Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
ChemEd 2003, Auburn, AL, 07/27/03
SERMACS, Atlanta, GA, 11/16/03
GISA, Atlanta, GA, 11/07/05
NSTA, Boston, MA, 03/29/08
ChemEd 2009, Radford, VA, 08/03/09
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
“Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”
- Noel Coward, 1932
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
“I refuse to discuss anything in this class that is not related to the AP exam”
- Adrian Dingle, 2001
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRANDS
1. Context & Background
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The English System
Motivation
2. Method
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Before you start to teach
The Teaching
Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background
The English System
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Freshman & Sophomore years devoted to external standardized tests
(GCSE’s) – closest equivalent is SAT subject tests
Students have the ability to drop subjects prior to studying in these years
and typically study between 8-10 subjects
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Junior and Senior years devoted to external standardized tests (A Levels)
– AP equivalent
Only a maximum of 3-4 subjects studied in these years
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: Context & Background continued:
The English System continued:
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Very heavy emphasis on standardized, external exams. Teachers,
students and parents are all heavily influenced
Results of standardized external exams critical to further and higher
education and to career path
No high school transcript
Earlier specialization
Much earlier deepening rather than broadening
Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
The English System continued:
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Further Information on qualifications
QCDA – Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency
www.qcda.gov.uk
OFQUAL – Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulator
http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/
National Curriculum
www.nc.uk.net
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
The English System continued:
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Depth versus Breadth
Areas that A Level Chemistry covers that the AP doesn’t, include;
Organic chemistry (including nomenclature, isomerism, mechanisms,
reactions, structure determination and synthesis), group 1, 2 & 17
chemistry, Born-Haber cycles, transition metal chemistry
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
The English System continued:

Depth versus Breadth continued:
A series of seven examination papers that can be repeated
Practical test (lab exam) or continually assessed lab work (absolutely no
motivation in terms of the exam to do lab work on AP course)
Approximately three times the contact time over two years compared to
one year of AP study
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
The English System continued:
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Exam Grades
No such thing as a high school transcript
Consequence is that academic life & death depends upon exam results
Inevitable emphasis on teaching to the test
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
The English System continued:
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The Tutorial College System
Exam grade factory
Very existence a consequence of the system
Corporate feel
Re-take students specifically there to “bump up” grades
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
Motivation behind TAPCTEW
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Origins
No internal school syllabus document
Should regular and honors (i.e., non-AP) classes be SAT subject test
preparation?
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
Motivation behind TAPCTEW continued:
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Personal
AP Chemistry not necessarily about; chemistry in the real world,
entertainment or inspiration
Teaching to the test is valid because; AP Chemistry syllabus is the “gold
standard” for high school, title of course supposes you are teaching to the
test by definition
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 1: The Context & Background continued:
Motivation behind TAPCTEW continued:
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Goals
Not “peddling” this method, this is not a sales pitch! Others have
encouraged me
Why no sales pitch? Simple. All our circumstances are so different – do
what works for you
Absolute recognition of validity of all methods
Take what you want (if anything) and throw the rest away
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method
Before you start to teach
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Subject Knowledge
At this level, less can be more!
No time for tangential discussions
Does extra understanding really help? e.g., entropy
Far too difficult to really understand
Distill down to; degree of disorder, predicting change, DG = DH – TDS. The
AP Exam demands no more
What level is required? Let the AP questions be your guide
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
Before you start to teach continued:
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Build the syllabus
Loose structure of course description is woefully inadequate
Sample syllabus?? What is that all about??
Consider differences in EDEXCEL and College Board’s detail
Syllabus must be motivated by old AP questions
The syllabus DOES NOT tell you what to teach or what to learn
Should include what is NOT needed for the exam
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
Before you start to teach continued:
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Build the syllabus continued:
Further information
EDEXCEL
www.edexcel.com
OCR
www.ocr.org.uk
AQA
www.aqa.org.uk
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
Before you start to teach continued:
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Build the schedule
Work backwards from exam
Build in review time
You have an obligation to finish EVERYTHING
National Mole Day, tie-dying T-Shirts etc.?????
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
The Teaching
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Emphasis
The exam is everything
Be specific – e.g., equation writing
“Evenhandedness”
Relative importance (# of points) of topics must be matched to time
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
The Teaching continued:
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Homework
Motivated by increasing the AP score – NEVER busy work
AP questions must be the source – ultimate assessment
Issue old AP exams – same color paper
Critical grading of homework – otherwise what’s the point??
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
The Teaching continued:
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Testing
Motivated by increasing the AP score – NEVER testing for the sake of it
AP questions must be the source – ultimate assessment
Seventeen tests, two mock exams, one school exam
Every single equation writing since 1961 between January and May*
Issuing of the same data packet in exactly the same format
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
B: The Method
The Teaching continued:
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Grading
Become intimately familiar with the scoring standards
Don’t allow internal school grading procedures to supersede AP
If necessary create two scales
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
B: The Method
The Teaching continued:
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Exam Preparation
i.
The Mock Exam
Logistics and rubric exactly the same
Same time and day
Same room, same seating (covers all bases – marching bands/skylights
etc.)
Strategies for multiple choice
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
The Teaching continued:
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Exam Preparation continued:
ii.
Predicting Grades
Tests real situation versus the perceived situation
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
The Teaching continued:
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Exam Preparation continued:
iii.
The Actual AP exam
Clothing, calculators and batteries, transport, breakfast, payment,
extended time, unforeseen circumstances
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
STRAND 2: The Method continued:
The Teaching continued:
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Exam Preparation continued:
iv.
After the exam
That’s up to you
I don’t discuss the exam or open an AP book again until mid-August
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Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com
Teaching AP Chemistry the English Way
In Summary
Most important points
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If you teach a course with AP in the title you are obligated to attempt to
maximize your students scores
The most narrowly prescribed syllabus does NOT tell you what to teach nor
does it tell your students what to learn
Don’t be shy about teaching to the test. AP is the gold standard in high
school, so if you are you TTTT you ARE setting high standards
Never forget, that regardless of every other factor, your students (and to
some degree, you) will be judged by what happens in a three hour period
in May and the score that their performance translates into
Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages: www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com