Hey all! Excited to join @tackulator tonight for #APTeach. @All4sand5s here from Chicago! Born on March 21, 2018 with 5000 copies in circulation! @dbc_inc
A1: Sadly my greatest challenge was always content. I started teaching AP when I was 26. So between my lack of experience and the fact that I scored a “2” on the test in high school- I always felt behind on content #APTeach
A1: B, Attend workshops, APSI's, become a reader, pick the brains of my PLN for strategies to teach the difficult topics. Got a great activity for teaching Power from @bobloch that helped my struggling S's, ditched my old stuff, this year I'm using both. #APTeach
A1: I think knowing how to teach it best...the test I took in 2007 is not the test our kids take today. So making sure I'm changing my teaching to meet their needs in class is continuous #apteach
A1: B. I know my content and my kids. Both can be difficult at times, and coming up with pedagogical strategies is the greatest experiment that I'm still working on 8 years later! #APTeach
I hear that. And then when they put a computer in front of every kid, I feel like I had to reinvent myself all over again. But it keeps things interesting thats for sure. #APTeach
this is something I will admit that I am truly terrible at. :( I give praise where praise is due, whether it's that kids did a great job in lab, or they did well on in-class tests, but beyond that... :/ #apteach
A2: We celebrate a little when we turn in our unit packets. We always celebrate good scores after a quiz or test. Mainly we laugh everyday to help reduce the stress. There's always celebration when I'm wrong and they are right! #APTeach
A2: We used a WWE championship belt and passed it back and forth for the highest test and quiz scores in the class. The kids were definitely into it and appreciated the recognition. #APTeach
A1 B is the struggle, kids are always changing and this makes it challenging to make sure you are engaging for 4 diff groups of different kids so they get what you need them to get #APTeach
A2: Celebrate every mistake as a teachable moment. Tell S's to make as many as they can now and learn from them so they don't show up on test day! #APTeach
It changes with every class, right? All you can do it keep adding tools to the tool box and delivering content through differentiation. Everyone knows we have to do it, but its the hardest thing ever #APTeach
A2: Definitely something I need to improve on! I've brought in cookies for the class, and I have candy for Kahoot championships-but I need to be more deliberate with it #apteach
Would rather have them make ALL the mistakes in my class than on test day or after they leave my class, right? Failure when stakes are low is such a positive opportunity for our students. #APTeach
A2. I struggle with this as well! I try to celebrate little wins so everyone can find something to celebrate. I want them to know I am in this with them and we are celebrating together even if to them it might seem trivial #APTeach
A3: I'm pretty sure my students could write a book about things I say! Probably they'd remember "Senioritis is not a thing, failure is a thing" #apteach
A3: I did a little research on this one. Seems like my quotes would be class specific and also the looks I give are just as memorable. Probably not always positive though! Got some good laughs from their answers, it is ALL about the relationships! #APTeach
Love when Dr. Ferguson makes the diagnosis! The finish line is a thing, not senioritis! But its a fair point that teachers are struggling around the country with...keeping the students motivated. #APTeach
A3: Hopefully they'd remember the stories to make history even more interesting! But definitely me saying "I'll wait" when I'm talking and they get distracted 😂😂 #apteach
A4: J, concurrent enrollment hurts our AP enrollment because most of the time those classes are easier. I wish our district offered more AP classes, sometimes we just need a teacher to step up and commit to teaching one. Not easy but so worth it! #APTeach
A4: Many of our students needed more skills to compete right away. But the good thing is, skills can be acquired, and fast. We can make up a lot of ground on writing and free response sections by practicing #APTeach
Q4:H As one of my professors told me “never assume anything.” It’s frustrating when our students aren’t where we think they should be by the time they ended our class. Scaffolding critical skills along side your current content helps them catch up #APTeach
A3: I hope that my students will remember that we often discussed the differences between the "right" answer (of which there is traditionally one) and the "write" answer (infinite). Which one are we looking for right/write now for this particular question or problem? #APTeach
A5: AP teachers can be very traditional. But just because we teach canned currixulum doesn’t mean our mythology needs to be canned. 21st century learning is as alive with gifted students as ANY other group we teach. #APTeach
A4: The standards that teachers meet in 9/10th grade year don't always set up the rigor for an AP class.. state class size mandates don't help either when certain classes don't count. We are recruiting more kids to AP classes though as a school which is awesome 🎉 #apteach
A6: We can always advocate for smaller class sizes, more PD for teachers, and robust supports for striving students. But there is no amount of money that can pay for teachers that challenge students with high expectations and commit to forming relationships. That is key. #APTeach
A6: Hire more teachers so we could offer more classes. A resource room with a STEM tutor and a writing specialist to help students with concepts & communication. Travel in the summers to the best PD. I personally want to hear @AndrewSharosAP speak! #APTeach
A6: I would have desks that would make collaboration easier, an interactive board for students to use to practice with writing, and district tracked classes to make sure all students were prepped for any AP class they took in school #apteach
A4 I'd go with K...we have pretty much NO vertical alignment with our 9th grade teachers. makes it tough to emphasize skills needed for success in #APBio especially when they align everything to our state test (which has no writing or true critical thinking) #apteach
A5 we use Canvas, https://t.co/yWwx6eWjO8, Nearpod, Padlet, lots of tech tools. Problem is trying to have time to create lessons with all of them! #apteach
A6 we'd meet every day instead of every other day. Every kid would have their exams paid for. We'd have a science skills bootcamp the week before school started. #apteach
No...thank you Lisa! We were a small and mighty group tonight. Lets get more people out next month as we start to make the push towards the finish line. Have a great month everyone! #APTeach
