Re: Curriculum Coverage

[Hugh Haskell <hhaskell@MINDSPRING.COM>]

I would recommend that you rework the honors course as an AP-B
course. Three levels of introductory physics seems to me like
overkill. We offer AP-C as a second year course, primarily because
the curriculum is quite restricted, and we want our students to have
had a broader course before they get into the higher powered stuff.
Our honors course is not intended as an AP-B course--its program does
not include the entire AP syllabus--but every year we have a few
students who take the AP-B after having completed this course, and by
and large, they do OK (I don't have any data on those students). We
don't teach the -B syllabus primarily because we don't encourage the
students to take the -B test. We don't see that it is of that much
value, since the serious students will want the calculus-based course
(taking the -C test can give a student as much as a year's head start
on the second-year courses in physics or engineering, so it has some
real economic value to the students), and testing out of non-calculus
physics in college usually doesn't get you much since it isn't a
required course for many majors. I have the distinct feeling that the
-B test works primarily as a profit center for the ETS.

Hugh

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> My just got word that we are going to offer an AP B course next
> year.  We already have an AP C program as well as an Honors Physics
> (trig based) and a Regular Physics (conceptual).  Over the years we
> have observed good physics students opt out of AP Physics because of
> the calculus.  We would like to develop the AP B program for these
> students, while still motivated in physics.
>
> My question is this.  Since 1st year honors physics is supposed to
> be a survey course from Mechanics to EM, I find myself not covering
> as much material as I would like. I do get through mechanics but run
> out of time during the EM and Modern physics.
>
> Can someone that offers both Honors Physics and AP Physics B, please
> share with me their class syllabus.
>
> Do we offer AP Physics B as a first year introductory course or as a
> continuation of Honors Physics 1 (kinda like a Physics 2 and plan to
> only cover half the material the first year in Honors Physics 1)  If
> this is the case, are we short changing the students that are not
> planning to take the second year course.
>
> or
>
> Do we Teach AP Physics B from Mechanics to EM to Modern, knowing
> that the students have been exposed to the Mechanics material and
> spend the time to expand on the foundation?
>
> We never had this trouble in AP C (for calculus reasons as well as
> the split Mechanics and EM testing)
>
> Please help me in this.  I am interested how you do it.
>
> Secondly, we are having a difficult time in deciding on the
> appropriate manner of introducing the class.  AP C, after passing
> the test with an appropriate score,  is generally accepted for
> physics credit ( I stress GENERALLY) and most students are aware of
> this.  AP B, if this list hasn't steered me wrong, is generally
> accepted as an elective credit in the universities and possibly as a
> science credit in the community colleges.  This is not so well known
> to students.  How do you explain this to your classes before next
> years registration to draw them to the class?
>
> John Carr
> Physics Department
> Eau Gallie High School
> Melbourne, Florida


Hugh Haskell
<mailto://hhaskell@mindspring.com>

Let's face it. People use a Mac because they want to, Windows because they
have to..
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