TFB promotes educational programs at science teacher conference
By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist
Science teachers from across the nation met in North Texas at the beginning of the month to learn more about innovate strategies in the classroom.
More than 6,000 science teachers and supporters attended the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) Nov. 1-3 at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) was present at the conference, interacting with teachers and promoting educational programs.
“Texas Farm Bureau’s educational outreach efforts allow us to connect with teachers from all content areas and help them find ways to promote agriculture,” Jett Mason, TFB director of Educational Outreach, said. “We work with science teachers to increase their awareness of how much food and fiber can be used to teach their science concepts.”
TFB showcased several “Meet a Farmer” videos throughout the conference. The school visit program, Planting the Seed, also was promoted. It helps students make connections to the science behind growing healthy plants through a firsthand experience of planting a seed.
Elementary and intermediate-level teachers responded well to the information, Mason said.
“We had face-to-face conversations with more than 700 teachers, promoting the programs and talking about the importance of food and fiber,” he said.
Fifth grade science teacher Charitie Wright assisted Mason in the TFB booth. She’s previously used TFB’s Planting the Seed program in her classroom at Troup ISD.
For Wright, hands-on activities and innovative teaching strategies are important.
“I don’t have a textbook,” she said. “I teach with lots of hand motion and body movements. I think when kids get to experience something, they learn the concept better. I’m not a ‘sit down and do the work’ teacher. We are up moving and learning. I’m really big on experiences.”
Wright has also attended TFB’s Summer Agriculture Institute (SAI), a four-day professional development seminar where teachers learn how agriculture can enrich classrooms.
Wright often uses lessons and activities she learned at SAI in her classroom.
“We learned how to make butter at SAI,” she said. “When I was teaching about properties of matter and how matter can change from liquid to solid, we made butter in class.”
These experiences are what students will remember later in life, Wright said.
TFB’s Educational Outreach program offer educators the resources to provide those experiences.