BEDFORD, N.Y. -- The College Board recently announced changes in their Advanced Placement courses of Chemistry and Spanish, which have local school administrators excited about the new route the classes will be taking.
Starting in the fall of 2013, AP Chemistry will become more hands-on, less about memorization and more about delving into the science itself. The same type of modifications will be made for AP Spanish, as students will be asked to learn more about the culture instead of just learning vocabulary and grammar skills.
Joel Adelberg, principal of Fox Lane High School in the Bedford Central School District, believes the changes the courses are making are for the better.
Learning a foreign language is learning the culture and history, and in the world we live, kids should learn more about the cultures, Adelberg said. [AP Spanish] should make it a more holistic experience, so they can understand people around the world, instead of just language."
Assistant Principal Robin Schamberg agreed, noting that classes, especially one as hands-on as chemistry, are best suited to include more than just lectures.
Giving kids an opportunity to not just sit in a lecture to learn, but to really be involved in the process, that's more meaningful learning than memorization and taking notes. Both changes to the courses are positive ones," Schamberg said.
For kids who take AP courses, they are interested and able and capable and craving to really dig and explore, said Adelberg. And so are the teachers. I dont think the AP courses have matched those expectations, and now theyre trying to.
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