Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools Report of the Content Panel for Biology (2002) / Chapter Skim
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3. Quality and Content of the Learning Experience for Students
3. Quality and Content of the Learning Experience for Students
Pages 7-23
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From page 7... ...
Additional problems with AP courses, discussed in the following sections, are that they attempt to cover too many areas in a single year; they are often taught in one standard 47-minute period per day, which makes meaningful laboratory experience almost impossible; and they are driven by the need to prepare students for the AP examination rather than by concern for an optimal student learning experience. These conclusions are based on the panel's conversations with AP teachers, the written guides for teachers of AP courses, and the emphasis on coverage in the AP tests.
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From page 8... ...
The recent report of the AP Commission (Commission on the Future of the Advanced Placement Program, 2001) recommends that the College Board change this approach to course development substantially as mentioned above, replacing the current survey-based curriculum with course outlines based on input from leaders in the biological disciplines, as well as pedagogy, "to ensure that current reforms and best practices are reflected in AP" (p.
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From page 9... ...
In the IB course outline, almost all the material on evolution is in the optional curricular materials. Given that evolution provides the conceptual 283
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From page 10... ...
TABLE 3-1 Distribution of Class Time in Major Biological Subject Areas in IB and AP Courses % of IBa Subject Area % of Apb 22 Molecules and cells 25 31 Heredity and evolution 25 35 Structure of plants and animals, ecology 50 12 Optional topics 0 SOURCES: aBased on information from International Baccalaureate Organisation ([IBO]
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From page 12... ...
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From page 13... ...
The IB program further alleviates the breadth versus depth problem by extending the IB Biology HE course over 2 years, thereby allowing more time for in-depth study of at least selected topics. Even for the 1-year AP course, less comprehensiveness should be acceptable if all entering students have had a previous survey course in introductory high school biology.
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From page 14... ...
In this regard, two pedagogical implications of the breadth versus depth issue are specific to biology. First, the study of evolution depends on the use of comparative methodologies and analysis across broad phylogenetic spectra.
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From page 15... ...
This is the paradox that makes curriculum design difficult, particularly for biology courses. We would resolve it by urging that currently 289
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From page 16... ...
Table 3-3 compares the stated themes of the AP biology course, the IB biology course, and the NSES Life Sciences content standards for grades 912. Equivalent or related themes are listed in the same row to the extent possible (heredity in the AP themes is subsumed under continuity and change)
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From page 17... ...
Their instructors and instructional materials, therefore, need to emphasize the themes and big ideas and distinguish them from related topical knowledge. The AP biology course description is introduced with a helpful definition of themes, concepts, and topics and how they are related in building a conceptual structure (ETS, 1999, pp.
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From page 18... ...
Learning experiences should be aligned with those set forth in the NSES. Although including laboratory performance in the AP exam is probably impractical, a portfolio of laboratory work should be made part of a student's record, and universities should be encouraged to evaluate portfolios in advanced placement decisions.
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From page 19... ...
The panel heard anecdotal evidence that teachers wishing to maximize preparation time for the exam minimize the laboratories and may skip some altogether. Therefore, meaningful laboratory experiences are not guaranteed by the AP program but rather depend on the skill and initiative of individual teachers.
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From page 20... ...
The AP program should include a certification mechanism to ensure that teachers of AP biology are qualified and that schools have the resources to support planned laboratory investigations. Because meaningful laboratory teaching is almost impossible in a single class period, schools wishing to offer AP biology should be strongly urged to schedule at least one uninterrupted 2hour period per week for laboratory work.
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From page 21... ...
INTERDISCIPLINARY EMPHASIS .` There is little evidence of interdisciplinary emphasis in the AP course outline. In contrast, the entire IB program, including its biology course, rests on the importance of interdisciplinary connections in learning.
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From page 22... ...
It is encouraging to note that the AP biology exam was redesigned in the mid1990s to include more free-response or essay questions and fewer shortanswer questions and that there are plans to increasingly emphasize concepts and themes and Reemphasize retention of specific facts (Commission on the Future of the Advanced Placement Program, 2001, p.
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From page 23... ...
However, the panel's primary recommendation is that assessment in the AP program should be extended to include formative evaluations of laboratory notebooks, presentations to peers, and other activities during the course in addition to the final high-stakes summative examination. Finally, as pointed out above, there is a great need in the AP program for assessment not only of students but also of teachers and schools that offer AP biology courses to ensure minimum standards of quality.
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