Teachers immerse themselves in real-world research at Rice
Rice’s AP summer institute attracts K-12 teachers from around the globe

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News staff

While most universities settle into a quiet buzz when students head home for the summer, Rice University fills with new students: teachers. More than 2,250 educators from around the U.S. and the world joined the unconventional university the past couple months for Rice’s 15th annual Advanced Placement Summer Institute, endorsed by the College Board and administered by Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

	JEFF FITLOW
	Rice has expanded the offerings of the AP Summer Institute, making it one of the largest in the country, with more than 100 five-day courses.

Advanced Placement (AP) courses allow high school students to earn college credit. With AP courses becoming increasingly popular in high schools around the globe, the demand for AP-trained teachers is also increasing. Because of that, Rice has taken action and expanded the offerings of the summer institute, making it one of the largest in the country, with more than 100 five-day courses. But the growth of the program — more than doubling in participants since its inception — has not lessoned the quality.

Cindie Ogata, a teacher from Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu, has been attending AP institutes for the past nine years but had not experienced one quite like Rice’s. The English and art history teacher checked out Rice’s program at the suggestion of a colleague in her 2008 institute.

“When I opened the registration information page, I knew this was exactly what would benefit me,” Ogata said. “It was important for me to know that I was heading into a quality situation. I had no doubt that I would at the very least walk away with a wealth of useful information and a renewed spirit of understanding.”

JEFF FITLOW
Teachers from around the country and world come to Rice during the summer to add to their pedagogy and content knowledge.

To an outsider, a trip from Honolulu to Houston for training might seem a bit extreme, especially considering Honolulu offers it’s own AP institute. But that program lacks training in art history. When she saw that her training at Rice would include special presentations on Romanticism, Renaissance Foundling Hospitals, the Silk Road and Picasso, her decision was made, and she was Houston-bound.

“Like any good professional, it is important to stay current in one’s field,” said Suzanne Thacker, a biology teacher in Klein Independent School District. “I’m a firm believer that if you stagnate, you die. Too often, teachers are isolated from the real world, and they end up teaching things that they read about but have not actually experienced.”

That’s where Rice’s AP Summer Institute comes in. It aims to fill knowledge gaps and put K-12 teachers in touch with their fields’ leading researchers. At the Rice institute, that means teachers have access to university professors — many from Rice — and the cutting-edge technologies, laboratories and equipment at Rice.

	JEFF FITLOW
	At the Rice institute, teachers have access to university professors — many from Rice — and the cutting-edge technologies, laboratories and equipment at Rice.

“Being at ‘ground zero’ of scientific research enables teachers to bring real life experiences into the classroom,” Thacker said. “By touring labs and hearing presentations from the very individuals doing the research, we can show students that science is more than a list of foreign words and complex processes. I get excited — and tell my students –about the fact that this research is happening in our own backyard, not clear across the globe.”

Courses are led by experienced, enthusiastic and dedicated College Board-endorsed lead consultants from around the country who have a broad range of knowledge and proven ability presenting to their peers. Faculty for the 2009 institute included AP test-development committee members, AP exam readers, winners of special recognition awards from the College Board and winners of regional and national teaching awards. Rice also taps esteemed local professors to lead advanced-topic academies for veteran teachers who seek a deeper content knowledge.

When Scott Rivinius, an experienced teacher from the Boston-area, relocated to Houston last year, he took on new challenges in climate and classroom. A U.S. history teacher at Bellaire High School, it was his first time teaching an AP course.

“I had incredible support from the other AP history teachers, so the year went pretty well,” Rivinius said. “But I will definitely be using what I learned at the Rice institute in my classroom next year. The scholars who presented were fantastic. They gave very informed talks and shared with us material that as high school teachers, we just wouldn’t have access to.”

JEFF FITLOW
Teachers say Rice’s institute gives them a renewed appreciation for and understanding of their work in the classroom.

Hailed as a king of Trivial Pursuit and a sports encyclopedia by his students and family, Rivinius said the institute gave him a deeper understanding of historic events and figures. Understanding he will be adding to his lessons — and trivia knowledge bank. He was particularly impressed by the work of Alexander Byrd, associate professor of history at Rice, who studies black life in the Atlantic world and the Jim Crow South.

Thacker too was appreciative of the quality of instruction at Rice.

“It’s a distinct advantage for me and ultimately for my students,” Thacker said. “I might not be able to take my classes on field trips to research laboratories, but I can show them what is being done in the labs.

“My students comment all the time on how smart I am. I used to tell them it was just because I was old and had been around long enough to have seen and experienced it all,” she said. “But I truly think that a large part of it has to do with the fact that I get so much good information from professional development workshops. I continually add to my repertoire; I keep it fresh and that helps keep my students interested.”