INSTRUCTIONAL PHILOSOPHY: Two options for independent projects will provide teachers the opportunity to either develop a unit or useful set of materials to begin the course within the school year; or to examine their own practice by developing and attempting to answer their own questions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the participants will:
Option 1: Complete a unit or set of instructional materials and other necessary documents, such as a syllabus, for use at the beginning of the school year that will include:
- Standards, objectives, assessments, handouts
- Technology enhancement sites
- Other resources of value to the children’s learning
Option 2: Complete a teacher inquiry / action research project that will be most beneficial to the individual teacher’s practice where the teacher will:
- Identify question about classroom practice (examples):
- How is teaching AP courses different from regular education?
- How is the nature of this work different?
- How are AP learners the same / different from regular education students?
- What appropriate lessons / hands-on activities should I add to lectures to help students learn the concepts more effectively?
- What might be a more appropriate sequencing of lessons to match concept development or the school calendar?
- Examine current research (find a relevant journal article or article from a credible source)
- Design a plan
- Implement plan and collect relevant data
- Evaluate data / results
- Reflect/discuss outcome
- Share project with colleagues
COURSE RESOURCES:
- Textbook / resources required by the Summer Institute instructors
- Research articles chosen by course instructor and those shared by course participants
- Most applicable list serves, Internet sites, and other resources to inform specific AP course
COURSE SCHEDULE: Participants will do the following:
DAY 1: Reflect on the Big Ideas (notes) from the day and consider how to apply those Big Ideas to your AP course
DAY 2: Reflect on the Big Ideas (notes) from the day and consider how to apply those Big Ideas to your AP course
DAY 3:
- Option 1: Start developing a unit or set of instructional materials to use in your AP course
- Option 2: Develop a teacher research question regarding applying the Summer Institute experiences / materials to teaching AP courses to students
DAY 4:
- Option 1: Continue developing a unit or set of instructional materials for use in your AP course
- Option 2: Determine the data to collect as the research is begun during the school year following the Summer Institute
AUGUST 2008:
- Option 1: Complete a unit or set of instructional materials for use in your AP course; submit your materials for peer review; revise based on peer review; participate in a peer review for a fellow Summer Institute participant in the same subject area
- Option 2: Complete teacher research plan; participate in a peer review for a fellow Summer Institute participant in the same subject area
During the School Year (at a time convenient to individual participant):
- Option 1: Teach unit or set of instructional materials in your AP course; reflect and submit to peers (those in same subject area) in course via email or ANGEL
- Option 2: Conduct the teacher inquiry project (some or all depending on individual); analyze data in dialogue with course instructor and fellow course participants; report the research project to course instructor and fellow course participants (those in same subject area) via email or ANGEL
EVALUATION: Participants must:
