WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Professional development workshops for teachers and educators will once again be offered throughout the summer and around the state by the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation and partner organizations.
The workshops will help teachers apply Iowa Core standards including social studies, and science in the context of agriculture. The workshops will also use agriculture to teach other core concepts and skills like language arts and math. The workshops will be hands on and are planned to be interactive with one day of site visits and tours and one day of practical classroom application. The events are planned as in-person events but can be converted to an online format to ensure health and safety concerns don’t allow for the in-person events. Many STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts will be integrated throughout.
After taking the course last year, Serena Andrews commented “It was effective to see a wide range of materials at our fingertips, especially when online learning is so relevant. It was helpful to be in touch with other teachers to share and discuss. That’s always been so helpful to me in these classes. I was able to adapt a current lesson I teach to fit the expectations of this class, so it was helpful to have that flexibility.”
The dates of the workshops are June 10-11 in Oskaloosa, June 10-11 in Northwood, June 16-17 in Ladora, July 14-15 in Independence, July 19-20 in Eldridge, August 2-3 in Ames, and August 4-5 in Woodbine. The workshops will include lesson demonstration, hands on implementation of concepts, tours of farms and agribusinesses, and technical skills in agriculture. The workshops will be available for teacher recertification credit and graduate level credit.
“I thought that the delivery of the online materials was outstanding!” said Melanie Marreel who attended last year’s workshops. “The topics were very well organized, and I appreciated the quizzes as an accountability for covering the material provided. I also really appreciated the fact that we were able to write lessons that will actually be used in our classroom! And I was very excited when we had to convert a lesson to an online format. That was excellent practice for what we may have to continue to do!”
Workshops are made possible by supporters of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation including the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization, and AgVA Foundation with additional support from Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Corteva Agriscience, GROWMARK, and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. To find out more about workshops in your area visit www.IowaAgLiteracy.org, email info@iowaagliteracy.org or call 515-331-4182.
Date: June 10 & 11, 2021
Location: Oskaloosa, Iowa
Title: The Wide Wide World of Agriculture
Description: During one day of the course participants will learn about specialty livestock by touring a sheep farm, buffalo farm, and goat farm. Participants will tour a robotic dairy and learn about technology and engineering applied in agriculture. A second day of the course will focus on implementing lessons learned, connecting learning to science and social studies, and making it relevant to student learners. Participants will learn about biofuels, specialty crops, drones, bees, and more.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 201254. Then follow the links to register for the course.
Date: June 10 & 11, 2021
Location: Northwood, Iowa
Title: STEM in Agriculture
Description: Participants will venture out of the classroom both days to learn about the agriculture industry first-hand while visiting an ethanol plant, hydroponic greenhouse, seed business, and a vineyard. Producers and other experts will showcase how agriculture uses technology to ensure environmental and economic sustainability. The in-class time will focus on implementing lessons learned, exploring resources, and connecting agriculture to Iowa core standards.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 201267. Then follow the links to register for the course.
Date: June 16 & 17, 2021
Location: Ladora, Iowa
Title: Innovations in Agriculture
Description: During the first day of the onsite workshop participants will venture out of the classroom to learn about the agriculture industry first-hand while visiting Kinze Manufacturing & Innovation Center, two livestock and grain farms, and a strawberry and pumpkin farm. Producers and other experts will showcase how agriculture uses technology to ensure economic and environmental sustainability, overcome challenges, and create opportunities. The second day of the course will focus on implementing lessons learned, connecting learning to science and social studies, and making it relevant to student learners. Participants will learn about watersheds, pollinators, drones, niche marketing, and more.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 201270. Then follow the links to register for the course.
Date: June 29 – July 1, 2021
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Title: Fields of Dreams
Description: This three-day professional development will be concurrently with the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference. It will give teachers others who educate youth the skills they need to implement many of the National Agriculture Literacy Outcomes. Using agriculture as the context to teach STEM, course participants will integrate agriculture into science, social studies, language arts, math, and art to make learning real and relevant for students. Participants will leave the workshop with instructional strategies, lessons, and activities that can be immediately implemented into their classroom with little or no additional effort. Student engagement and impact will be high with hands-on learning. Participants will attend traveling workshops of nearby agribusinesses and research facilities to learn about beef, swine, corn, soybeans, wind, biofuels, agricultural history, urban agriculture, agrotourism, and other agricultural topics. They also will hear from keynote speakers such as Ann Vileisis, author of Kitchen Literacy; Anton Treuer, author and American Indian studies; and Nicole Jolly of TrueFood TV. This is a one-credit course that is mixed instruction with onsite and online components. The course requires 15 hours of onsite interaction and an additional 30 hours of reading, writing, or research/discovery. The dates for the onsite component are June 28-July 1 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 200955. Then follow the links to register for the course. Separately, register for the National Agriculture in the Classroom conference.
