I feel like I need to add my personal story and two cents into this one.
I didn't take an AP Bio class, I took the AP bio test. I had a college level textbook and a study hall because my school didn't offer the course or the test (which I also had to pay for). I got a 5, and I got to AP out of one semester of Biology and was bored to tears during the second semester. Now, I'm probably one of those exception cases, but I'm also a biologist and college educator who knows that, honestly, our first year students don't remember most of what they learn in Bio 101. What I think an AP class should denote is that this student was willing to put in more work than necessary to graduate, and that they have seen that information and would most likely recall it if they needed to, for example, in that future Microbiology or Cell Biology class that the intro courses "prepare" you for. What college really needs is a complete overhaul of introductory science courses into something where students actually learn science instead of memorizing a thousand facts that they will forget 999 of. However, that is another topic. What I would hope is that a student, such as myself, who put in the work to take the AP test (which, by the way, includes open ended questions that you have to understand to get credit for), would get some credit for it. Also, I couldn't take college classes in high school, not with two working parents and no transportation, plus I had to be in high school. The nearest community college was 30 min away, and real college, probably 45 to an hour. And this was NJ, I can only imagine other places. Sure, maybe AP classes aren't quite college, but getting a 4 or 5 on the AP exam isn't exactly a piece of cake either. Dr. Melissa Barlett Mohawk Valley Community College Utica, NY -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Merran Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 1:07 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Treatment of Ecology in AP classes This was my experience: I took many different AP classes in high school, and while maybe I was just lucky enough to have a good public school, the classes were rigorous and my classmates were bright. Most importantly, we were in those classes because we wanted to be and were interested in the subject material. The class sizes were small and I received a high amount of personal attention. I will never forget my first college-level science class. We were in an auditorium. I didn't know my professor and he didn't know me. My classmates were there to check off a requirement. I went from an interactive learning environment to trying to stay awake. I didn't receive any personal attention; I felt completely anonymous. I lost my enthusiasm and interest in a matter of weeks. I can't tell you how much more enjoyable and easier it was to learn basic science in high school. I wouldn't recommend the college 101, auditorium-style approach to anyone. Merran Owen On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 10:14 AM, joseph gathman <jpgath...@yahoo.com>wrote: > Personal anecdote: > > While conducting part of a workshop for HS teachers, I gave them 20 > minutes of my freshman Intro Bio lecture on basic chemistry concepts > (what's an atom, what are the types of molecular bonds, the really > simple stuff that I shouldn't have to cover in college). > > After the 20 minutes, there was silence. The teachers were astonished > - not that I would lecture on such elementary ideas (as I had > expected), but that it went so fast. One of them said, "What you just > covered in 20 minutes is a third of my semester", and the others > nodded. My turn to be astonished. I can't even imagine how you could > stretch that stuff out for more than a week. > > The point: if a student takes AP Bio, they MIGHT just be getting what > you and I consider a proper HS bio class. Certainly not college-level biology. > > Joe > > > Subject: Re: Treatment of Ecology in AP classes > > > > I can't speak directly to the question of whether the classes > > provide adequate coverage of any given topic. Consulting the AP web > > site confirms your suspicion that ecology coverage comes last in the > > course. And of course, whether any given topic is covered > > adequately is strictly dependent on the school and the teacher, not > > the topical listing on the web site. I can say, from having served > > as a grader for the AP Biology exam, that ecology is well covered on > > the exam. > > > > That said, I also suspect that ecology may be a subject that gets > > less than full coverage in some of the classes because of > > sequencing. Also, it is typically covered in most intro biology > > courses late in the second semester if a two semester course. So, > > if you are wanting to assign credit according to coverage (seems to > > make sense), the proposal to give credit for the ecology portion of > > your course may be out of sync with the sequencing in the AP course. > > > > FWIW, I have long had a problem with AP coursework. > > Many schools likely do a > > good job with it -- but, and I know, I am an old school curmudgeon > > -- if these kids are ready for college, just send them to college. > > If they are not ready, don't let a high school offer them college > > level courses. But of course, that is a fight long ago lost. > > > > mcneely > > > > >
