I have been teaching AP (C) Physics for over 20 years and cannot begin to
cover the curricular needs of both the Mechanics and E&M portions of the
proscribed material as well as give a full lab program. We do not touch
waves and thermal behaviors as many first year college courses do. There
is not time with only 5 48 min periods a week. Maybe I am
inefficient...but I cannot get it done. This is also influenced by the
degrading skills of the students who enter my door.
I always recommend to students who will major in Physics or Engineering
that retaking this class will be of great benefit in mastering these
beginning concepts. ( It should also be an sure A.) To me this issue is a
lot like the 8th graders who take algebra in middle school. Most, in spite
of good grades, do not master those properties and struggle forever. If it
were up to me for those accelerated students, I would have an accelerated
track of Alg I, Geom and Alg II in order to cement the basics. If that is
not possible, I still wish Alg I would be repeated. I have too many
Calculus students for whom Alg is not automatic! Well, the same applies to
first year Physics. Students need to MASTER the ideas and learn the
special lab skills that we in high school do not have the time or
equipment to do with them. Students who get 5's on the exam (as many of
mine do) can get as few as 50 of 90 possible points. I do not call that
mastery!
Our goal is to educate young minds. I trust the colleges to make good
decisions about to whom AP credit should be given. If it is important to
the student to get this credit, they need to choose a college whose
philosophy matches their own.
Ken Fox
AP/IB Physics Teacher
Smoky Hill High School
Aurora, CO