Trevor Gallant
Trevor teaches at a public high school in New Brunswick, Canada close to the world famous high tides of the Bay of Fundy on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. He teaches all levels of biology at the grade 11 and grade 12 level and has been teaching AP Biology since 1999. He brings with him an enthusiasm for all things biology as well as a passion for teaching. Trevor started attending the AP Biology reading in 2001 and has served as a reader and in a variety of leadership roles and is currently a question writer for the AP biology exam. He has been delivering AP workshops for the College Board for 13 years. Outside of the classroom he loves hiking and camping and can occasionally be spotted playing bass in the pit orchestra in local musical theatre productions.
Course Description
This APSI is meant to prepare both new and experienced teachers to teach AP Biology. Participants will learn about the organization of the course format including big ideas and learning objectives, and will learn how to use the unit outline in the Course and Exam Description (CED) to plan and deliver their course. Experienced teachers will have a chance to modify their current course to better match the new curriculum outline, while new teachers will be able to design their course using the CED as a guide.
Participants will explore in detail the six Science Practices (SP) described in the new CED. Participants will also discover how to use lab-based and in-class activities to help students master them. Participants will also develop effective techniques for assessing the level of SP mastery in students.
Participants will learn about the AP exam format and how to prepare students to achieve success on the exam. They will learn to use the resources provided in AP Classroom to create assignments and assessment items to help students gain experience responding to the type of question they will encounter on the AP Exam. They will also take a close look at free response questions (FRQ) to discover how they are scored and to learn how to prepare students to successfully respond to FRQ.
While it is expected that summer institute attendees will bring with them a variety of needs and experiences, we will work hard to ensure that the session is valuable to each individual. The combined expertise of all participants will build a unique and valuable experience for all of us. At the end of the APSI, participants will have the resources, skills, and confidence to return to their school and teach AP Biology.
Agenda
Day 1
- Overview of the Course and Exam Description (CED)
- Exploring AP Central: A look at resources
- New to AP for 2019
Day 2
- A closer look at the CED
- Incorporating the Learning Objectives into lesson planning
- Incorporating the Learning Objectives into classroom activities
- Using classroom activities to cover content
- Teaching for understanding
Day 3
- Exploring the Science Practices
- Recognizing the Science Practices in FRQ
- Using classroom activities to develop the Science Practices
- Increasing the level of inquiry in lab work and classroom activities
- Exploring the format of the exam
Day 4
- Exploring the exam format
- Preparing students for multiple-choice questions
- Writing AP style multiple-choice questions
- A detailed look at long and short FRQ
- Scoring long and short FRQ
- AP Course Audit
This course will be assessed a $35 lab fee
