Honestly, I wish there was an established template for this thing. Starting it has been like "herding the cats of my mind." I've read all the supplied syllabi, noticed they are all for the most part very different in format, and have chosen to take a very direct "National Boards" approach based on what they (the auditors) need to see. It will be simple, it will cover all the necessary material, and it will be easy for them to read, audit,and approve. I have simply changed my "frame" for the syllabus (combining Drawing and 2-d) from the frustrated author to "what does the auditor need to see" and the adjustment has been effective. I've found that the lists of Breadth and Concentration ideas have proven very useful for planning the calendar/timeline/activity portion. I've written all the ideas down that were provided, added some of my own and have printed out 4 pages of Breadth ideas, and 3 pages of Concentration "do's and don'ts" example ideas. Now I am in the process of separating the Breadth ideas into 2-D and Drawing, keepers and tossers.
I was concerned when I learned that there is no hard copy of a current syllabus for any of the three areas of AP Studio on file. I wanted to make sure that I wrote a cohesive companion syllabus for each course (we currently offer 2-D, 3-D and Drawing) that fell within the framework of my school's standards for a syllabus. When I wasn't able to see what is already on file (because it appears it isn't "filed" anywhere) I decided to look at the examples given and much like "teaching to the test" I am giving the auditors what they want to see. Which I noticed echoes Dayton's comments above. Must be the beach mentality. If I had to choose one item it would be appropriate and effective vocabulary. A parent without formal art training should be able to read my syllabus and understand what the expectations are of the student. At the same time its been a challenge deciding what is essential information and what might be too much.
While I truly enjoy writing curriculum, this has been a bit of a bear! But in a good way ... I have enjoyed the challenge of re-thinking my teaching after all of these years.
I made sure I included all of the SC State Standards (upper level), and the AP rubrics. My school has focused its professional development this year and next very heavily on rigor, and I have always been a believer in "begin with the end in mind", so knowing the AP rubrics inside-and-out just seemed logical. It will be the basis for all of our critique conversations.
I also included quite a bit from Robert's syllabus (thanks, Robert!), and tweaked it for my teaching situation.
I'm now finishing up the projects section, as well as the AP standards citations.
I found that by writing my syllabus I started to have a better understanding of an AP course. The guidelines for writing an AP syllabus were especially helpful.
I used the examples that were in the book, my folder and some from the internet. They were all set up so differently. I hope I included everything that I needed. I especially liked the hints for how to use the sketchbook in the summer work. I have always found that students seem to struggle with what to draw or where to start.
Making some headway on the syllabus...maybe I should have gone with a 2-D or drawing one, the 3-D one is giving me some trouble. I am having the most trouble coming up with some sort of time line.
I'll go Dayton one further and say, why doesn't College Board just furnish this? They could just say, "This is what the class must be." They could leave some blanks for you to fill with your own lessons and time table and that would about cover it.
I'm feeling overwhelmed, as nothing I have been doing in middle school is very relevant. I feel that there is little I can do except plagiarize the samples. I just don't have anything to add.
I'm feeling overwhelmed also, everywhere I look I see differing ideas and possible solutions to the same problems. I like the idea of the College Board giving us a more concrete template, but I really have learned alot about the AP portfolio going through this process. I just hope I don't drowned while I'm trying to learn how to swim in these choppy waters.
Honestly, I wish there was an established template for this thing. Starting it has been like "herding the cats of my mind." I've read all the supplied syllabi, noticed they are all for the most part very different in format, and have chosen to take a very direct "National Boards" approach based on what they (the auditors) need to see. It will be simple, it will cover all the necessary material, and it will be easy for them to read, audit,and approve. I have simply changed my "frame" for the syllabus (combining Drawing and 2-d) from the frustrated author to "what does the auditor need to see" and the adjustment has been effective. I've found that the lists of Breadth and Concentration ideas have proven very useful for planning the calendar/timeline/activity portion. I've written all the ideas down that were provided, added some of my own and have printed out 4 pages of Breadth ideas, and 3 pages of Concentration "do's and don'ts" example ideas. Now I am in the process of separating the Breadth ideas into 2-D and Drawing, keepers and tossers.
ReplyDeleteI was concerned when I learned that there is no hard copy of a current syllabus for any of the three areas of AP Studio on file. I wanted to make sure that I wrote a cohesive companion syllabus for each course (we currently offer 2-D, 3-D and Drawing) that fell within the framework of my school's standards for a syllabus. When I wasn't able to see what is already on file (because it appears it isn't "filed" anywhere) I decided to look at the examples given and much like "teaching to the test" I am giving the auditors what they want to see. Which I noticed echoes Dayton's comments above. Must be the beach mentality. If I had to choose one item it would be appropriate and effective vocabulary. A parent without formal art training should be able to read my syllabus and understand what the expectations are of the student. At the same time its been a challenge deciding what is essential information and what might be too much.
ReplyDeleteWhile I truly enjoy writing curriculum, this has been a bit of a bear! But in a good way ... I have enjoyed the challenge of re-thinking my teaching after all of these years.
ReplyDeleteI made sure I included all of the SC State Standards (upper level), and the AP rubrics. My school has focused its professional development this year and next very heavily on rigor, and I have always been a believer in "begin with the end in mind", so knowing the AP rubrics inside-and-out just seemed logical. It will be the basis for all of our critique conversations.
I also included quite a bit from Robert's syllabus (thanks, Robert!), and tweaked it for my teaching situation.
I'm now finishing up the projects section, as well as the AP standards citations.
I found that by writing my syllabus I started to have a better understanding of an AP course. The guidelines for writing an AP syllabus were especially helpful.
ReplyDeleteI used the examples that were in the book, my folder and some from the internet. They were all set up so differently. I hope I included everything that I needed. I especially liked the hints for how to use the sketchbook in the summer work. I have always found that students seem to struggle with what to draw or where to start.
eh
ReplyDeleteMaking some headway on the syllabus...maybe I should have gone with a 2-D or drawing one, the 3-D one is giving me some trouble. I am having the most trouble coming up with some sort of time line.
ReplyDeleteI'll go Dayton one further and say, why doesn't College Board just furnish this? They could just say, "This is what the class must be." They could leave some blanks for you to fill with your own lessons and time table and that would about cover it.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling overwhelmed, as nothing I have been doing in middle school is very relevant. I feel that there is little I can do except plagiarize the samples. I just don't have anything to add.
I'm feeling overwhelmed also, everywhere I look I see differing ideas and possible solutions to the same problems. I like the idea of the College Board giving us a more concrete template, but I really have learned alot about the AP portfolio going through this process. I just hope I don't drowned while I'm trying to learn how to swim in these choppy waters.
ReplyDelete