HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. – This spring, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF), in partnership with Goucher College will offer the virtual professional development courses “Infusing Agriculture in the Classroom” to elementary and middle school teachers throughout the state.
“Infusing Agriculture in the Middle School Classroom” has been specifically designed for curriculum instruction for middle school students. Offering lessons in hydroponics, career education, and guest lectures from leaders in the agricultural community, this course will advance student understanding of modern agricultural practices and career pathways.
Running for a fourth semester, the “Infusing Agriculture in the Elementary School Classroom” course will continue to provide unique, comprehensive, and engaging educational opportunities for elementary school students and teachers to learn more about how agriculture impacts their lives. “This course was a terrific way to allow teachers to meet and learn from other teachers from across the state about what they are doing as far as agriculture is concerned. It shows how incredibly diverse the state of Maryland is in terms of land and populations. Each section of the state really does have ways to incorporate agriculture in the classroom,” said one participant in the Fall 2020 course.
“Only seven of Maryland’s counties have more than 50 percent of their land designated as rural, meaning there is a significant number of Maryland students who do not interact at all with farms in their formative years. At MAEF, we aim to teach students the importance of agriculture in their daily lives. Teachers who learn about agriculture often become passionate in teaching their students where their food, clothing, and much of what they touch each day comes from,” said Shannon Brown, elementary course instructor and Elementary Education Director at MAEF.
The middle school course is scheduled to run from Mar. 29 to May 14. The elementary school course is scheduled to run from Mar. 29 to May 14. Each course offers the opportunity for educators to earn 3 Maryland CPD credits upon successful completion. For more information or to register for the “Infusing Agriculture in the Elementary School Classroom,” contact Shannon Brown at sbrown@maefonline.com. For more information or to register for the “Infusing Agriculture in the Middle School Classroom,” contact Peggy Eppig at peppig@maefonline.com.
Dedicated to increasing agricultural literacy and agricultural education, MAEF is a nonprofit organization with programs serving pre-kindergarten through post-secondary audiences. MAEF signature programs include “Infusing Ag in the Classroom” professional development courses for teachers; mobile science labs; mobile agricultural showcases and Maryland FFA. Funded by the Maryland “ag tag” license plate revenues, gifts, grants and program fees, MAEF promotes the importance of agriculture in everyone’s daily lives. For more information visit www.maefonline.com.
–Amie McDaniels, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation