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Home > Why Pre-AP Strategies in Spanish?
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Why Pre-AP Strategies in Spanish?
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by Marcia Wilbur
The College Board
Duluth, Georgia
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Introduction
The College Board's Equity Policy seeks to make the Advanced Placement Program available to all students everywhere. Its goal is to identify students with AP potential early in their academic careers and to cultivate within them the necessary skills for AP success. In the area of Spanish, the preparation begins as soon as students embark upon level one of formal language study, as early as middle school. Since the AP Spanish Language Exam represents a measure of students' proficiency, strategies that serve to foster stronger AP students can certainly help build proficiency in all students.
For years, College Board consultants have been telling workshop participants that it's not possible to make successful AP Spanish students in a single year. Success must be built incrementally. These were the early building blocks of the concept of Pre-AP professional development strategies. Especially in the area of foreign languages, the bridges between beginning-level second language acquisition and AP success are quite logical and natural. As teaching in the years leading up to AP evolves, teachers will enjoy a sharing of ideas and reflective practice as part of the greater AP community.
Local departmental buy-in is a crucial component to student success for all potential AP students. While the AP Program does not espouse any single methodology as the perfect way to cultivate future scholars, if teachers at the beginning levels are unfamiliar with the demands of the AP Exams, they will not be as likely to fully understand the rigors involved nor have the desire to support the AP teacher's cause. Having all department members spend a half-day taking an actual exam can be an enlightening experience. In terms of methodology, my platform has always been one of an informed eclecticism. If students are taught using only one particular type of pedagogy during any of the earlier years, there is a risk of developing students' skills inconsistently. And since no single community of learners is ever comprised of students who all learn in exactly the same way with the same cognitive strengths and weaknesses, a unilateral methodology is risky at best. A rich variety of approaches is the key to having a more interesting classroom, reaching more learners, and motivating all students to succeed. Ownership of the final product and a team approach to preparing AP Spanish students can be a rewarding and growing experience for everyone involved.
Student Preparation
So how does one teach best in order to prepare students for AP? Armed with a familiarity of the types of sections on the AP Exam, department members can then collaboratively examine their textbook materials and easily adapt an activity here and there for the purpose of mimicking specific types of AP tasks. Saving and sharing a collective pool of activities from one academic year to the next makes this even easier. Special attention should be given to heritage learners who may need additional practice in the areas of orthography and accentuation. A strong command of conjugations and solid, long-term vocabulary retention will be the cornerstones of student achievement.
When I encounter teachers whose schools do not espouse AP Spanish programs, I always inquire about the rationale for this position. Most often, the response is, "The AP Exam is so hard. My students would never do well." Given time and practice, I believe that most students can eventually come to be successful on the exam. But again, that success has to be built, motivation must be instilled, and confidence ensured by providing a sense of great familiarity with the task. The school's curriculum may need a careful examination and alignment, with consideration given to different standards. And a transition to an AP goal-oriented curriculum will require a patient approach while teachers and students become more familiar with the pedagogy necessary for this sort of success. Like other cultural changes, the transition will require time and process. It is vital to include administrators in your plans so that they may know how to best support your efforts. Generally speaking, if teachers posit proposed changes framed in terms of improved student achievement, it is difficult for administrators to be non-supportive.
Teacher Training
In order for schools to maximize their success, additional training for the teachers involved is essential. The College Board is working hard to provide teachers in all places with a variety of learning opportunities. Be sure to contact your regional College Board office for nearby workshops in your subject area. Schools might also consider inviting a College Board consultant to their own site who could provide context-specific training and program recommendations. And remember that AP Central is right at your fingertips as a free resource and a gold mine of ideas, strategies, and recommendations from real teachers who face the same daily challenges as you do. Keep coming back to see what's new! The College Board seeks to serve teaching and learning, and welcomes questions as well as input from the teaching community.
Pre-AP professional development offers building blocks for increased student success and tremendous support for teachers. Start integrating some of these strategies into your lessons today. Your students have everything to gain, and they will be proud of their progress.
Marcia Wilbur taught high school Spanish and French for 25 years. Her accomplishments include being head of the Foreign Language Department at Athens Academy in Athens, Georgia, and at Gull Lake High School in Richland, Michigan, where she was nominated as 1998-1999 Teacher of the Year. Marcia also served as a Reader and Table Leader for the AP Spanish Language Exam for nearly a decade. She has also conducted professional development workshops for the College Board and has served on state and national development committees for teacher competency certification. She is currently the head of content development for world languages and cultures at the College Board and recently completed a Ph.D. in foreign language education.
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