Teacher Education / AP Classes
Advanced Placement Summer Institute
SERC Institute offers Advanced Placement Summer Institutes on the Schoodic Education and Research Center (SERC) campus in Acadia National Park. The park provides a unique setting for intense work with other teachers and institute instructors. There are accommodations for participating teachers on the SERC campus at Schoodic Point, surrounded by spruce and fir forests and the Atlantic Ocean. In 2012 we will offer AP summer institutes in biology, environmental science, statistics, chemistry, world history, and art.
2012 Summer Institutes
Statistics
August 5 - 10, 2012
The Statistics Summer Institute will cover the four major content areas covered under the AP Statistics curriculum including:
1. Exploratory Data Analysis
2. Designing an Experiment/Survey
3. Probability and Simulations
4. Statistical Inference
As we discuss each topic, we will review in detail previously released AP Statistics Free Response questions and discuss what students “need to know.” We will discuss classroom strategies, pedagogy and projects that are helpful to students. We will also review the AP exam in some detail, including format, writing samples and scoring/grading. Both new(er) and experienced teachers are encouraged to attend and we will all learn from each other.
Instructor: Brendan Murphy, John Bapst High School
Environmental Science
August 5 - 10, 2012
This AP Summer Institute is designed for both new and experienced AP Environmental Science Instructors who will be teaching the APES course in the Fall, 2012. Because this interdisciplinary course incorporates elements from biology, chemistry, geology, and natural resource management, the laboratory component of the workshop will focus on how to integrate and connect these areas thru developing the student’s quantitative analysis and investigative skills. Our field/lab investigations will stress analysis through first-hand studies of Maine’s rocky intertidal ecosystem, spruce/fir forest ecology, water quality analysis, bioassays, and soil analysis. We will address the basic course elements of effective pacing, assessment, and active student engagement, as we focus on the central role of the laboratory in the APES curriculum. The latest APES exam will be discussed, as well as the creation of effective essays that challenge students to integrate and connect course topics.
Since all lab work will involve extensive data collection/analysis, a calculator, graph paper, colored pencils, and lab notebook will be required. Participants will also need to bring their 2012/13 school calendar and current APES text. Participant will develop or refine (whichever is appropriate) a weekly syllabus specific to their school’s schedule and calendar, in addition to the daily lab/field data analysis and report-writing. Finally, all participants should bring an ecological/environmental laboratory (paper version) to share with the group, and should come prepared for daily field work: jeans, T-shirts, field shoes, and raingear.
Instructor: Myra Morgan, College Board Consultant
Biology
July 8 - 13, 2012
This summer, the Schoodic Education Research Center will offer an exciting opportunity to study relationships among marine organisms in Acadia National Park. Biology teachers from around the country will gather to learn, observe and discuss the ecology of tidal communities along the rugged Maine coastline through direct observation of saltwater tidal pools. This will be a one-week intensive study that focuses, in large part, on the mandated changes in the AP Biology curriculum as they relate to the organisms and population portion of the AP biology. We will develop inquiry-based approaches to the required biology labs as well the organism and population portions of the AP curriculum. Lab topics will likely include plant pigments and photosynthesis, cell respiration, transpiration, diffusion and osmosis, dissolved oxygen, and aquatic primary productivity. These topics will broadly address four major themes articulated in the AP curriculum: Science as a Process, Evolution, Continuity and Change, and Interdependence in Nature. Additionally, we will examine techniques and strategies used to develop an engaging AP biology curriculum that leads to a scientific community in the classroom and success on the AP exam. While the parameters for this course will be the AP curriculum, the institute is open to and would benefit all teachers of high school biology seeking to increase their understanding of tidal ecology through topic discussions and laboratory experiments. Participants will also take part in a research project as part of an ongoing study of the Schoodic Peninsula ecology. Accommodations are right in Acadia Park, a clam shell’s throw from the ocean.
Instructor: Michael Schaab, Maine Maritime Academy
Art
August 5 - 10, 2012
AP Studio Art Portfolio Workshop
This collaborative and inclusive workshop will pursue a deeper understanding of the expanded AP Studio Art portfolio program. We will focus upon the established portfolio program that includes Drawing, 2-D Design and 3-D Design Portfolios. We will study the AP assessment process, review scoring rubrics and critique approaches, and will view and discuss slides and digital images of successful AP portfolio student work. In this teacher-centered workshop participants will develop assessment methods, participate in mock scoring sessions, and evaluate examples of Quality Section student work. We will include targeted discussion of digital media and its role in the portfolios. In addition, we will explore portfolio ideas and pursue connections to art history. Participants will complete studio-based exercises as well as a formal workshop project of their own design. Participants are encouraged to bring examples of student and/or personal artwork to share. It is the goal of the instructor to meet the portfolio interests and needs of each participant.
Instructor: Brad Faus, The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT
Chemistry
August 5 - 10, 2012
This workshop is intended to provide new ideas for any teacher of AP Chemistry. Participants will discuss pedagogical and realistic approaches to teaching this topic in a high school AP course. It will address elements of effective teaching including lesson planning, activities, resources, and curriculum. Featuring material for teaching the AP course in 2012-2013, it will also include information and activities to support an understanding of the revised structure and design of the AP Chemistry curriculum framework, due to begin in 2013-2014. It will provide activities and strategies to support inquiry-based learning and laboratory investigations to be included in the new AP lab manual. In addition, the workshop will provide additional insights regarding new types of examination questions. Participants will review the recent AP exam in detail.
Instructor: David Hostage, The Taft School, Watertown, CT
World History
August 12 - 17, 2012
The AP World History workshop will help both new and experienced AP teachers, including a review of recent changes to the AP World History Exam. We will address key challenges of the course, including coverage of the content, test taking strategies, lessons, activities, resources and curriculum planning. We will also examine the Document Based Essay and Free Response Essays in terms of strategies, the College Board scoring rubric, and the analysis of actual student papers. Participants will be asked to bring some of their best practices (lessons, resources, unit plans, books, films, and syllabi) for sharing and discussion with the group. The instructor will provide a thumb drive of hundreds of files, including assignments, tests, projects, and strategies.
Instructor: Dr. Lenore Schneider, New Canaan High School, New Canaan, CT
An Ideal Setting for Inquiry
The biology and advanced environmental science institutes take advantage of the National Park's unique resources and the variety of rocky intertidal environments around the campus. Both of these institutes are geared for instructors who have already had experience in teaching AP biology or environmental science and who have perhaps already participated in another summer institute. The focus in both of these institutes will be on incorporating more inquiry learning into the coursework. For example, the AP Biology institute will engage teachers in an extended inquiry exercise in the intertidal areas around the campus. Teachers will use this field experience to reflect on and plan for using fieldwork around their home schools to bring experiential learning dimensions to the courses that they teach. This particular institute will complement indoor lab work that is often covered in detail in other AP summer institutes.
Support for Teachers
We have a number of scholarships available for teachers (both for teachers in Maine and teachers from out of state), covering a substantial portion of the cost of the summer institutes.
Contact:
Yvonne Davis
Education Programs Coordinator
SERC Institute
PO Box 277
Winter Harbor, ME 04693
(207) 288-1327
yvonne@sercinstitute.org