I want to emphasise my closing statement:
The single greatest motivator for a student to attempt a physics problem is that they were successful in solving the previous physics problem.
Success is the best motivator.
Not some contrived appeal to a real-world application, not a grand challenge problem, and not even when you tell them this will help them do well on a future assessment.
Let me repeat another item:
The single greatest skill necessary for a student to solve a physics problem is competence. Mathematical competence.
Fortunately, lacking mathematical competence is not an end state for a student – it’s part of the entirety of learning physics. Targeting mathematical competence is the reason why I organise my introduction to equations as described in the video. I can highlight, with immediacy, what matters in this class, right now, today.
Cheers,
John
