MARTIN KIRBY
Martin Kirby earned his B.Sc. in physics and education at London University, taught physics in England for eight years, came to the US and taught for 33 years at Hart High School (2,300 students) near Los Angeles. Starting a few years ago, he now advises the new AP physics teachers in several districts. He has been an AP reader, table leader or question leader for over 26 years, a member of the AP Physics Exam Development Committee for eight years, a College Board consultant for 29 years, a presenter of one-week summer workshops for 27 years. He’s writes physics apps, helps in the development of textbooks and written some of their allied curricular materials, and has a huge amount of physics teaching resources to share. He typically taught 4 AP Physics P1 classes and 1 AP Physics C (Mechanics and E+M) class. He also rides a bike, plays violin and drinks too much tea.
Martin can be contacted at [email protected]
Martin can be contacted at [email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In addition to the usual goals of a Summer Workshop in AP Physics, we’ll emphasize skills that, though not new to most AP Physics teachers, will be exercised more by the new course, such as an increased focus on inquiry-based learning, more writing (claim, evidence, reasoning, etc.), new styles of questions, and an expanded lab component. We’ll learn a lot from each other too; our different approaches, lessons learned, and how we’ll change for the future.
In addition to the below, we will discuss and become familiar with the format of the AP Physics 1 Curriculum Frameworks, Guides, and the AP Classroom Platform.
AGENDA
Objectives:
To familiarize participants with...
Syllabus:
The order and content of the following may change to be more relevant to the needs of the teachers who attend:
Monday
Morning
Tuesday
Morning
Content: Rotational kinematics and dynamics with a lab.
Wednesday
Morning
Thursday
Morning
In addition to the usual goals of a Summer Workshop in AP Physics, we’ll emphasize skills that, though not new to most AP Physics teachers, will be exercised more by the new course, such as an increased focus on inquiry-based learning, more writing (claim, evidence, reasoning, etc.), new styles of questions, and an expanded lab component. We’ll learn a lot from each other too; our different approaches, lessons learned, and how we’ll change for the future.
In addition to the below, we will discuss and become familiar with the format of the AP Physics 1 Curriculum Frameworks, Guides, and the AP Classroom Platform.
AGENDA
Objectives:
To familiarize participants with...
- · the AP Physics P1 curriculum framework and the AP science practices.
- · Changes to the course (the addition of fluids etc.) and the exam (First implementation: 2025 exam).
- · the expectations for students and teachers.
- · the depth and breadth of the physics content.
- · methods and strategies that will increase their student’s success.
- · relevant demonstrations and experiments.
- · the grading of the exams.
- · how to organize and run an AP Physics program.
- · The new content (fluids, parallel axis theorem etc.).
Syllabus:
The order and content of the following may change to be more relevant to the needs of the teachers who attend:
Monday
Morning
- Introductions
- Equity and Access
- Overview of AP program, the four AP Physics exams, and the AP physics 1 program in particular Prerequisites, pass rates and what to expect from the students
- AP Central
- The AP Audit and how to complete it
- Introduction to the new Course Exam Description (CED), and the new exam (first exam implementing the changes is the 2025 exam)
- AP Resources and supports
- Brief introduction to the lab requirements
- Content: A close examination of what and how to teach in the first four weeks of the course with a lab
Tuesday
Morning
- Deeper dive into the CED... Big ideas, Enduring Understandings, Essential Knowledges, and Learning Objectives. Science Practices.
- Exam format
- Sources of past AP Physics 1 exams
- Take an exam, with discussion
- Scoring guidelines
- Grade real student responses from the 2022 AP1 exam
- How to answer different types of question (Lab, Qualitative/Quantitative, Paragraph Length Response) How the test is developed and graded in Kansas City
- Exam resources
Content: Rotational kinematics and dynamics with a lab.
Wednesday
Morning
- How to start a course
- Pacing and sequence of AP1 teaching
- Interpreting the Instructional Planning Report (which teachers receive after their student’s tests have been graded)
- Instructional strategies, including TIPERS and the AP1 Physics workbook A basic guide to AP Classroom and its uses
- AP Physics 1 daily videos
- Inquiry-based instruction
- Labs: Sources of labs, lab expectations, purpose of labs, online labs, recommended labs, lab equipment, minimum lab equipment.
- Online/hybrid test taking for the AP Physics student
- Fluids: Content, likely questions, labs and demonstrations.
Thursday
Morning
- Lab skills
- Demonstrations
- Selecting course materials: textbooks, review guides, online resources Student selection
- Motivation
- Homework
- Unit tests and finals
- Different ways of grading students work
- Connecting with other AP physics teaching community
- Review for the AP test
- Participants and presenter share useful and/or interesting demonstrations