Welcome to the AP Calculus AB summer institute! I’m looking forward to sharing some of my ideas and experiences with each of you. I currently teach as West Salem High School in Salem, Oregon. I have been teaching math since 1986, and first started teaching AP Calculus BC in 1995. In addition to AP Calculus BC, I’ve taught AP Calculus AB and AP Statistics. I have been a Reader for AP Calculus since 1999. Through my experiences as a Reader and Table Leader, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge, not only about Calculus, but also how to prepare students, and the “flavor” of the problems to expect on the examination.
This summer institute is designed for teachers interested in incorporating graphing calculators and a variety of other activities into an AP Calculus AB curriculum. We will utilize the graphing calculator to investigate limits, derivatives, integrals, differential equations, and slope fields. Experience activities that will help lead your students to grasp the fundamental ideas and applications of calculus. Wherever possible we will employ a multi-representational approach to calculus, with concepts and problems being expressed geometrically, numerically, analytically, and verbally. You’ll learn to use your calculator to reinforce the relationships among the multiple representations of functions, to discover new ideas, and to confirm written work.
Throughout the week you’ll gain a clear understanding of the goals of AP Calculus, which will have an impact on how you teach the course. With a clear understanding of these goals, you will be able to better prepare your students for the AP examination. Discussions about differentiating instruction and scaffolding lessons will also be discussed and shared.
Participants will experience individual and group activities that will help students discover new ideas or reinforce concepts already learned. There will also be time set aside for each participant to share a favorite activity or lesson. This way, you will have numerous new ideas and techniques to employ into your classroom. We will also plan to spend the significant part of a day learning how differential equations and slope fields fit into the AP Calculus curriculum.
Participants will also experience the grading or reading process for the free response questions. You’ll learn how standards are set, explained, and applied to numerous questions. We will look at the Free Response questions from the 2012 exam, and discuss common student mistakes and points that teachers should be emphasizing. We will also look at many of the multiple choice questions from the 2008 exam.
If time permits and there is an interest from the group, I’d be happy to discuss some BC topics in case you are considering offering the BC course in the future.
In addition to your graphing calculator (I’ll be using a TI-83), please bring at least one favorite activity or lesson to share with the group. Having your textbook with you is also helpful from time to time. You may use it to reference ideas and it would be nice for everyone to see what others are using. If you have a specific need or issue that you would like me to cover, feel free to email me. I’ll do my best to meet your needs.
Jon Kawamura
Contact: Kawamura_jon@salkeiz.k12.or.us
