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Robert Coad Robert Coad has taught AP® Art History at Hamilton High School’s Humanities Magnet since 1994. Since retiring from teaching 4 AP Art History classes, Museum Studies and Humanities in 2017, he has taught one class of APAH at independent and charter schools in Los Angeles. Since 1996, Robert has led one-day and 5-day APSI workshops throughout the United States, Canada, and John Cabot University, Rome, Italy.
Robert has served as a College Board National Leader Consultant, a Reader for AP Art History Exam and was honored as a Distinguished Teacher (AP Art History) at the College Board Western Region Conference.
​Robert holds National Board Certification in Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood Art (2002/2012). He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship and a Humanities Teacher Leadership program award. Robert was a mentor teacher and BTSA Support Provider for LAUSD for many years. Robert has traveled extensively in the United States and Europe, with extended stays in London, Paris, Florence, Venice, and Rome, before moving to Los Angeles. From 1980 - 1993 Robert lived in New York, earning his Master’s and Doctoral degrees at NYU and developing a studio art practice. He has also travelled to Japan and Mexico to study firsthand works in the redesigned AP Art History course. Robert holds art studio degrees and has a studio where he continues to do oil paintings. He also is an avid gardener and reader of contemporary fiction and non-fiction.​
COURSE DESCRIPTION
  • AP Art History Workshop Marin APSI Dr. Robert Coad The workshop will focus on the AP® Art History CED’s (Course and Exam Description), AP® Art History exam, AP Classroom, and relevant College Board online resources as well as engage in afternoon field trips to San Francisco art museums!
  • With a plethora of online support related to College Board/AP sources in AP Classroom for both teachers and students, a considerable time each day will be given to exploring specific content areas of special interest identified by workshop participants. Attendees will travel to San Francisco for afternoons sessions at several museums (SFMoMA, de Young, Legion of Honor and other museums as time allows). In addition to engaging in “deep dives” into content, both in the classroom and in museum settings, there will be a focus on how to organize and sequence the global course content and art historical thinking skills.
  • Pacing of the course, curriculum plans and instructional strategies for organizing the course content into manageable units will be presented. There will be special emphasis on strategies for teaching foundational ideas (Content, Form, Context, Function and Meaning) and specifically contextual and comparative analysis of art works. Specific resources related to the global content beyond standard texts will be shared with participants.
  • Suggestions on how to scaffold the 8 Art Historical Thinking Skills into the course content of the AP® Art History course will be presented.
  • The 2025 AP® Art History Exam and the 6 specific free response question types will be examined (as time and interest allows), including the standardization of free response questions on AP Art History exam that are tied to specific Art Historical Thinking skills. There will be specific focus on how the course’s Art Historical Thinking Skills, Learning Objectives and Big Ideas are tied to exam questions.