Condensed concepts

Over the past few decades, I have taught a wide range of courses in diverse contexts. Perhaps I have been slow to learn how to be a better teacher. Since I began teaching things have changed dramatically. Our goals and the content of most curricula have changed little, and should not. However, advances in technology provide new opportunities but also challenges and potential distractions. The social context has changed significantly in terms of the expectations of both students and institutions. Here are a few of the ideas that I think are important to keep in mind.  Some seem obvious, particularly in hindsight. On the other hand, practical implementations are a challenge. I think keeping the ideas in mind is also important for maintaining your sanity and motivation. The ideas are listed in no particular order and many are interconnected. The amount of learning that happens is correlated with the level of student engagement. Engagement happens at many levels and in many ways: thr

A friend asked me for any advice I have before he launches a blog. What mistakes have I made? How do I manage comments? What is the best platform? So here are my rough thoughts. Just do it! This applies to both starting, persevering, and what you write. Blogging is not for perfectionists and procrastinators. A major strength (and weakness) of the medium is that one can float tentative and controversial ideas and not worry about endless editing and polishing. It can be an incredibly enriching experience, for both yourself and others. The biggest impact of your blog may be on you not on your audience. This is really true in my case. Blogging has clarified my thinking on a wide range of issues, from science to politics to religion. Blogging saves time rather than taking time. Don't be driven by metrics. It is easy to keep track of page views and an abundance of other data. It is not clear how accurate or helpful it is. Furthermore, this can easily lead to feelin

I have had some interesting discussions with an editor at Oxford University Press about the Very Short Introductions series.  The upshot is that I have been asked to write a VSI Condensed Matter Physics. I find it amazing and concerning that after 500 titles there wasn't one about CMP. There are excellent ones on Magnetism, Superconductivity, Complexity, and Crystallography. I am very happy about this and will post more about it later. At first, we discussed a VSI on Solid State Physics. Here is my outline for that. 1. Introduction     Solid state physics    - is central to technology (d iodes, transistors, LEDs, photovoltaic cells, and computer memories)    - provides important lessons in scientific model building    - is one of the largest fields of physics    - is a rich source of ideas and concepts that have cross-fertilised with other fields of science 2. Solids are quantum matter Solids are made of atoms (nuclei and electrons). Electrons are waves. Electrons are f