AP PLC

Today, I went with Mr. Kellen to the Orange County district AP Lit plc at the Orlando Science Center. This was an interesting experience as I have never been in an AP class, except for the two classes I am able to observe Mr. Kellen teach. The meeting gave me more insight into what being an AP teacher entails. The meeting lasted from 8-3, and was filled with a great deal of information to take into the classroom.
First, we - meaning they - took a look at last years AP Lit scores and their comparison to the national results. It was interesting to hear what the teachers had to say about the scores and how the scores reflect on the teacher. A major topic was the fact that there will be students, and are students as I have witnessed it during internship, that do not want to put forth any effort. The group of teachers in the meeting stated that these students usually score a 1 or a 2 on the AP exam. They can usually be spotted in the first few weeks; same with students who have the potential to score a 5 on the exam.
We then took a look at some examples of actual student essays from last years exam. As a student who has never taken an AP class, I enjoyed having the opportunity to see students' work. I was able to see a few different examples of the same essay to show the differing levels of students' ability. There was clear distinction between the essays, and I got to see why each were scored accordingly.
We finished the day looking at different ways to present AP topics to students to better prepare them for the exams. There were a number of first year or first year AP teachers in the group too, so I was able to learn from them and the struggles they have been experiencing thus far with such a class. I was able to give my two-cents also.
All in all, it was a fun and educational experience. I originally thought it was going to be a snooze fest, but it turned out to quite fun and enlightening.