By Julie Tomascik
Editor

Three one-day workshops will be held this summer to help Texas teachers make the connection with agriculture through science and hands-on activities.

The Summer Ag Academies, hosted by Texas Farm Bureau (TFB), offer teachers practical experience in agriculture-related concepts, and they can take home free resources to use in their classrooms.

“The Summer Ag Academies are designed to give teachers a hands-on opportunity to learn about agriculture and how it relates to what they are teaching in the classroom,” said Jordan Bartels, TFB associate director of Organization Division, Educational Outreach.

These one-day learning opportunities are open to certified, active K-12 Texas teachers and pre-service teachers who are currently enrolled in a college or university education program.

This year’s Summer Ag Academies will be held at the following locations:

Registration closes two weeks before each event.

There is no cost to attend the academies.

Site visits will also be incorporated into each Summer Ag Academy to help teachers build an understanding of Texas agriculture.

“Site visits give teachers a view into how diverse Texas agriculture really is,” Bartels said. “These visits are beneficial because they allow teachers to step foot on farms, ranches and other agricultural operations and truly experience the everyday happenings that relate to what students are learning in the classroom.”

For more than 25 years, TFB has hosted professional development events in the summer to help Texas teachers make the connection with agriculture, providing them innovative techniques to incorporate the subject in their curriculum.

“Although the content does have a focus in science, past participants continue to tell us they benefited from the ag academies no matter what subject they taught,” she said. “Participants will take home information, resources and experiences that will help them incorporate agriculture into the classroom.”

The curriculum provided by TFB is aligned with Texas teaching standards to help teachers better incorporate the material in the classroom.

Teachers also receive continuing education credits in addition to the resource material.

Additional information and registration details for the Summer Ag Academies can be found at https://texasfarmbureau.org/aitc.

For more information, contact Bartels at edoutreach@txfb.org or call 254.751.2569.