New AP Online class for 2012-2013 school year-- AP Environmental Science! Registration will be open by the end of February for all classes

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New AP Online class for 2012-2013 school year-- AP Environmental Science! Registration will be open by the end of February for all classes
Molly McMahon, 1/24/2012

Editor's Note from Susan Richman: We are already starting to get ready for our next year of PA Homeschoolers AP Online classes -- you can click on our website link above or just go to: www.aphomeschoolers.com. We'll be getting course descriptions for next year all updated soon-- and hope there might be a course that will be a great fit for one of *your* homeschool teens. All of our AP Online course websites are of course password protected, and only registered students can access them, protecting student privacy at all times. Taking one of our AP Online classes can help homeschoolers be very well prepared for taking Advanced Placement exams, given by the College Board each May at public or private school testing sites-- and students with strong scores earn credit at most colleges, and get a headstart on college level learning. Our students also love the interaction they have with other homeschoolers in their class-- and the students definitely spur each other on to strong learning. We enroll homeschool students from all across the nation-- and even homeschoolers living abroad!

I'm also delighted to introduce you to our newest PA Homeschoolers AP Online teacher, Molly McMahon-- I could tell right away in our communications that Molly will be a great online teacher with our program, and I know this new course offering might be just the thing for many students.

My name is Molly McMahon, and I am very excited to participate in the PA Homeschoolers

community by teaching AP Environmental Science!

I have a Bachelor’s in Biology and a Master’s in Science Education. I have been teaching in a

traditional school setting for the past nine years. Over the years, I have been supplementing

classroom instruction with online teaching materials and assignments. Last year, I was

surprised to discover students at my school had accessed my online materials without actually

enrolling in the course. I am always happy to assist ambitious and intellectually curious

students, and I communicated with them only through the online course. I was pleased to

see their excellent results on the AP test last May. This experience convinced me that online

teaching is extremely effective and inspired me to seek out additional opportunities to work with

more students in this manner.

I am very passionate about teaching this course for reasons that may surprise you. AP

Environmental Science covers a wide variety of topics that are not typically covered in any

other science or social studies course but are certainly applicable to our everyday experiences.

Units include understanding sources of energy that power our homes, farming practices that

provide our food, and treatment systems that clean our water. There are no right or wrong

answers in AP Environmental Science. In this course, we discuss trade offs and understand

that there are rarely simple solutions to complex issues. Finally, AP Environmental Science

is truly ‘science’ in that it is only our current understanding of intricate systems. Skepticism is

a critical component in applying the scientific method and analyzing data. Critical thinking is

encouraged and greatly appreciated.

Students do not need a particular aptitude in science to be successful in AP Environmental

Science. In fact, I often encourage students with interests in the humanities to take this

particular science course. Successful students in AP Environmental Science enjoy reading,

writing, and are capable of presenting arguments for both sides of a particular issue.

I am looking forward to guiding you through the fast-paced, timely, and fascinating AP

Environmental Science curriculum!

Comment by Mindy, 2/4/2012:

Hello

This course looks really interesting and my daughter is very interested in taking it. I wonder if there will be a lab componen or field work? Is there a way to get more information about the course? Thank you, Mindy

Response to this comment by SRichman, 2/6/2012:
We'll have *full* info up on our www.aphomeschoolers.com website within a few weeks! Great that you are interested! Susan Richman, Editor (and AP Coordinator)

Comment by Greta, 2/9/2012:

My son is interested in this course as well. Do you know what day and time it will be meeting?

Response to this comment by Hannah, 2/9/2012:
PA Homeschooler's AP courses usually don't have "set" times to meet-- instead, assignments are given to be completed by specific deadlines (ie, by midnight or the end of the week). However, some of the classes do have online chats for special group projects or book clubs, for example, but the days/times for these meetings are usually scheduled by the students themselves so a convenient time can be found for everyone. The online interaction in these classes is amazing, by the way. I've made so many amazing friends this year especially. :)

Response to this comment by Mindy, 2/12/2012:
Would the teacher normally participate in some of these discussions as well? And is it a full year course? Thanks, Mindy

Response to this comment by SRichman, 2/14/2012:
All of our AP Online courses are full year courses. You'd have to ask Molly McMahon for specifics on possible 'class chats'. Great that you are interested in this new course! Susan Richman, AP Coordinator, www.aphomeschoolers.com

Comment by Dina, 2/22/2012:

This sounds like a great course! Will 9th graders be allowed to take this course?

Thanks so much,

Dina

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