WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – May 7, 2024 – The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation is excited to announce the launch of professional development workshops tailored for educators across Iowa. In collaboration with partner organizations, these workshops aim to enhance educators’ skills in integrating agricultural concepts into their curriculum. 

Throughout the summer, educators will have the opportunity to participate in two-day workshops hosted at various locations statewide. These workshops, facilitated by IALF, will delve into leveraging agriculture as a platform to teach Iowa Core standards. By infusing agricultural themes into subjects such as science, social studies, language arts, and math, teachers can provide students with authentic and meaningful learning experiences. 

“Participants can expect to gain a wealth of instructional strategies, along with ready-to-implement lessons, resources and activities,” said Kelly Foss, IALF Executive Director. “Our goal is to empower teachers to foster high levels of student engagement through hands-on learning approaches.” 

The workshops will feature interactive sessions, including one day dedicated to on-site visits and tours of farms and agribusiness, and another day focused on practical classroom application. Workshops are free, and optional license renewal credit and graduate-level credit are available, for an additional fee.  

Scheduled workshop dates and locations are as follows:

  • June 13-14, Oskaloosa, Agriculture is Everywhere
  • June 18-19, Fort Dodge, The Engineering and Math of STEM in Agriculture
  • July 16-17, Sioux City, Plows to Pixels: Agriculture Through the Years
  • July 18-19, West Des Moines, The STEM of Specialty Crops
  • July 23-24, Coralville, Technology in Iowa Agriculture from 1800s-Now
  • July 30-31, Mason City, Nothing to Waste: The STEM of Agriculture Co-Products
  • August 1-2, Waterloo, Exploring the Agriculture Story
  • August 6-7, Irwin, From the Field and Beyond: STEM Careers in Agriculture 

For detailed workshop descriptions and registration information, please visit the IALF website at https://www.iowaagliteracy.org/tools-resources/general/professional-development. 

Workshops are made possible by supporters of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation including the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, GROWMARK, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Beef Industry Council, Corteva Agriscience, the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization, and the Iowa STEM Scale-Up Program. 

To learn more about workshops in your area, visit www.IowaAgLiteracy.org, email info@iowaagliteracy.org. 

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