Donavan Phoenix, agriculture education teacher and FFA adviser at Hershey Public Schools, has completed a STEM-based Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education training course. The CASE plant science training provided a curriculum to agricultural education teachers.
Through a scholarship provided by the Nebraska FFA Foundation, and funded by the Nebraska Soybean Board, Phoenix is supplementing this STEM-based curriculum by using soybeans as a model, focus and method for learning. This fall, Phoenix will be implementing this curriculum in their classroom by utilizing soybeans in various segments of the Plant Science CASE curriculum.
“Using the knowledge and training I’ve received from the CASE training, I plan to educate students about the characteristics and needs of soybeans,” Phoenix said. “I hope that my efforts in the classroom encourage and inspire students to become future soybean producers and consumers.”
Through this curriculum, Phoenix will be teaching students about the process, benefits and challenges related to the use of soybeans in agriculture. Students will learn about soybeans, first by beginning with the soil, then progressing to nutrients and finally concluding with an understanding of how soybeans are used once harvested.