Dr. Francis McMann teaches AP* Micro and Macro Economics and Philosophy at George Washington High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa where he also serves as the Chair of the History and Social Sciences Department, and Chair of Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction for the Cedar Rapids Community Schools. Since 1991 he has served as a faculty consultant for AP* Economics and is currently a consultant for the College Board*'s Midwest Region. In addition to facilitating many AP* Conferences and Institutes, he has contributed to publications concerning curriculum, measurement and testing. He is a frequent contributor to the College Board*'s AP* Economics publications and is the co-author of the AP* Instructional Manual for Economics: Public and Private Choice. He is a past member for the College Board's National Academic Advisory Committee for History and Social Sciences and served as an Assessment Specialist for Educational Testing Service. He is the recipient of the College Board's 2009 Distinguished Service Award. He lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with wife Carolyn and Toby, the dog. All celebrate the successes of their children and grandchildren, but enjoy the environment of an empty nest. For additional information concerning his AP* Economics courses, teachers, students and parents (and school administrators) are encouraged to visit the school's website at George Washington High School or directly to the AP* Macro webpage or the AP* Micro webpage for the complete course syllabus and daily lessons.

You can e-mail Francis at fmcmann@cr.k12.ia.us

The Advanced Placement* (AP*) Economics Summer Workshop is designed to investigate the problematic areas of teaching AP* Micro and AP* Macro Economics. After a review of the College Board*'s content specifications for micro and macro economics, the workshop will focus on the specific content concerns detailed by workshop participants as well as those topics outlined by the Chief Reader in Student Performances Q&A as well as those topics appearing in Professional Development Workshop Materials in AP* Economics. Throughout the specialized investigations, workshop participants will be able to

1. refine, edit, or modify their existing AP* Economics syllabus
   1. review AP* content outline
   2. identify mathematical, graphical skills
   3. identify the sequence of learning
   4. review sample AP* test questions
   5. prepare curriculum maps and the teaching calendar
2. develop effective pedagogy and learning strategies for teaching economics, including graphical models
   1. review best practice approaches of AP* Economics presenters, committee members
   2. apply AP* Economics content to newspapers, journals, editorial cartoons
   3. review reading strategies
   4. identify core skills in the objective and free response questions
   5. identify graphing strategies for students
3. develop or refine existing measurement and evaluation procedures.
   1. create parallel free response questions
   2. create reliable scoring rubrics
   3. develop distributive practice techniques
4. review AP* Economic texts and resources

Day 1, Monday

1. Inventory Survey / Macro & Micro Common Content
   1. Inventory Survey—What do you want?
      1. Identify measurable and attainable professional goals for members this institute
      2. Identify areas of teacher concern / issues / problematic areas of teaching and learning
2. AP* Micro & AP* Macro Economics - College Board AP* Content Specifications - The "Acorn" book
   1. Common content and skills in AP* Macro/Micro
   2. What does the AP* Macro/Micro test command? A Review of the 2008, & 2009 AP* Macro / Micro Tests
      1. Graphical and mathematical competencies
3. Problematic areas in teaching and learning (designated by Chief Reader, 1989-Present)
   1. Absolute & Comparative Advantage - Micro & Macro implications
   2. Demand and Supply - Applications and links
      1. labor markets
      2. financial markets
      3. foreign exchange
      4. externalities
      5. elasticity
      6. tariff/taxation issues
      7. world trade
      8. evaluating efficiency

Lesson Creation: The Active Teaching Model

1. Student must demonstrate an understanding of economic principles, facts, terms, vocabulary
2. Student must apply knowledge to new situations, conditions, issues, events
3. Student must predict or make recommendations of a course of action or effects
4. Student must use graphical or mathematic models to illustrate, describe, or to analyze problems
5. Student must interpret data, graphical models and then re-organize, re-categorize, or explain the meaning of the data or graphs

Day 2, Tuesday

[NOTE: Days 2 and 3 may be reversed depending upon interest of workshop participants]

1. AP Micro Economics - College Board AP Content Specifications - The "Acorn" Redux
   1. Graphical and mathematical competencies
   2. What does the AP* Micro test command? Review of 2009 / 2010 AP* Micro Test
2. Problematic Areas in Teaching and Learning
3. Graph Based Questions -- Fostering Graphical and Table analysis
4. Economic Way of Thinking -- Application to Newspaper Articles, Journals
5. Reviewing the Scope and Sequence of Micro (& Macro) Economics - DIP Football, Eco-Jeopardy
6. Text-reading templates

Day 3, Wednesday

1. AP* Macro Economics - College Board* AP* Content Specifications - The "Acorn" Book
   1. Graphical and mathematical competencies
   2. What does the AP* Macro test command? Review of 2009 / 2010 AP* Macro Test
   3. Identify areas of teacher concerns
2. Problematic Areas in Teaching and Learning (designated by Chief Reader, 1989-Present)
   1. The macro versus micro problem
   2. Distinctions between AD/AS macro model and D&S in micro
   3. AD/AS Model versus the Phillips Curve
   4. Short-run fiscal and monetary policy
   5. Loanable fund and money (Federal Fund) market
   6. International Economics
      1. Net exports within the AS/AD model
      2. Impact of the appreciated/depreciated dollar
      3. Relating balance of payments to the NX, and to value of the dollar.
   7. Economic Growth (applications to production possibility model; long run aggregate supply; labor production functions).

Day 4, Thursday

Measurement and Evaluation in AP* Economics

1. Problems With Measuring and Evaluating Student Performance
   1. Building a test specifications
   2. Building and using teacher (and student) rubrics
   3. Building and using formative assessments
   4. Grading: Must my grades match the actual AP* test score?
2. Access & Equity - Can all students learn this stuff?
3. Time-share - Exchange of Lessons, Ideas, Test, and Strategies Among Participants
   1. Help lines
   2. Audit needs
   3. What is on the disk?
   4. What have I left undone?