Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The common topics and AP courses
Now that we’ve discussed the New York Times video op-ed “Advanced Pressure,” I’d like you to identify your position on this issue. What do you think about AP courses and exams? Is there a problem with them as the video suggests? Are they good or bad for students or for their education? Is it possible to change this system or is it more practical to maintain the status quo? Once you identify your position, then choose one of the common topics (conjecture, degree, or possibility) and use this topic to sketch out all the possible lines of argument you could pursue to help you support your position about AP exam and courses. Post your response here as a comment, and we will discuss a few of these together as a class.
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I think that AP classes have become irrelevant to a degree in high schools today. Many students are thrown into advanced classes that they are not ready for and have to figure out ways to scrape through with a passing grade. I think that many students feel pressured to take these classes because of the common ideals that if they do not take these classes, they will not be able to get into college. AP tests do not allow the student to actually retain the information, it is merely a contest to see who can cram enough knowledge and then forget it all the next day. I think that it is possible to fix this problem but it will take a lot of work. There should be an application process to get into these classes and colleges should look to other factors, not just the amount of AP credits when it comes to admitting students. Many students are ready to take these classes and can value them, but the majority of the students that I saw in these classes were not. This needs to be changed because high school should not be the stressful system that creates students with stress issues and mental breakdowns that it is today.
ReplyDeleteI think that AP courses and exams are good for those students to whom they are designed for. They enhance learning and thinking and prepare those students who are more advanced than others for a higher level of education. However, there are major flaws in this system and there is a huge problem that exists. High schools don't seem to be applying AP as they should. It seems that most any student can sign up for an AP class, just so it may boost their grade or look good on college applications. This not only in turn may hurt them, but it can hurt the other students learning environment as lower level students are in this high standard class. This will take away from the time they could be learning as these students may need extra help and time to explain what is going on. If AP is applied as it was designed to be, there would be no problems because the students who sign up for them should be apt to handle it. The only way for this to be put into effect is that students need to show that they are ready and can handle such courses. Not just anyone should be allowed to take them. If measures such as applications for courses and discrepancy from high school teachers and counselors as to who may enroll in the courses take place, then this issue has a chance of being solved. If such measures are taken, then the future of AP could be very promising, as it should be.
ReplyDeleteI feel that AP courses are good for certain students if they are passionate about a subject and want to delve deeper with a group of students that are as interested as they are, not if they just want to cross off credits. I don't feel that the classes or exams are as bad as the video made them out to be, however there is a problem with students taking too many because they have been made to feel that they have to if they want to do anything positive with their lives. I don't think that the AP process needs to go away, however I do think that the culture in High Schools with regards to in class achievement needs to change. This is so that students aren't taking multiple of high level courses that they can not handle or learning about subjects that they just don't care about and don't need to graduate High School.
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a problem and I believe that it is a big problem. When first created, the AP system probably seemed like an "outside the box" idea, but now, in order to be a part of the status quo of high school students, more and more students are subjecting themselves to a lot a more mental stress than they probably endured in their entire life. Changing the AP system would be tough. It would involve a protest from all people involved with AP.
ReplyDeleteMy question about the AP is: Is it worth it?
To students: Is it worth subjecting yourself to these tough AP classes that are meant to help you get into college? At first, your answer might be yes, it's worth it. But think, a college level course is meant for a college brain. In high school, the brain is at one of the most critical times of development. Subjecting yourself to high levels of stress, constant work, a lacking social life, and having no control over what you learn can severely damage the brain. "All work and no play makes Jimmy a dull dull boy."
To Parents: What would you rather worry about? Whether your child gets into college or Your child's overall health?
There are many problems with AP programs. To start, for of the classes, there is just not enough time to cover all the information that is going to be on the exam. This leaves the teachers rushing through the material, and the students not truly learning the subject. Also, since the course is being rushed, there is a higher demand on the students to do much more work; sometimes the work load is just not possible.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I do not see the system changing since there are no better alternatives currently. Colleges still would like to see those AP credits so students will continue to take the classes. Since there is no better degree, or norm, I see the system staying in place for years to come.
