Acadia Partners for Science and Learning hosts a variety
of professional development opportunities for teachers. Our summer
institutes take place on the Schoodic Education and Research Center campus,
located at Schoodic Point within Acadia National Park. We are endorsed by the College Board as an Advanced
Placement Summer Institute site.
The campus setting provides not only comfortable
classroom, dining, and living space, but also a unique, beautiful setting for
the institutes. Coursework that makes use of field settings takes
advantage of the mountains, forests, and intertidal zones that make Acadia
such a special place. Participants in all institutes can take advantage
of the opportunities that Acadia offers for hiking, bird watching,
sightseeing, and other activities.
Accommodations on campus are in apartments with full
kitchens and living areas. When space is available, participants are
welcome to bring their families to share the experience of a week in
Acadia. (Participants interesting in bringing families should register
early, since space for families is limited.)
Teachers working in Maine should note that Webber Energy Fuels has joined with Acadia Partners to offer scholarships for Maine teachers attending AP summer institutes at Acadia. Click here for the press release and story. A scholarship application form is available on our website.
Summer Institute Schedule
Our Advanced Placement Summer Institute offerings are
summarized in the following table.
| Course |
Dates |
| Biology |
July 7-11, 2008 |
| Calculus AB |
July 7-11, 2008 |
| Physics B |
July 28 - August 1, 2008 |
| Statistics |
August 4-8, 2008 |
| Environmental Science |
August 4-8, 2008 |
Click here for a registration form that you can print and mail to us in order to reserve a place in our 2008 Advanced Placement Summer Institutes.
Program Descriptions
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AP Biology - July 7-11
This one-week intensive study focuses on the organisms and population portion of the AP biology curriculum. The primary concentration will be on population dynamics, marine littoral ecosystems, evolution, and the mathematical modeling of these studies. These topics will be addressed within the context of four major themes articulated in the AP curriculum: Science as a Process, Evolution, Continuity and Change, and Interdependence in Nature. Additionally, we will discuss both pedagogical as well as realistic approaches to teaching these topics in a high school AP course. We will examine approaches that create scientific communities within our classrooms and prepare our students to become much needed scientists for the 21st century.
Instructor: Dr. Michael Schaab, Maine Maritime Academy
AP Calculus AB - July 7-11
This one-week institute will meet the needs of teachers who are new to teaching AP Calculus AB as well of those with experience in teaching the course. The instructor, Pete Pedersen, teaches at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. He has received a number of teaching awards over the course of his career, including the 1993 Presidential Award in Secondary Mathematics, the 1994 Henneke National Math Team Coach of the Year, the 1996 Island Institute Community Service Award, the 1996 NASA Educator Award, the 1997 AP Instructor Award for AP Calculus, the 1999 Milken Education Award, the 1999 NASA "Right Stuff" Award, the 1999 Maine Teacher of the Year Award, and was named as 2002 National Secondary Math Teacher of the year.
Instructor: L.T. Pete Pedersen, Maine School of Science and Mathematics
AP Physics B - July 28 - August 1
This workshop is for high school physics teachers, both those new to Advanced Placement and for those with more experience. The course will be organized around the standard physics topics on the AP Physics B exam, which includes Newtonian mechanics, fluid mechanics and thermal physics, electricity and magnetism, waves and optics, and atomic and nuclear physics. Part of the time will be used to provide ideas on planning an AP course and in a review of the structure of the AP exam and how it is graded. Participants will spend a great deal of time on problem solving and reviewing the underlying physics as needed. The workshop includes suggestions for lecture demonstrations and laboratory experiments. Participants will be encouraged to share their own physics teaching experiences.
Instructor: Dr. John Pribram, Bates College
AP Environmental Science - August 4-8
This workshop prepares participants to teach the AP Environmental Science class. This preparation includes the creation of a comprehensive syllabus for subsequent use by each participant, buttressed by the activities necessary to an AP science class. The subjects of this syllabus are drawn directly from the AP Environmental curriculums as devised by the College Board. These subjects include ecology, human population, energy and resource use, air and water pollution, environmental law and various other aspects of humanity's effect upon the Earth. Participants are introduced to numerous laboratories and evaluate them as to their applicability to the participants' academic situation. Past AP Environmental Science exam questions and their scoring are studied, various possible textbooks scrutinized and ancillary reading assignments are proposed to provide participants with the background and insight necessary to prepare themselves and their students for the task before them.
Instructor: Jim Lehner, Science Teacher, The Taft School
AP Statistics - August 4-8
The summer institute for AP Statistics focuses on data description, experimental design, probability, simulation, and inference. Participants will also gain insight into methods for introducing students to graphical and numerical exploration of data. The course is open to teachers who are new to AP Statistics as well as to those who have been teaching it for awhile.
Instructor: Albert Roos, Lexington High School
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