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Contact:Tara Stewart
302-774-4335
Attendance Doubles as DuPont-SponsoredNationalAgriscienceTeacher AmbassadorAcademy Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 8,2012 – As part of its 10-year-anniversary celebration, the 2012 DuPont-sponsored National Agriscience Teacher Ambassador Academy (NATAA), doubled its annual attendance from 24 to 48 agriscience teachers to learn a new inquiry-based teachingmethod. Clarkdale Teacher, Mrs. Toni Boatner,was selected as a participant in this year’s Teacher Ambassador Academy. Boatner stated, “It was a great honor to be selected. This is a wonderful opportunity to network with other teachers across our nation and bring new teaching methods into my classroom. I cannot wait to get back into the classroom and use the new tools and experiences I learned while in Delaware.
Teachers attended one oftwo sessions, at DuPont Chesapeake Farms,in Chestertown, MD. With the 2012 classes the "Ag Academy" grew to 181 ambassadors of the nation’s finest Agriculture Science teachers, representing 49 states and Puerto Rico.
The “Ag Academy” is a professional development institute, sponsored by DuPont as a special project of the National FFA Foundation and the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE), where agriculture teachers learn new inquiry-based teaching techniques to improve science learning. The goal of NATAA is to incorporate more science into existing curriculums, make learning fun and challenging for students and, as a result, improve student performance in standardized science test scores. Boatner stated that the Academy emphasized teaching students to think. We are doing our students a disservice if we are giving them information in the hopes of them remembering it to pass the test. We as teachers must be able to teach them think, process information, and make sound decisions. Simply passing the test and remembering information is not preparing them for the future that lies ahead.
During the week-long session, teachers explore topics related to global trends that DuPont has identified: including feeding the world, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and protecting people and the environment. Teachers are immersed in hands-on activities and labs related to these global issues. The focus in 2012 is on alternative fuel sources, genetics, antibiotic resistance, photosynthesis and ecology. The curriculum for NATAA is based on modules from Science and Global Issues – Biology from LAB-AIDS.
“NATAA helps teachers understand critical agriculture issues facing the world today,”said Rik L. Miller, president, DuPont Crop Protection. “By understanding the initiatives such as feeding the world and sustainability, teachers learn how to engage their students in real 21st century issues and finding real solutions. By doubling the NATAA sessions, DuPont is demonstrating its commitment to professional development opportunities for the nation’s science teachers.”
“NATAA helps agriscience teachers see and connect the bridge between agriscience and agribusiness applications and science and math concepts so that student achievement is enhanced as measured by standardized tests,” said Dr. Jay Jackman, executive director of NAAE. “With the curriculum and doubling the number of ‘Ag Ambassadors’ to return home and teach means we can expand the reach rapidly and make sure that science and a new way to teach goes deep into many classrooms across the United States.”
Dr. Brian Myers, University of Florida, is the chief evaluator for NATAA. Facilitators for the week-long sessions include Donna Parker, Dublin, Ohio, High School science teacher and three NATAA Ambassadors, including Joanna Pfieffer from Ohio, Michael Clark, Pennsylvania, and David Black, Ky.
The vision is that graduates of NATAA return to their home state and lead inquiry-based workshops for science educators. This October, selected teachers from this year’s classes will conduct seminars in the DuPont Classroom during the National FFA Conventionhelping other agriscience teachers learn how to teach science more effectively in the classroom. The ambassadors will also conduct workshops at the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) convention this November. In addition, Boatner has been selected to conduct a New Teacher Workshop for first year Agriscience teachers in the state of Mississippi. In time, the vision is that the nations 7,000 agriscience teachers will be exposed to the NATAA curriculum and inquiry-based teaching methods either directly or through outreach from NATAA ambassadors.
The National FFA Organization, with more than 523,000 members operates under a federal charter granted by the 81st Congress of the United States. FFA membership offers studentsopportunities that change lives and prepares students for premier leadership, personal growth and career success. The FFA organization represents a large diversity of more than 300 careers in the food, fiber and natural resources industry.
The NAAE is a federation of state agricultural educators associations with more than 7,650 members. Currently NAAE is focusing on three areas - advocacy for agricultural education, professional development for agricultural educators and recruitment and retention of current ag educators. NAAE offers a variety of programs and services to support this three-pronged mission.
DuPont Chesapeake Farms is a 3,300-acre working farm, showcasing a number of advanced agriculture and wildlife management practices. Chesapeake Farms is devoted to the development, evaluation and demonstration of advanced agricultural practices and wildlife management techniques, designed to be environmentally sound, productive, economically viable and socially accepted.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit
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