Web site - Teacher Workshops On IPM Academic Standard Offered Throughout State -September 2005

Teacher Workshops On IPM Academic Standard Offered Throughout State -September 2005

July 13, 2005

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Teachers from across the state are learning about an ecological approach to managing all types of "pests", from insects in the basement and deer in fruit trees, to diseases in crop plants and weeds in lawns.

Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a part of Pennsylvania's new academic standards for environment and ecology. IPM is a kid-safe, economical and scientific approach to managing pests. IPM integrates knowledge of pest identity and biology with pest monitoring so that action, if needed, can be taken at just the right time. In addition, IPM uses a combination of management tactics that are more likely to be safe and effective.

According to Pennsylvania IPM Program Education Specialist Lyn Garling, IPM is now a requirement of all public schools in the state, meaning that 1.8 million K-12 students will learn about it. "In response to this requirement, we're offering teacher trainings to help teachers incorporate IPM into their curriculum."

Garling says that IPM can be used anywhere, including school buildings and grounds, homes, backyards, gardens, forests, and farm fields. "IPM curricular activities provide a hands-on dynamic vehicle for integration that cuts across the curriculum and can be included in classes such as biology, chemistry, ecology, math and statistics," she explains.

According to Garling, the workshops demonstrate how IPM can be integrated into existing curriculum and include IPM activities that will enable students to develop observational, measurement, communication and critical thinking skills. "Young children can begin simply by learning how to observe details of the world around them and identify the different organisms involved, while older children can investigate details more closely and engage in experiments," says Garling. "These activities can be done cheaply while teaching key principles required in IPM component of the environment and ecology academic standards, as well as other sections such as environmental health, human impact on the environment, agriculture and government systems."

The IPM teacher trainings can be tailored to a group's needs, and include relevant handouts, sample lesson plans, Web sites and other resources. For more information on teacher workshops or to schedule one for your group, contact Garling at ljg5@psu.edu or (814) 863-8884.

The PAIPM program is a collaboration between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting IPM in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. Supporters of the IPM in the curriculum initiative include the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Environmental Protect, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The PA IPM program's Web site at http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/ contains a wealth of information and resources for educators. By clicking on the "Schools" link, visitors can find information about the school IPM effort in Pennsylvania and access educational materials from across the country. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or visit Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.html.