Physics 2 (phys 1241)
About the Workshop
Participants in this summer institute will have the opportunity to meet and learn from others who are developing Advanced Placement Physics programs in their schools. Current and aspiring AP Physics teachers will strengthen their knowledge of the subject, become familiar with the AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 program and its changing scope and sequence, and develop laboratory and demonstration materials for use in their own classrooms. They will come away from the institute with many materials, including the College Board AP Physics packet, tests and solutions from past years, sample course syllabi, and the solutions to the 2017 exams. Time will be spent working on problem solving techniques and discussing approaches to teaching AP Physics—including the role of vertical teaming, development of a course syllabus, and designing labs and assessments that address higher order thinking skills. Participants will be given the opportunity to work in small groups to model the inquiry-based laboratory design required by the new AP Physics 2 course and increasingly emphasized by the AP Physics C courses, selecting the lab work from a variety of options for AP Physics 2 that best fit the teacher’s course needs. As time permits, new AP teachers will be given guidance in preparing and filing the course audit. Participants should bring a calculator, notebook and a few optional items such as a laptop or ipad, handout or favorite demonstration to share, and simple tools (scissors, pliers, screwdrivers).
Register for the 2017 Physics 2 workshop online.
About the Instructors
Connie Wells
Connie Wells has a Master of Science Degree in Physics from The University of Kansas and has taught Physics, AP Physics B, AP Physics C and AP Physics 2 for twenty five years. She has been active in test scoring and development for The College Board, serving on the AP Physics B and C Test Development Committee from 1997-2001 and as Co-chair of the AP Physics 2 Development Committee from its inception to 2015. From 1995 to 2006, she served in various roles as Reader, Table Leader and Question Leader for the A.P. Physics Reading. In November 2003, Connie was a Regional Winner of the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement Teaching sponsored by The College Board and The Siemens Foundation. As a workshop leader and College Board institute consultant, she has presented teacher training institutes throughout the United States and abroad—including Hawaii, Saipan (Northern Marianas Islands), Barranquilla (Colombia), Bangkok, Skopje (Macedonia), Shanghai, Tokyo, Harbin (China), Taipei (Taiwan), and Hangzhou (China). She is the author of several physics review guides produced by major publishers and documents and focus booklets for AP Physics published by The College Board. Connie has been Chair of the Committee on Teacher Preparation for the American Association of Physics Teachers. She served on the AP Physics Redesign Commission, beginning in 2006, also serving as Co-Chair of the AP Physics 1 and 2 Curriculum Development and Assessment Committee. In August, 2015, she was named Woman Physicist of the Month by the American Physical Society. Connie retired from teaching in 2016 but continues to work on physics writing projects and AP Physics consulting.
Eric Koser
Eric Koser has been teaching Physics and AP® Physics for 22 years in Minnesota. He has facilitated the Physics Summer Teaching Institute together with Carleton Faculty for the past 16 years. Eric has taught AP® Physics B since 1998, and now AP Physics 1. He enjoys engaging students in learning physics through projects, questioning, and creative uses of technology in physics. In addition to being a physics teacher and an instructional coach at Mankato West High School, Eric is a regular workshop presenter in Minnesota as a presenter in programs including MnSTEP, Phys4All, and now SEPCI. Eric is also the Conference Manager for the Minnesota Conference on Science Education, MnSTA's annual conference for science educators in Minnesota, and has served as MnSTA's webmaster since 1998.