” are universal. The ETSI program provided a unique opportunity to re-imagine conceptual physics for Tibetan monastic culture. This perspective describes the major challenges derived from this experience over multiple areas of physics, and addresses two central questions: 1) how does the translation and interpretation of key terms such as energy, motion, charge, and system change the connotations surrounding physical laws? 2) What are the practical strengths and weaknesses of teaching conceptual physics using well-developed methods in the United States, and what can educators learn about the emergence of understanding?
Highlights
From 2008 to 2013, the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI) ETSI (2021) sponsored 36 science faculty, mostly from Emory University, to visit Dharamshala, India and deliver short 4–5 weeks courses in philosophy of science, physics, neuroscience, and biology
High-engagement pedagogy worked well, based on feedback we received from the experienced translators and from scholars who attended multiple years of classes
Since we could not use the “crutch” of mathematical equations, we had to rely on demonstrations, hands-on experimentation, and active discussion/debates, which is commensurate with the way Buddhist philosophy is taught
Summary
From 2008 to 2013, the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative (ETSI) ETSI (2021) sponsored 36 science faculty, mostly from Emory University, to visit Dharamshala, India and deliver short 4–5 weeks courses in philosophy of science, physics, neuroscience, and biology. The faculty were recruited from a broad range of universities and colleges, primarily in the United States of America (United States) This perspective serves as a reflection of this experience, the communication challenges, and the major co-learned takeaways from a meshing of United States physics education with Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. Most physics faculty in the program (and all authors on this paper), chose active learning techniques typical of a modern undergraduate course in the United States. It has been demonstrated for United States undergraduates that physics learning happens most readily where students are actively engaged in course topics, via hands-on activities and peer-topeer discussions Hake (1998); Meltzer and Thornton (2012). Attention is paid to misunderstandings of foundational principles and learning styles that are distinct from those often found in undergraduate classes, similarities will be discussed as well
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