Lawrence-Nelson teacher attends professional development institute

Kylie Kinley, educator at Lawrence-Nelson High School, attended a Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education professional development institute at Columbus Lakeview High School.

CASE 4 Learning is committed to designing an inquiry-based agricultural curriculum that meets the current demands of teachers, students and industry. CASE 4 Learning provides comprehensive professional development and workshops for new and, seasoned teachers to achieve lifetime certification, learn new coursework, and build a community of support. Upon certification, all CASE 4 Learning teachers have access to course updates, training, and support for the remainder of their career. The curriculum is designed to spiral and scaffold course concepts, incorporate APP (Activity, Project or Problem) modalities, and meet core standards to equip teachers and schools to help students become lifelong learners and prepare them for college or careers. The curriculum was written by CASE 4 Learning. CASE is an acronym for Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education and is an initiative of the National Council for Agricultural Education (The Council.)

During the CASE Institute, Kinley spent five 8-hour days in Columbus June 17 to June 21 working through nearly every lesson in the year-long curriculum and learning how to deliver lessons in an inquiry-based way that will shift focus in the classroom from teacher-led to student-directed learning.

"After practicing how to find parasite eggs in cow manure, dissecting fetal pigs, and finally learning how to read an EPD," she said, " I feel ready to teach Lawrence-Nelson students the fundamentals of animal science and industry and make sure they get essential hands-on experiences."

Kinley attended this professional development opportunity with scholarships from John Deere and from the Nebraska Soybean Checkoff.