Lowville Academy recently hosted a 8 day professional development institute for 22 participants from August 2-12, 2015. Participants traveled from Idaho, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, and New York to participate in this opportunity for intense professional development. The institute provided experience in a full year of curriculum for Animal: Principles of Agricultural Science. The curriculum was written by Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE).
CASE is an instructional system that is changing the culture of agriculture programs in the United States through intense teacher professional development; inquiry-based, student-focused lessons; assessment; and certification. CASE equips teachers to elevate student experiences in the agriculture classroom and prepares students for success in college and careers emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math.
Melvin Phelps and Shari Lighthall served as coordinator for the CASE Curriculum Institute and worked closely with CASE staff, CASE Lead Teachers, and participating teachers from across the nation to help make the institute successful. While at the CASE Institute, participants spent 65 hours working through nearly every lesson in the year-long curriculum and learning how to deliver lessons using inquiry-based learning, which shifts focus in the classroom from teacher-led to student-directed learning.