I don’t think there are any problems of the AP system itself. AP class used to be taken by those students who have extra ability to learn university courses previously. For those, I don’t think it will bring a lot pressure to them. The AP system itself is a good chance for making those capable students having more time in the university instead of being taken by other general students who will have a lot pressure from it. The staff will never be wrong. The only wrong is the purpose the students have. They should see AP system as an optional chance to improve themselves instead of competing with others or getting more opportunities of their applications. Which should be changed to save the pressured students is not the AP system, but the university admission system.
ReplyDeleteI believe that AP courses are necessary because they are helpful for students to get that foot in the door when college approaches. The conjecture of the video did show that there was a problem with AP courses that I do agree with is because student are only taking these AP courses and overloading their school work because it is highly competitive in their schools. Students fear that they won’t get into their dream college because they expect colleges to look at how many AP credits they were able to transfer to make them a highly preferred candidate to join their institution. It creates stress to the students because of how high some of the standards are that the take a course that they are not fully prepared for. Finally, the video shows that teachers are trying to teach a large amount of curriculum to students that might be as advance as the other students, so teachers are trying to teach students the same amount of things creating some students to fail the AP exam because they are not advance as others.
ReplyDeleteI think that AP classes are useful and productive if they were offered to the right group of people, and depending on how the teacher dissects the topics too. AP classes provided an accelerated, more rigorous program for students who want a challenge. But that message is getting hazier nowadays. Students and counselors view this program as a gateway to get into college. So instead of focusing on the how this program will affect the student’s high school journey, they’re focusing on how to get through high school with more things to write on their college resume. So looking at the common topic of conjecture, what doesn’t exist anymore is the quality of education. Instead of teaching students the materials for the class, it seems like they’re just fulfilling requirements so students could write something on their resume. If this trend continues then the students aren’t becoming well rounded students, but well rounded résumé.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that there is any issue with the A.P. system itself, the problem is with its application. Personally, I had a great A.P. experience. I went through high school looking for the topic that interested me. I took a large variety of classes and then senior year took A.P. Biology and found that it gave me a much deeper look into the subject than any previous science class I had taken, and now that I am in college I feel that I learned a lot of useful information that has helped me here. The problem is that most people don’t use A.P.’s like for this purpose. Most kids take entirely to many thinking they need it for college, and kids who aren’t prepared for them or don’t care enough about the topic take them. That’s what needs to be changed. Kids need to know what it actually takes to get into college, so they know how to apply A.P. classes in a useful way to their transcript. There also needs to be some sort of way to limit who can take A.P. classes. This is defiantly within the realm of possibility. High Schools could easily have some sort of way to identify who should or shouldn’t be in what A.P. classes. Colleges could also figure out a way to at least give some sort of guidelines as to what they are looking for in student applications.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the New York Times video op-ed "Adevanced Pressure", I see that there is a problem with the pressure put forth by academic counselors to increase GPA and increase the appeal of your college application; however, the problem is not within the AP courses themselves. The AP course is meant to teach the student an accelerated and in depth look at a certain subject. Students, parents, and academic counselors all know that every individual has certain strengths; nonetheless, they still force excessive numbers of these courses on students. Such a focus on only the in-class educational process is the fault of pressures forced on students by their parents and counselors. If someone is an excellent writer and enjoys reading then AP Literature is a great fit, and if they seem proficient in history, try an AP U.S. History course. But don't try to force more upon the student. If the counselor stops there and then allows the educational process to take hold the student will likely respond positively to the rigor of the course. This response could lead to the student volunteering at a local day care where they will help teach children to read, which not only makes for a more diversified application, but also a better society.
