Схемен фантазьор

My teaching philosophy

My name is Cyril Mechkov. For the last 20 years I have been teaching analog circuitry at the Technical University of Sofia. My teaching philosophy (see my last paper to know more about it) is simple:

A discussion about biasing idea (at the whiteboard in the lecture hall).

1. Electronic circuits are based on clear and simple basic ideas, which may be derived from our routine.

2. In order to really understand electronic circuits, we - human beings - have first to reveal these basic ideas.

3. In order to successfully present circuits to students, we teachers have to build them according to the basic ideas revealed.

4. In order to make students create new circuits, we teachers have to (re)invent the existing circuits according to the basic ideas behind them.

I just believe that we - human beings - can really understand abstract electronic circuits by using human, non-electrical means. Basic ideas behind circuits are "non-electrical". So, they do not depend on the specific implementation (tube, transistor, op-amp etc.); they are eternal!

Wikipedia contributions

I joined Wikipedia in 2006 creating a few stories about negative resistance, virtual ground, voltage-to-current converter and current-to-voltage converter. Only, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia where everyone can publish separate ideas, which are not connected to each other. Wikibooks is more adequate for creative people that have a chain of ideas; in a wikibook, they can expose their ideas in a set of pages that are hierarchically connected to each other.

Circuit idea wikibook

I have established Circuit idea in 2007, in order to show how to reveal the ideas behind circuits. The main purpose of this e-book is to reveal once and for all the true, pure and real fundamental ideas behind circuits. It establishes new human-friendly circuit philosophy as an alternative to the classical formal "robot-friendly" approach:) This philosophy relies more on human imagination than on logical reasoning. It considers analog circuitry more as art than science and the creation of electronic circuits as a result of human fantasy, imagination and enthusiasm. If you have an interesting story about amazing circuit phenomenon, contribute to the novel book!

Joining students to Circuit idea

In the beginning of March, 2008 I decided to join my students to Circuit idea. I started this initiative "in sport" but it turned out so successful and exciting that now I am entirely absorbed in this new web undertaking. I have told how it has begun in the discussion of the first completely finished page that my students and I have dedicated to the famous Ohm's experiment.

You can imagine how powerful this approach is where students and their teacher, all together, work on the same common project! They add, edit and continuously refine it; they learn how to present what they have done to other, how to contribute a wiki project, how to communicate with people, etc. Furthermore, any web visitors (including other students and their teachers) through the world can join and enrich this open project! If you are a teacher, student or you just like education, join our web initiative! Here are links to my student groups:

Group 64a • Group 65a • Group 66a • Group 67a • Group 68a • Group 64b • Group 65b • Group 66b • Group 67b • Group 68b

Resources

If you like to know more about me, visit my informal bio, my philosophy and all the materials located at my site circuit-fantasia.com.