(1) What is your essential question and answers? What is your best answer and why?
My essential question is How can a AP Biology teacher best prepare a students for the AP Biology Examination. I will like to clear that I would like my students not just pass but scores 4s and 5s and receive college credit My first answer is Integrating Inquiry based problems, assignments, Labs and Test into their Lesson Plan. My second answer is Incorporating assignments that call for students to consistently practice study skills. My third answer is Administrating Mock test so that students confidence are boost. My best answer is my first answer interrogating Inquiry based assignments,Labs and test into a their lesson plan. This is my best answer based on my mentorship experience and research I did during the year. In the AP. Biology exam students can get a good amount of points on the handwritten part of the test, These question incorporate logical thinking to receive all the possible points. An example would be like so" If your previous knowledge on light says that the colors you see is energy not being absorbed by the object then would it be logical to think that for plants with black leaves are more energy efficient than plants with green leaves" The prompt above will then be followed by questions relating to the prompt like " Where would this plant thrive and why" and " Explain the limitations of plants having black leaves being placed in a environment that it is not suited for." These question then make the student make logical connections to the many units they discuss throughout the year like for the second question a student could go back and recall cell biology and note the plant may evaporate more water quickly due to the increase amount of energy heating up the plant but could also say that the increase in heat could uncatalyze the protein in the plant making the plant not allowing cells to adsorb the proteins needed for cellular homeostasis. The students use inquiry based thought to connect what they have learn on two different units that they learned separated. Research wised I found that according to the University of Arizona that students scores increased in data and statistical analysis problems by 30% when compared to students who did not have teacher incorporate inquiry based lessons. This is another big point to mention sense mathematics were introduce last year to the AP Biology exam and was in the top 3 subcategories that students struggle in the AP Biology exam. Focusing on Inquiry will directly help the students on the sections that students struggle in.
(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
Well I started mentorship with a working EQ and I asked my mentor Mr. Pittman what ways does he believe that teacher can increase students test scores. He answered by saying that a problem with getting a concise answer to that question is that the AP Biology standard change about 1 year ago and teachers are still trying to figure out how to improve their scores but I looked at the AP Biology exam last year and notice that the question were inquiry based question, so a teacher who focuses on that type of lesson plan could help improve test scores. I then asked the iPoly Biology teachers Mrs. Cancino and Mrs Shiller if they had any research on Inquiry based learning, both gave me great sources that I then used to start crafting my first and ultimately my best answer to my EQ.
My essential question is How can a AP Biology teacher best prepare a students for the AP Biology Examination. I will like to clear that I would like my students not just pass but scores 4s and 5s and receive college credit My first answer is Integrating Inquiry based problems, assignments, Labs and Test into their Lesson Plan. My second answer is Incorporating assignments that call for students to consistently practice study skills. My third answer is Administrating Mock test so that students confidence are boost. My best answer is my first answer interrogating Inquiry based assignments,Labs and test into a their lesson plan. This is my best answer based on my mentorship experience and research I did during the year. In the AP. Biology exam students can get a good amount of points on the handwritten part of the test, These question incorporate logical thinking to receive all the possible points. An example would be like so" If your previous knowledge on light says that the colors you see is energy not being absorbed by the object then would it be logical to think that for plants with black leaves are more energy efficient than plants with green leaves" The prompt above will then be followed by questions relating to the prompt like " Where would this plant thrive and why" and " Explain the limitations of plants having black leaves being placed in a environment that it is not suited for." These question then make the student make logical connections to the many units they discuss throughout the year like for the second question a student could go back and recall cell biology and note the plant may evaporate more water quickly due to the increase amount of energy heating up the plant but could also say that the increase in heat could uncatalyze the protein in the plant making the plant not allowing cells to adsorb the proteins needed for cellular homeostasis. The students use inquiry based thought to connect what they have learn on two different units that they learned separated. Research wised I found that according to the University of Arizona that students scores increased in data and statistical analysis problems by 30% when compared to students who did not have teacher incorporate inquiry based lessons. This is another big point to mention sense mathematics were introduce last year to the AP Biology exam and was in the top 3 subcategories that students struggle in the AP Biology exam. Focusing on Inquiry will directly help the students on the sections that students struggle in.
(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
Well I started mentorship with a working EQ and I asked my mentor Mr. Pittman what ways does he believe that teacher can increase students test scores. He answered by saying that a problem with getting a concise answer to that question is that the AP Biology standard change about 1 year ago and teachers are still trying to figure out how to improve their scores but I looked at the AP Biology exam last year and notice that the question were inquiry based question, so a teacher who focuses on that type of lesson plan could help improve test scores. I then asked the iPoly Biology teachers Mrs. Cancino and Mrs Shiller if they had any research on Inquiry based learning, both gave me great sources that I then used to start crafting my first and ultimately my best answer to my EQ.
(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
The main problem that I face other than switching my topic after all the foundation research was done was that I found it difficult to find research on my second and third answers. The way I resolve that problem was that I went to my advisory teacher Mrs. Pittman and we discuss where can i start my research on these two answers for the second she said look up graphic organizers and for my third look up re leaving test anxiety. Then after that if I couldn't find research then i asked my fellow peers if I could use any research the coincide with the two answers that needed my printed research.
The main problem that I face other than switching my topic after all the foundation research was done was that I found it difficult to find research on my second and third answers. The way I resolve that problem was that I went to my advisory teacher Mrs. Pittman and we discuss where can i start my research on these two answers for the second she said look up graphic organizers and for my third look up re leaving test anxiety. Then after that if I couldn't find research then i asked my fellow peers if I could use any research the coincide with the two answers that needed my printed research.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
My Mentor Mr. Pittman uses all three of my answers which lead me to start crafting each individual answers based on the teaching techniques that he performed. Then my second best source was The California Science teacher educational Journals, these journal each individually have about 5-6 article focusing on different aspects of the topic that journal is covering. I used two this year " The Nature of Science and Inquiry based leaning" and "Depth versus Breath." Each article that I read in these journals have some aspect that I could tie directly into my answers .
My Mentor Mr. Pittman uses all three of my answers which lead me to start crafting each individual answers based on the teaching techniques that he performed. Then my second best source was The California Science teacher educational Journals, these journal each individually have about 5-6 article focusing on different aspects of the topic that journal is covering. I used two this year " The Nature of Science and Inquiry based leaning" and "Depth versus Breath." Each article that I read in these journals have some aspect that I could tie directly into my answers .