ReplyDeleteAP courses and exams are not efficient ways of learning for the students. I think that the major problem with them is that there is no way of covering all the material to be prepared for the exams in the time period allotted for them. Teachers cannot do anything if students are obviously not learning the material because they are forced to move as fast as they can in teacher all the material, even though it is still impossible to reach that goal. Some very motivated students can handle these classes, but the AP courses are not good for students or their education. Being forced to learn at an almost inhuman speed causes health problems for the students and they are not fully learning the material. I think the only thing that can be done in order to change this system is to not teach the students for one single class whereas there is not enough time to teach all the material required for that test. Instead, tests should be made on how much has been taught and how in depth these tests should be. Using the common topic of degree, which is better? Education or health? Quantity or quality? I think everyone should agree that health should be way higher up on priorities lists because without good health, there is no way for students to function properly. Quality should always be chosen over quantity because even if teachers are covering all the information required for the AP tests, not many students actually learned anything from it. The quality of the teacher, not rushing, going into depth on certain subjects, should be the main objective of education. Students should be taught well and in depth, not just have information thrown at them at a fast pace in order to meet the requirements of one test.
ReplyDeleteI think that while AP classes can benefit many students who are prepared for them as well as push all students to work at a higher level, the true problem is with the AP system. Many students who are not prepared become very stressed which is bad for their health. Teachers are forced to teach kids ridiculous amounts of material by shoving it down their throats but they only learn to regurgitate the information instead of actually learning from it. Teachers have to spend more time teaching their students methods and techniques to take the test, rather than the information itself. Also, many teachers have to teach at a level the students are not prepared for. The idea of an AP class, to challenge students to perform at a higher level, is a good concept but these days it has simply become a system of who can get the most AP classes and who can push themselves the furthest before falling off the edge. Also, AP exams cost a lot of money. This system automatically gives an advantage to those with the money who can afford to take them and takes opportunities away from those who cannot.
ReplyDeleteTheories run rampant about education, but no issue is more divisive than that surrounding Advanced Placement (AP) courses. While I recognize the intrinsic value of AP courses, and am grateful for many of the skills applicable in daily college coursework, I can see some of the problems that have evolved since the programs' inception. What was once designed as an ability for motivated students ahead of the curve has been misconstrued to include a large majority of students unprepared for the workload, but either pressured into it by counselors, or simply wanting to attach themselves to the success of others with the 'AP' label on their transcript. While it is neither desirable nor plausible to eliminate AP programs from the high school curriculum, it is necessary - for the sake of the integrity of the program and the students it serves - to change the way we think about AP programs. AP classes are for motivated, ambitious and most of all, prepared students - not those who will inhibit the learning environment of the hard-working, successful students. AP Literature, for example, should not be offered to students who can barely recite lines from Cat in the Hat, much less 1984 or Crime and Punishment. Our perception of AP classes needs to be refocused to target the select group of students prepared for the heavy workload, but also scale back the pressure and weight that is placed on such classes. We need to come up with a better definition for why we continue to fund such programs in the first place. Is it for education? Prestige? College resume or preparedness beyond the application process? These are all questions that must be answered lest our high school students continue 20-hour weekdays, poor nutritional routines, and are inhibited by less prepared students scratched into the class roster for the sake of their college application.
ReplyDeleteI think that there is definitely a problem with the AP system. I went to a college prep high school, and there were more AP classes than there were regular classes. Some AP classes should definitely be offered for students who are truly ready to take them. However, with the pressure that colleges place on students to have an outstanding transcript, more students are taking classes that are too difficult just to look good for college admissions. This is not doing any favors for students and their education. Taking classes that are too difficult and putting so much effort into school that it takes a toll on health isn't helping anyone. There are also students who take AP classes and slow down other students who are truly at the AP level.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be extremely difficult to change the AP system at this point. There will always be a need for higher level classes in high school. I personally think there should be some type of test or application before students can be admitted into an AP class.