Event is scheduled for November 24 in Cochrane, Alberta
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
An Alberta-based organization dedicated to expanding agriculture’s reach is hosting an event designed to help teachers have a better understanding of how to teach agriculture in their classrooms.
Ag for Life is hosting its first ever Agriculture Education Teachers’ Symposium on Nov. 24 at the Cochrane RanceHouse in Cochrane, Alta.
The event is open to teachers from kindergarten all the way to grade 12. It will feature a variety of guest speakers and breakout sessions for attendees to participate in, all in the name of ag education.
And having an event like this is almost as important for the teachers as it is for their students, says Luree Williamson, CEO of Ag for Life.
“Agriculture education is so important and it’s important to have relevant information available to teachers and students,” she told Farms.com. “Many teachers didn’t grow up on a farm, aren’t connected to agriculture and don’t know where to go for information. This event can be a one-stop shop where they can learn about a variety of different topics and how to integrate agriculture into their classrooms.”
Currently, agriculture is not part of the provincial curriculum, but another provincial ministry is lending its support to the symposium.
“We’ve had conversations with the Agriculture Minister (Oneil Carlier), and he was very pleased to hear of the event and very eager to help in any way we needed,” she said. “Since agriculture isn’t part of the curriculum it’s important for the industry to help make resources available.”
The information gathered by the teachers during the symposium can go a long way to shaping a student’s career path, Williamson says.
“These students are our future consumers, farmers and members of the work force,” she said. “They’re driving changes we may or may not see in the ag industry so it’s important we provide them with all literacy we can.”
The Agriculture Education Teachers’ Symposium is scheduled from 8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Cochrane RancheHouse, 101 RancheHouse Road, in Cochrane, Alta.
The cost for attendees is $100 and educators can register for the breakout sessions that fit their needs.
A full list of speakers and event schedule can be found below:
