Message-Id: <l03102803b0ab46192ec0@[153.90.236.25]>
In-Reply-To: <199712031456.GAA21586@poseidon>
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 10:30:35 -0700
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: Steven Eiger <eiger@montana.edu>
Subject: Re: AP Science courses
My opinion on which AP course to teach would be physics, maybe chem but not
biology. I also think that a course in human physiology, while not AP is a
good thing to offer. AP Bio is a rehash of intro bio, and then students
often need to repeat the same course in college,and then most people go
into bio fields which are not well covered in that intro course anyway, eg.
molecular biolgy or medicine. It becomes drudgery in my opinion.
Meanwhile students entering college are often deficient in problem solving
skills, reading graphs, using math; the things that physics strengthens in
spades. Bio is too descriptive at that level and does little towards
getting analytical thinking in gear. Eiger