AP CALCULUS BC: HOW TO GET A 5
TLDRIn this engaging video, Joshua introduces a new series on his channel, the AP Survival Guide, aimed at helping students excel in their Advanced Placement (AP) exams. The first episode focuses on his personal experience with AP Calculus BC, which he took during his junior year after relocating from Texas to Virginia. Despite initial challenges with the new curriculum and a teacher with a thick accent, Joshua developed a strong rapport with his instructor and classmates. He shares valuable study tips, emphasizing the importance of understanding mathematical rules rather than rote memorization. Joshua also recommends doing odd-numbered problems from the textbook for immediate feedback and using resources like Khan Academy for additional support. His unique 'Beasley Method' involves self-studying the day's material before class to focus on practice rather than struggling with comprehension. For exam preparation, he suggests reviewing old notes, practicing past problems, and utilizing the College Board's resources for AP exam practice. The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to support the channel and engage with the content.
Takeaways
- 🎓 **Personalized Study Techniques**: Joshua emphasizes that his study techniques vary depending on the class, which is a reminder that one-size-fits-all approaches may not be the best for everyone.
- 📚 **Understanding Over Memorization**: Instead of memorizing rules, understanding how they are derived is more helpful, especially for classes like calculus where problem-solving is key.
- 🔍 **Practice is Crucial**: Joshua recommends doing odd-numbered problems from the textbook to get immediate feedback and build confidence with each concept.
- 🤓 **The Beasley Method**: A personal creation of Joshua, this method involves self-studying the next day's material from the syllabus before class to be better prepared.
- 💡 **Khan Academy as a Resource**: Joshua found Khan Academy's videos on calculus concepts to be a great resource for understanding and learning.
- 📈 **Setting Up Problems Correctly**: One of the challenges in calculus is not just solving them but knowing how to apply the right rules and set up the problems effectively.
- 📅 **Preparation for AP Exam**: Joshua spent time reviewing old notes and doing practice tests from the Princeton Review book, highlighting the importance of preparation.
- 📝 **Reviewing FRQs**: He also took advantage of the College Board's resources, practicing every free-response question (FRQ) from the last five years to familiarize himself with the exam format.
- 🏫 **Adapting to New Environments**: Joshua's experience of adjusting to a new high school and a new teacher with a thick accent shows the importance of adaptability in learning.
- 😂 **Humor in Learning**: Despite initial challenges, Joshua found humor in his teacher's attempts at jokes, which can make the learning process more enjoyable.
- 📉 **Inside Jokes and Class Camaraderie**: The shared experience of understanding and overcoming challenges in the class helped to build a sense of camaraderie among classmates.
Q & A
What is the new series on Joshua's channel about?
-The new series on Joshua's channel is about his study techniques for AP exams, with separate videos for each subject he took.
What was the challenge Joshua faced when he moved to a new high school and took calculus BC?
-Joshua had to deal with the inconsistencies between the math curriculum from his Texas high school and his new Virginia high school, as well as difficulty understanding his teacher due to the teacher's thick accent.
What was the name of the online video tutoring service started by the previous calculus teacher?
-The previous calculus teacher started an online video tutoring service called 'Calc Workshop'.
How did Joshua adapt to the new teaching style and curriculum?
-Joshua went into the class with an open mind, developed a companionship with the teacher and other students, and began to appreciate the teacher's persistent teaching technique.
What was Joshua's approach to memorizing content for calculus?
-Instead of memorizing everything exactly as in the textbook, Joshua focused on understanding how the rules were derived, so he could work them out if he ever forgot.
How did Joshua handle homework and practice problems in his calculus class?
-Joshua did the odd-numbered problems in the textbook to get immediate feedback from the answers in the back of the book, and practiced problems until he felt confident with a concept before moving on.
What is the 'Beasley Method' Joshua created for his calculus class?
-The Beasley Method involves looking at the syllabus the night before class to see what chapter will be covered, teaching oneself the content from the textbook, and trying out practice problems to be prepared for the next day's class.
Which resource did Joshua find particularly helpful for calculus?
-Joshua found Khan Academy to be a great resource, as it had countless videos on every major concept discussed in the class, presented in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable manner.
