Charles City ag teacher attends science education institute

To The Press

Charles City High School vocational agricultural teacher Bret Spurgin recently attended a five-day professional development institute at the University of Missouri, in Columbia.

Spurgin taught the natural resources and ecology Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) course in his program.

“I am very much looking forward to implementing this curriculum in the classroom this fall,” Spurgin said. “We already cover many of the topics, but this curriculum will help hit on a lot of science concepts that these students need to know.”

Spurgin spent 50 hours 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.

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 (STEM).

Spurgin, in his eighth year of teaching, just completed his first year as a vocational agricultural teacher at Charles City, and is also an FFA youth advisor.