Biology
AP 503.402 | In-Person | Erol Altug
This in-person AP Biology course is designed to maximize the learner experience, providing relevant Advanced Placement content and pedagogy through meaningful engagement – all focused on best practices for preparing your AP students for success. It is designed primarily for teachers who are new to teaching AP Biology, but, also, for experienced teachers who are looking for information about the changes in curriculum and the wealth of new resources that unfolded starting in 2019-2020. The course will focus on the following: 1) The foundation of AP Biology as articulated in the Curriculum Framework (the four Big Ideas, six Science Practices, etc.), 2) Inquiry-based lab instruction, 3) Helping students be more successful on the AP Biology Exam. Throughout the course, participants will learn about the exciting changes The College Board has made available in student course enrollment, formative and summative assessments, laboratory ideas, and the plethora of resources that are now available for teachers and their students. In addition, participants will be exposed to many of the resources available from publishers, science suppliers, research institutions, and online. Participants should access the new online AP Biology Course and Exam Description (PDF). Each participant will share a “best practice” idea during the week of a favorite activity or demonstration. Participants new to AP Biology, who are taking this course for graduate credit at Goucher College, will develop a course syllabus based on the new curriculum standards. Those teachers who have already successfully submitted an AP Biology audit syllabus for the new program will develop a unit based around the new curriculum.
Erol Altug
Erol Altug has both a B.A. in Biology, Secondary Education, and an M.Div. Following two years of part-time teaching at Trinity College, Erol worked for 20 years at the elite Robert College of Istanbul (RC, the oldest American school abroad, is a highly academic co-educational prep school for Turkish youth), where he introduced and coordinated the first Advanced Placement (AP) program in Turkey. In 2001, he and his family moved to The Stony Brook School on Long Island, NY (a private, co-educational prep school), where he currently teaches AP Biology and AP Psychology. Erol is actively involved with the AP program nationally and internationally. During the grading of the AP Biology exam, he has served as a Reader, Table Leader, and as a Question Leader. He is a consultant for The College Board and has presented at one-day teacher workshops, multi-day events, and Advanced Placement Summer Institutes both in the USA and abroad.