Jason Hardin, GrowNextGen teacher leader

I’m available to provide support in these areas: Biology, Environmental Science, Microbiology, and Genetics.

What about teaching excites you?

I know it is a little cliched, but I’ve learned that in the classroom I can make a difference. Whether it be in the content we are learning or the relationships I am building, even the smallest interaction can have a major impact on a young life.

What was your “aha” moment when you realized the value of using agriculture as a vehicle to teach science?

In my Environmental Science class we were discussing GMOs. In the course of our discussion I noticed that my students had very strong opinions on the subject. I was talking to a friend, Kelly Lewis, who is a teacher leader for GrowNextGen and she was able to help me make all kinds of connections to ag bioscience: DNA technologies, lab technologies, ethics and global issues. It can also be a driving influence in cross-curricular project based studies by connecting to Language Arts, Economics, Math, and Social Studies.

How do you help students make the industry or real-world connection to what they’re learning?

I try to help my students by creating real-world problems for them to solve and connecting them to real-world leaders in the industry to help them solve the problem.

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