Teachers Become Students During AP Summer Institutes

VALDOSTA — Teachers from both inside and outside the South Georgia region will head back to school this summer to receive guidance and curriculum development assistance, as well as update and refine their skills.

The teachers-turned-students, both experienced ones and new ones, will learn what is new in the Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum, receive an overview of the latest objectives and exam content, and learn positive and effective teaching strategies and practical classroom use of AP materials.

The first group arrived at Valdosta State University (VSU) on June 23 and will spend a week focusing on the AP English Literature and Composition course. Following the holiday week, a second group will arrive on July 7, focusing its efforts on the AP U.S. History course.

Class sizes are limited to 20 to maximize facilitator and participant interaction.

Hosted by the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services, in conjunction with the Center for Continuing Education, Valdosta State provides these weeklong Advanced Placement Summer Institutes annually for any AP teacher who is highly committed to the pursuit of enhanced teaching and learning.

This is the seventh year of the AP Summer Institutes, which began at the university during the summer of 2008. Courses offered vary each summer.

Dr. David M. Monetti, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Counseling, said course selections are made based on the needs of the region’s high schools.

“We are really interested in providing high-quality, cost-effective training that meets the specific needs of our school systems,” he said, “and being easily accessible so that their teachers do not have to travel as far from home to receive professional development.”

Teachers studying at the AP Summer Institutes come from all over the region. Some even come from other states.

“School systems send us excellent educators who really want to provide the best instruction and experience possible for their students,” Monetti said. “They are not generally under contract or compensated in the summer by school districts, but they come to this training and work hard in order to improve their teaching practice.”

Dr. Jack Rainer, Dr. Jim Reffel, and Monetti from the Department of Psychology and Counseling; Dr. Julie Halter from the Center for Continuing Education; and Dr. Brian Gerber, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Services, collaborate on a regular basis to ensure the continued success of the AP Summer Institutes.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/academics/extended-learning/continuing-education/programs/tch/advanced-placement-summer-instituties.php or contact Dr. David M. Monetti at (229) 333-5930 or dmmonett@valdosta.edu or Dr. Julie A. Halter at (229) 249-2641 or jahalter@valdosta.edu to learn more about Valdosta State University’s AP Summer Institutes.

Visit http://about.collegeboard.org to learn more about the College Board and its Advanced Placement program.