Date: July 14 & 15, 2021
Location: Independence, Iowa
Title: Growing STEM on Iowa Farms
Description: During the first day of the onsite workshop participants will venture out of the classroom to learn about the agriculture industry first-hand. They will visit a dairy farm, peony farm, and a corn and soybean farm while learning how agricultural products are produced, marketed, and transported. They will also visit a historic feed mill to learn how technology in agriculture has changed over time. The second day of the course will focus on implementing lessons learned, connecting learning to science and social studies, and making it relevant to student learners. Participants will learn about animal science, drones, history, STEM in agriculture, and more.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 201268. Then follow the links to register for the course.
Date: July 19 & 20, 2021
Location: Eldridge, Iowa
Title: Expanding Agriculture Roots
Description: During one day of the course participants will learn about how agriculture has advanced through the last 100 years by first looking at historical agriculture equipment. Participants will then learn about modern agricultural equipment and technology. Tours will also include a wind farm and a dairy farm. A second day of the course will focus on implementing lessons learned, connecting learning to science and social studies, and making it relevant to student learners. Participants will learn about agronomic practices, livestock production, and turkey production.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 201260. Then follow the links to register for the course.
Date: July 26 & 27, 2021
Location: Peosta, Iowa
Title: Farmers and Families
Description: Iowa farmers’ philosophies date back to pioneers whose survival required ingenuity, thrift and cooperation. To keep planting and harvesting, todays’ farm families still endure long hours, physical demands and extremes of nature. During one day of the course participants will learn about agricultural technology and innovation. Tours will include a dairy, winery, and a milk processor. Participants will also see grain transportation at Lock and Dam #11. A second day of the course will focus on implementing lessons learned, connecting learning to science and social studies, and making it relevant to student learners. Participants will learn about agricultural safety, agricultural historical sites, drones, and cooperatives.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 201264. Then follow the links to register for the course.
Date: August 2 & 3, 2021
Location: Ames, Iowa
Title: Step Up the Science of Water Quality
Description: This fast-paced professional development will give educators tools and experience they will need to implement science research and practices regarding water quality into their classroom. Participants will leave the workshop with instructional strategies, lessons, and activities that can be immediately implemented into their classroom with little or no additional effort. During one day of the workshop participants will discuss water quality and water quality issues while learning about research and variable testing that occurs in a laboratory environment. During a second day participants will tour farms and research sites to learn about field drainage, oxbows, bioreactors, saturated buffers, wetlands, and water recycling efforts and research.
Apply to attend: Each participant will be eligible for a $800 stipend to help cover the cost of their travel and registration fees. Applications and admission will be reviewed on a rolling basis and selected participants will be directed to sign up for their preferred credit option. Graduate credit is available through Iowa State University for $790. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Apply to attend via this form. This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, AFRI Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy Priority Area, award #2021-2020-08611.
Date: August 4 & 5, 2021
Location: Woodbine, Iowa
Title: Learning & Growing with Agriculture
Description: During the first day of the onsite workshop participants will venture out of the classroom to learn about the agriculture industry first-hand while visiting a lavender farm, Aronia berry farm, fruit & vegetable farm. Producers and other experts will showcase how agriculture uses technology to ensure economic and environmental sustainability. The second day of the course will focus on implementing lessons learned, connecting learning to science and social studies, and making it relevant to student learners. Participants will learn about plant science, pollinators, soil, and more.
Register to attend: Graduate credit is available through Drake University, Grand View University, or Morningside College for $130. Licensure renewal credit is available from AEA for $35. Registration can be done online by creating an account in the Professional Learning Registration System. Once an account is created (which could take up to 24 hours), login and search for the course number 201269. Then follow the links to register for the course.
— Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
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