TIPP CITY — Jessica Helsinger, agriscience educator at Covington-UVCC, recently facilitated a two-week virtual professional development institute, guiding 61 teachers from eight states through the AgXplore Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) course. Helsinger was selected by CASE to be a Master Teacher after showing advanced competency in the curriculum and demonstrating excellent facilitation skills. Helsinger taught the curriculum in the states of Iowa, Pennsylvania and Ohio this summer.

CASE is an instructional system changing the culture of agriculture programs in the United States through intense teacher professional development, inquiry-based and 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). In 2009, schools began implementing CASE into their programs. More than 3,500 teachers from 48 states, plus the Virgin Islands, hold close to 7,000 certifications and use them daily in their agriculture classrooms.

“CASE Lead Teachers are a vital component of the CASE model. We appreciate and value their dedication, expertise and commitment to CASE professional development and the certification to date of thousands of agriculture teachers nationwide,” said CASE Director Nancy Trivette.

During the CASE Institute, Helsinger worked facilitating the discovery of lessons in the curriculum and demonstrating how to deliver them in an inquiry-based way that will shift focus in the classroom from teacher-led to student-directed learning.

CASE is an initiative of the National Council for Agricultural Education and managed by the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE).

For more information about CASE, visit www.case4learning.org.