Ag Teachers from Coast-to-Coast Visit ATU

Twenty-six agriculture teachers representing 13 states shared knowledge and earned graduate credit during the 2017 Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) Institute at Arkansas Tech University.

The teachers were engaged in one of two tracks: CASE Principles of Agricultural Science-Plant or CASE Agricultural Power and Technology. Those who successfully completed the two-week institute, which concluded on Friday, July 21, earned three hours of graduate credit.

Teachers from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and West Virginia were among the 22 participants and four lead teachers who traveled to Russellville for the professional development opportunity, which was sponsored by DuPont Pioneer and Farm Credit of Western Arkansas.

According to information published at www.atu.edu/case, CASE Institute sessions “provide teachers important background related to the pedagogy used in CASE curricula and practice teaching various lessons to prepare them for classroom instruction.”

Dr. Lucas Maxwell, assistant professor of agricultural education at ATU and director of the ATU CASE Institute, said there are multiple benefits beyond that baseline.

“What CASE does for these teachers is to provide them with the tools to engage with their students in real, hands-on, minds-on learning activities,” said Maxwell. “As a result, students take the science and math concepts they are studying in other classes and see how they apply to the growing agriculture industry.”

Visit www.atu.edu/agriculture to learn more about the ATU Department of Agriculture.