"Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource." -JFK
Advanced Placement Summer Institute
The American Institute for History Education is pleased to offer high-quality professional development for teachers of Advanced Placement courses. Our workshops are intended to help novice and experienced AP teachers. In addition, we encourage teachers of Honors classes to take advantage of this unique opportunity. The AP summer workshops will be held Monday - Thursday, July 22-25, 2013, on the campus of Kingsway Regional High School outside Swedesboro, NJ. Accommodations will be at the Holiday Inn located just a few miles down the road in Bridgeport, NJ.
AIHE’s Advanced Placement Summer Workshops have been endorsed by the Middle States Regional Office of the College Board.
2012 Courses Offered and Instructor bios
(2013 information will be announced in November)
| Course | Description | Instructor Bios |
| United States History | This course will provide an overview of the course content, the structure and expectation of the United States History exam – which include the Document Based Questions and the Free Response Questions, as well as teaching strategies geared toward student success. Teachers will look at exam scoring and other valuable component of the course. | Dr. James B. Riddle |
| World History | The focus of this course will be on the expanse of content required for this course, as well as the structure, scoring and techniques for success on the AP exam components. These components include the 3 open-ended questions that deal with documents and change over time. | Eric Hahn |
| European History | This course will focus on implementing the course content, strategies and materials needed for successfully analyzing European history in Social, Political, Economic, Cultural ways. Participants will work with test materials and other resources to maximize their teaching and student success. | Shayne O'Connell |
| English Language and Composition | This institute will focus on core issues surrounding the AP English Language and Composition class, including equity and access. The class focus to prepare students for success on the AP* English Language exam leads to tensions between test-prep and curricular that will be investigated through discussions of literary theory, writing theory, and media studies. Nurturing of mature perspectives and close, careful reading within the classroom will be explored through various texts, written and visual. The basics of rhetoric for the AP* classroom will be covered, with emphasis on argument and persuasion. Participants should come prepared to engage in analysis of texts reflecting multiple genres, time periods, and perspectives, writing activities, unit lesson planning, multiple choice and free response test question construction, and discussions to share strategies. Considerable attention will be devoted to a detailed examination and discussion of the 2009 free response questions. | Dr. Vincent Lankewish |
| English Literature and Composition | Participants in this institute will work together and explore a variety of teaching strategies and approaches proven effective in teaching students the goals and objectives shared by teachers of AP* English literature which include confidence and facility with language; skill in critical reading, writing, and thinking; and success in academic endeavors. The institute is based on the premise that the exam measures skills that students need in order to be successful in college. Therefore, by preparing students for that exam in an engaging and challenging community of discourse we in turn provide them with the skills necessary for success on the exam and in college. This institute will ask participants to actively engage in activities designed to demonstrate specific instructional approaches that have proven effective in preparing students to perform well on AP* Exam in English Literature and Composition. | Steve Klinge |
| Government and Politics - U.S. | The workshop provides participants an overview of the basic structure and content necessary for the Advanced Placement course in US Government and Politics. Participants will focus on the development of a course outline and syllabus related to their specific objectives. Emphasis will be placed on teaching strategies, learning activities and exam preparation. An analysis of AP examinations, including the most recent exam, will be included as well as the process and standards established for the grading of the exams. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the fundamentals of US Government and Politics and the creation of an AP course curriculum. | Katherine Hauger |
| Government and Politics - Comparative | Designed for new and experienced teachers of AP Comparative Politics, this workshop will cover the various aspects of the course. All of the following countries are required to be taught; United Kingdom, Russia, China, Mexico, Nigeria, and Iran. Important conceptual course material, syllabi, evaluation instruments, teaching materials, and strategies will be covered. The format will include lecture, discussion, analysis of sample textbooks, and supplemental readings, forms of assessments, internet and audio-visual materials, including independent application of the materials presented. The purpose is to give the participants hands-on material and ideas that can be taken back to the classroom to help develop a course. Participants will be asked to develop a lesson idea to share with others at the end of the week. | Gregory Raab |
| Human Geography | The AP Human Geography workshop is designed to offer teachers an opportunity to become more familiar with, and better prepared to teach the course. Each unit of the Human Geography course will be addressed through a brief analysis of the major topics, a sample lesson, and additional lesson ideas. Other aspects of the workshop include the use and importance of computer technology and field studies in AP Human Geography, a discussion of textbooks and ancillary resources, and a review of the questions, rubrics, and sample answers from previous examinations. The issue of helping the students become as well prepared as possible for the exam, will be an underlying theme of the workshop. | John Trites |
| Spanish Language | The AP Spanish Language Institute will train both experienced and new AP Spanish teachers to prepare their students for the AP exam. A detailed study of the AP Spanish Language examination includes how the test is graded, how a successful course is organized, and ideas for developing and implementing a relevant syllabus. Participants will engage in the development of both teaching strategies and materials to use in their classes: activities within a cultural context, methods to integrate authentic materials, approaches to improve and integrate skills (writing, reading, speaking, and listening), and the use of technology and internet resources. Participants will also have the opportunity to share best practices, analyze speaking and writing rubrics, and how to incorporate technology and the language lab into an AP Spanish Language program. |
Maria Vasquez-Mauricio |
| French Language | This course welcomes new and experienced AP French teachers. During the week, we will examine all aspects of the new format of the Advanced Placement French Language & Culture examination. Each day we will focus on topics related to the attainment of the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing. We will look at questions such as: How do we get students speaking? How do we get them to write fluently and accurately? Which activities promote the enjoyment of reading as well as increase vocabulary and fluency? How can songs, movies and the Internet help to improve listening skills and hook student interest? What alternatives are there to pen and paper assessments? What teaching strategies will enhance students' second language acquisition and higher order thinking skills? | Dr. Kately Demougeot |
| Pre-AP Social Studies | Teachers will be introduced to a variety of strategies which will improve the critical reading, writing and thinking skills of their students, particularly in history and geography courses. Such strategies include (but are not limited to) developing a hierarchy of questions to guide inquiry and research; interpreting, analyzing and evaluating primary sources; interpreting and using material presented in graphic format; and communicating the results of research in a format appropriate to chosen audience and purpose. Attention will be given to the scaffolding of skills and participants will be given the opportunity to work in small groups or individually to develop a lesson for use in their own classroom. Participants should plan on bringing the textbook used in their own classroom as a reference. | Geri Hastings |
| Pre-AP English | This Pre-AP English workshop will provide teachers with theory and practical approaches for preparing students grades six through eleven for a rich and challenging English curriculum. The concept of an English Vertical Team will be introduced. Participants will review and practice various strategies for teaching close reading, literary analysis, rhetorical analysis, and essay writing appropriate for various levels and the needs of their students. They will learn to modify and write essay topics and rubrics and consider multiple-choice questions. Participants will gain a basic understanding of the AP English Language and Composition and the AP Literature and Composition courses to inform their curriculum development. | Cheryl Petersohn |
All teachers will receive a certificate for 30 hours of College Board approved instruction. In addition, all New Jersey teachers will receive 30 professional development hours from the American Institute for History Education as a state-approved vendor.
All instructors are certified by the College Board and also serve as Readers for the AP Test in their subject area.
Registration OPENS NOVEMBER 9th for 2013!