Advanced Placement Program* Summer Institute
AP World History, June 22-26, 2009
The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding of global historical processes and contrasts viewed against the interaction of different types of human societies. The course highlights the changes in international framework, their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. The course emphasizes relevant factual knowledge used in conjunction with leading interpretive issues, types of historical evidence, and appropriate analytical skills. Focused primarily on the past 1,500 years of the global experience, the course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional, and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage prior to 1000 CE.
This AP Summer Institute in World History is for both novice and intermediate year teachers of AP World History. The assumption is that the teacher has never taught AP World History before attending this institute or has taught the course for three to five years. Nevertheless, experienced teachers are welcome and can lend their experience to the institute. My institute notebook will contain numerous methods of teaching the skills necessary to succeed on the May AP exams. Additionally, all participants will receive a CD-Rom containing hundreds of exercises created to teach the course.
Presentation time is devoted to 50% pedagogy and 50% content. This is necessary because many teachers desire both the pedagogy of setting up and managing an AP course as well as want content specific to the new historiography of world history. Each year I pick a geographic region and concentrate all studies in that region. This year we will focus on Sub-Saharan Africa from the Paleolithic Era to the Modern Period. All examples and presentations will use as a starting point African history, themes, and primary sources. 1
The five days are organized as follows: Getting Started and Geography; Structuring the Course; Writing and Essays; Taking the Multiple Choice Test; and Strategies for Acceleration, Enrichment and Helpful Hints. Mornings are devoted to pedagogy and afternoons to content and best lesson.
“Best Lesson” is a technique to teachers teaching each other and sharing their teaching materials. Participants are expected to bring 30 copies of their best world history lesson to share with the institute teachers. The lesson plan should include all materials necessary to teach the exercise, notes on how to teach the lesson and methods of assessment. Participants will have approximately 5 minutes to teach this lesson.
Paul Philp received both a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service and a Certificate of German Public and International Studies from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He earned his State of Texas certificate in secondary education in composite social studies from the University of Texas in Dallas. Both his Master of Arts degree in Modern History and State of Texas endorsement in gifted and talented education are from Texas A&M University – Commerce. After thirteen years as a classroom teacher and Academic Decathlon coach, Paul became an administrator of curriculum and special educational programs. He has served in both public and private schools for the past six years and currently is Coordinator of Curriculum at John Paul II High School, the new diocesan Catholic high school in Plano, Texas. He teaches a full load of five AP and Pre-AP World History classes and European History and finds time to be an adjunct professor of two classes in World Civilizations. He is a presenter for the College Board, has written multiple choice questions for the Advanced Placement World History exam and was a national grader of the Advanced Placement World History essays for five years. This year, he will also do an International AP summer institute in Mexico. Publications include the study guide for Peter Stearn’s Advanced Placement textbook, 3rd edition, World Civilizations, a collaborative study of the Industrial Revolution in an international, world historical context with the Woodrow Wilson Institute at Princeton, New Jersey, and Document Based Questions in both European and World History. Paul is a past associate editor for the Encyclopedia of World History recently published by Berkshire Publishers of Boston. He is currently working on a book for W. W. Norton (People’s Publishing), which will help students and teachers master the skills needed to excel on the AP World History exam.
* Advanced Placement Program and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board and have been used with permission.