AP* Calculus
PLU is happy to welcome David Platt as the 2013 AP* Calculus Summer Institutes Instructor!
David Platt taught as a full time mathematics faculty member at Mesa Community College from 1990 to 2000 and has been a full time mathematics faculty member at Front Range Community College since 2000. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.S. in mathematics from Colorado State University, and a B.A. in mathematics from Western Connecticut State College.
He has served as an AP Calculus Exam Reader or Table Leader since 2000. As a Certified College Board Consultant since 2002, he has presented weeklong AP Calculus AB Summer Institutes at California State University – Sacramento, Pacific Lutheran University, Carleton College, The University of Northern Colorado, and Vancouver, WA. He has taught a five week online summer institute for UCLA Extension since 2003. He has also presented numerous AP Calculus Professional Development Workshops in Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois.
Calculus Course Information
The institute will cover all topics on the Calculus AB syllabus which includes limits and continuity; the concept of a derivative as a rate of change; computation of derivatives; the Mean Value Theorem; applications of derivatives including optimization and related rates; definite integrals and Riemann sums; techniques of antidifferentiation; applications of integrals including area, volume, average value, and accumulated change; the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus; slope fields; and separable differential equations.
We will focus on developing a conceptual understanding of content topics in the context of AP* Calculus questions, syllabus construction using AP* Audit guidelines, teaching strategies, and preparing for the AP* Calculus Exam. Several hands-on activities will be completed using graphical, numerical, analytic, and verbal representations to foster a more complete understanding of calculus. These handouts are designed to improve conceptual understanding of important topics to facilitate student success on the AP* Calculus Exam. A computer lab session will be conducted with hands-on practice with Mathematic demonstrations, screencasts, and learning styles inventories.
Sample free response questions as well as the entire 2003 and 2008 AP* Calculus AB multiple choice exams, indexed by topic, will be presented with detailed solutions to develop an understanding of the content and the College Board philosophy for choosing questions for the AP* Exam, and as well as strategies for embedding AP* questions in a Calculus AB course. Participants will receive a CD containing a variety of classroom tested activities and calculator programs to enhance their own teaching, a complete set of lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations for a college-level Calculus I class, and You-Tube videos useful in teaching calculus. Selected worksheets from AP* Calculus curriculum modules will be completed and discussed to address important areas of emphasis and common student difficulties on the AP* Calculus Exam. Strategies will be discussed to enhance student performance on the AP* Calculus Exam including tips for justifying answers, strategies for solving optimization problems, and strategies for choosing the correct branch of solutions to separable differential equations.
Participants will be trained to score free response questions using the scoring standards and actual student samples used at the AP* Calculus Reading. Detailed strategies for success on the AP* Calculus Exam will be discussed.
What To Bring:
- TI-83+ or TI-84+ graphing calculator
- 30 copies of a successful group activity for sharing best practices in teaching techniques
- The textbook that you will use (if known)
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