AP Course:

AP Calculus AB/BC

CONSULTANT: Ruth Miller

Ruth Miller is the Head of the Math Department at Kent Denver School in Englewood, Colorado.  She’s been teaching AP Calculus (off and on) since 1984, as well as AP Stats, AP Precalculus, and pretty much everything else that passes for math.  She has taught in both public & private schools for 45 years; in Ohio, California, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, and Colorado.  Ruth briefly taught History of Math (and Calculus & Statistics) at Towson University in Towson, Maryland, and enjoys using the History of Math to help students to understand the connections between how the discipline has developed and current practice.  She graduated from the University of Akron as an undergrad, and earned a BS from Johns Hopkins University.

For 24 years, Ruth has been a participant in either the AP Calculus or AP Precalculus Read.   She has read both AB & BC papers, as well as International and Alternative exams.  She’s also served recently as a Table Leader and on Question teams for AP Calculus.  In 2024, She participated in the inaugural AP Precalculus Read as a Question Leader.  Ruth has given numerous workshops and talks over many years, on subjects ranging from AP Calculus, Precalculus and Stats to the 9-Point Circle, The History of Algebra, and the Archimedes Palimpsest.

Ruth is an avid reader (a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and Richard Russo), enjoys sailing and hiking, and is embarrassed to admit that she watches some subgenres of Reality TV.  She speaks German, and has taught math in a German Gymnasium as an exchange teacher (Ruth loves to travel). Berlin is her favorite city (followed closely by Köln).  Ruth has 3 grown children who live in Denver, and Los Angeles; and two granddaughters, who are perfect in every way.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The course will cover content specific to the AP Curriculum and content, including the use of technology, AP Classroom, and the goals of the course and the AP Test (and ways to ensure that students are able to earn credit for their skills on the exam).  Content will be customized given the particular experience and needs of the group, but will include limits, derivatives, integrals and techniques of integration, as well as applications such as related rates, optimization problems, areas and volumes (including polars), and differential equations.  Series will be addressed for those interested, and concerns about pacing, assessment, the use of labs and activities, and prerequisites will be included in our work.  Participants will be asked to respond to a survey so that the workshop can be designed to meet the needs of the group.