Mediated Learning Newsletter

Vol. 5, Issue 1: October 2005, pg. 2

Engaging Dialogue--Not Authoritative Platitudes

The mountains of Montana are far from the Navy Hospital in San Diego where David Friend started life but, to his students, the warmth of southern California is exhibited in his teaching. Dave Friend's past and current students testified to this as they strongly endorsed his nomination as the 2004-5 winner of The University of Montana Distinguished Teaching Award.

David Friend

Adam Bayliss, currently a graduate student completing a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in physics, wrote, "What is the universe made of? Does it look the same everywhere we look? How long has the Earth been here? Are there other universes?...the answers were clear, well thought [out] and discussion never really ended." Bayliss continued, "Dave was no more bored with these questions than Monet was with patches of lilies."

Dr. Friend started as a mathematics major in college, but claims only to have learned enough to be dangerous. Clearly with a change in majors, he mastered astronomy and physics and the teaching of them. Dave says that his scientific interests really came out when he had to drop most of his graduate classes at the University of Colorado. Crohn's disease and medicine used to treat it had caused an allergic reaction. The disease, the reaction and an intense case of the flu led to hospitalization and think time. He was able to complete one class in astrophysics by studying while sick. His interest solidified and he began doing research in theoretical stellar astrophysics upon his return to school.

Crohn’s and astronomy have been a part of Dave's life since that time. They have interacted throughout his teaching career perhaps leading to a lighter touch with his teaching methods. Thomas May recalls Dr. Friend making a point about sunspots with a slide that showed an image of the sun overlaid with sunspots in the shape of a smiley face. May talks about Friend's masterful use of mirth as a helpful teaching method.

Singing Monty Python songs as a part of the lecture, wearing a Starfleet uniform, interweaving Star Trek clips into the class are a small part of showing physics and astronomy as part of "real" life. Couple the demonstrations with activities in which groups of students in a class of 340 vote for particular answers to questions to promote interactivity in a huge class lecture and you have one person making a difference in teaching on this campus.

Perhaps some of the ideas of demonstration in class derived from Friend's high school physics teacher. Maybe the idea for smashing a liquid nitrogen frozen banana peel derived from him. But Dave claims to have observed many teachers who helped teach him what not to do as a teacher.

What he did learn is that there is no specific way to teach all students. But all seem to learn from demonstrations. Just as students identified these as important parts of his classes, Dave does the same. He gave as an example how a supernova explodes. It first implodes and then explodes. To illustrate, he uses stacked rubber balls that are drilled and have a straight wire through them. He pulls them up on the wire away from their base and then drops them. With the force down (the implosion driving the material in), they hit the bottom and bounce back explosively. The top balls bounce off the stack.

Friend says, "Make all classes as interactive as possible. In big classes, I don't lecture, or at least I try not to. I talk to the students. My goal is to not read a prepared speech or lecture to them. I want my classes to be like office conversations, informal and interactive."

When asked to share teaching advice for new faculty members, Friend offered the following:

1. Get to know students. Treat each as an individual. Don't lecture to a big hall and fail to notice who is there.
2. Figure out the level of the audience. Know them personally. Interact with them.
3. Try anything in class that is related to your objectives and that might be interesting. Don't just do as some one else does. Figure out your own personal style. It's an art and not a science.

Dave related some of the pedagogical methods that he uses successfully.

1. Use groups for concept quizzes, multiple choice quizzes not for grades but for immediate feedback. While I am teaching the large lectures, I throw out questions to the class. They use flash cards and give me immediate feedback. Their responses tell me whether to go on or back up. This instant feedback helps direct the class conversation and makes it more interactive.
2. Post lecture outlines on a web page. For me, many details are missing that students have to add but they do not have to take notes over everything. If they download these outlines, they can concentrate on what is being done in class.
3. Let students help define the syllabus. I present subjects and topics and ask: How do you want the material arranged? Do you want big assignments less often, or smaller assignments more often? How many tests do you want? Helping define the syllabus empowers students.

Friend talks about professors here needing time to do teaching as well as to do research. Few can do both well. He suggests giving lighter teaching loads but adds that if you really like teaching, why would one want a lighter load? As Chair of the Physics and Astronomy Department with a reduced teaching load, Dave said, "I don't mind being chair. I dislike not being able to teach as much."

Early in his career, Friend decided that he did not want to do pure scientific research on a full time basis. Educating undergraduates is what is important to him. Yet Agatha Light describes how he helped another student and her choose research topics and make sure that they had the tools and training needed for the research. She describes him as a valuable resource who was always willing to help them.

On Health and Teaching:
David Friend entered the hospital for surgery related to Crohn's disease. When he awoke from the surgery, the doctors informed him that they had found colon cancer. Dave describes this as a big disruption in his life that gave him a different outlook than before.

He now knows that declining health made him lose interest in teaching but he had not realized it until recovering. Surviving disease and surgery produced a renewed interest in teaching, and in trying different teaching techniques. That renewed interest began showing up in his student evaluations. He says that students are now welcomed warmly in his classes where they might not have been when he was ill.

Friend would like to convey that it is possible to survive cancer and other illnesses and be an encouragement to others. In addition to teaching, Friend volunteers at the hospitals and talks to patients about having a colostomy and having to wear an appliance. He says, "For me, getting rid of messed up intestines was not a bad thing. I will talk with anyone who is having problems and will go to them for conversation. I'm not recommending that people have cancer, but if you do have to go through it, you can be a better person later."

Lance Armstrong was asked, "What would you have rather experienced: cancer or the Tour de France?" Armstrong responded that without cancer, he would not have had the drive and seen that he was capable of doing the Tour. To him, it was more important than winning. Dave Friend exemplifies that same attitude. He has been struck with disease in the past; he has shown that it helped him with decisions and helped make him an excellent teacher. It is no wonder that Dr. Friend won the Distinquished Teaching Award for 2004-05.