How did Joshua prepare for the AP exam?
-Joshua spent a couple of weeks before the exam reviewing his old notes, redoing important problems, and working through a Princeton Review book with practice tests. He also took advantage of the College Board website to do every free-response question (FRQ) from the last five years.
What was a unique insight Joshua gained from practicing past AP exam questions?
-Joshua realized that the FRQs were very similar year to year, to the point where he felt he knew exactly what to expect on the actual exam.
What is Joshua's advice for students entering the exam room in May?
-Joshua advises students to review their notes and get hands-on with as much practice material as possible, ensuring they are familiar with every major concept to avoid surprises during the exam.
How does Joshua engage with his audience at the end of his video?
-Joshua encourages his audience to like the video, subscribe to his channel, and comment with any questions, concerns, or thoughts about the video. He also mentions that he will respond to every comment and promises to upload another video the next day at 3 p.m.
Outlines
📚 Starting the AP Survival Guide Series
Joshua introduces a new series on his channel dedicated to discussing his study techniques for AP exams. He mentions that his methods vary by class and will create separate videos for each class he took. The first class covered is calculus BC, which he took during his junior year after moving from Texas to Virginia. He shares his initial challenges with a new teacher from Cameroon, who had a thick accent and was initially hard to understand. Despite these difficulties, Joshua and his classmates developed a bond with the teacher and appreciated his persistent teaching style. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the derivation of mathematical rules rather than just memorizing them and discusses the value of practice in overcoming challenging problems. Joshua also shares his personal study method, which involves self-teaching the next day's material from the textbook and trying out practice problems to be prepared for class. He recommends using resources like Khan Academy for additional help and outlines his preparation for the AP exam, which included reviewing old notes, doing practice problems, and utilizing the College Board website for past exam questions.
📝 AP Exam Preparation and Resources
Joshua provides advice on preparing for the AP exam, emphasizing the importance of reviewing notes and practicing problems. He notes that by working through past FRQs (Free Response Questions), he was able to predict the types of questions that would appear on the actual exam. He encourages students to utilize all available practice materials and to review every major concept to be fully prepared for the exam. Joshua also mentions his commitment to providing more content and invites viewers to like, subscribe, and comment with any questions or feedback. He signs off by promising another video the next day at 3 p.m.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AP Exam
💡Study Techniques
💡Calculus BC
💡Teacher's Reputation
💡Cow Workshop
💡Beasley Method
💡Khan Academy
💡AP Exam Preparation
💡Free Response Questions (FRQs)
💡College Board
💡Inside Jokes
Highlights
Joshua is starting a new series on his channel called 'AP Survival Guide' to share his study techniques for different AP classes.
He will make separate videos for each AP class he took, discussing his overall experience and tips for success.
Joshua took AP Calculus BC his junior year at a new high school in Virginia.
The new calculus teacher had a thick accent and was initially hard to understand, but Joshua remained open-minded.
Despite the teacher's reputation, Joshua and his classmates developed a companionship and appreciated his persistent teaching style.
Joshua found it helpful to understand how calculus rules were derived, rather than just memorizing them.
He recommends doing odd-numbered problems in the textbook for immediate feedback and confidence with each concept.
Joshua emphasizes the importance of knowing how to set up calculus problems and apply rules correctly.
He shares his 'Beasley Method' of self-studying the day before class to understand the material and focus on practice during class.
Khan Academy was a valuable resource for Joshua with clear, enjoyable videos on every major calculus concept.
In preparation for the AP exam, Joshua reviewed his notes, redid important problems, and worked through a Princeton Review book.
He also took advantage of the College Board website to practice every free-response question from the past 5 years of AP Calculus BC exams.
Joshua noticed the free-response questions were very similar year after year, allowing him to predict what would be asked on the actual exam.
His main advice is to review all major concepts thoroughly so nothing comes as a surprise on the exam.
Joshua encourages viewers to learn from his experience and asks for likes, subscribes, and comments with questions or feedback.
He promises to respond to every comment and will upload another video the next day at 3pm.
Transcripts
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
Thanks for rating: