Megan Gerken had Monday, March 16, circled on her calendar. That was the day the clinical supervisor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction expected to welcome representatives from Deans for Impact, who were coming to observe a pilot round of their
Read moreUncharted waters: KNPE alum leading COVID-prompted online public school
Families in the 15,000-student Thompson School District of Loveland, Colorado, were offered an intriguing and innovative option this fall as the COVID-19 pandemic barreled into another semester. Called Thompson Connect Online (TCO), it’s a completely virtual “school” created solely to enroll the
Read moreCollege launches Educators Rising, members find development, support
Abigail Wright honestly can’t remember wanting to become anything but a teacher. “My mom has videos and picture of me playing school when I was in preschool, and all of my friends had to be the students. I was always the teacher,”
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these NIU College of Education students and faculty! Eight College of Education students have been named Dean’s Achievement Scholars! Dylan Banker, Kinesiology Roger Bezares, Kinesiology Hannah Clark, Elementary Education-Elementary Mathematics Education Esperanza Correa, Elementary Education-Reading Teacher Genesis Miranda, Special Education-Visual
Read moreEnseño en Español: DeKalb, Elgin enrolls teachers in new NIU course on biliteracy
During her years as a Cuban living in rural Galesburg, Ill., Mayra Daniel impressed on her family the need for fluency in her native tongue of Spanish. But that language was rare in this community of 35,000 in Knox County. “Few spoke
Read moreTeacher-licensure candidates thrive, grow amid COVID-impacted clinicals
For future teachers, the professional semesters of their higher education provide the classroom immersion and real-life, hands-on experience that apply the icing to the cake. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, most schools simply aren’t operating as usual. Some are all face-to-face, some
Read moreEducate Global reaches Spain via Zoom, participants will join in online seminars
As the initial dust of COVID-19 settled in the spring, Laurie Elish-Piper and David Walker began mulling what the virus meant for the near future of the college’s signature hands-on learning programs. “It became pretty apparent that our entire Educate and Engage
Read moreCI, College of DuPage ink 2+2 agreement for seamless Elementary Education path
Future B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education majors who want to start their studies at the College of DuPage can transfer seamlessly into the NIU College of Education. Thanks to a newly signed, non-cohort-based 2+2 agreement between COD and the Department of Curriculum and
Read moreSocial Justice Summer Camp 4.0 turns to podcasts to continue vital momentum
Joe Flynn heard the news without any sense of surprise. “It came out in late April that there was a disproportionate representation of African Americans and Latinos who have been contracting and, most importantly, dying from the virus,” says Flynn, an associate
Read moreRead to me: Literacy educators explore ‘magic’ of COVID-19 online read-alouds
As schools closed across the country for COVID-19, celebrities quickly found a new calling. Betty White, Michelle Obama, Josh Gad, Demi Lovato, Jimmy Fallon, Reese Witherspoon and countless other famous faces sat in front of cameras to engage in an online version
Read moreKildeer partners with NIU to provide teachers tools for ELL success stories
As the demographics of Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 began shifting within the last decade, administrators responded. The solution they implemented in 2017 continues to benefit not only the K-8 students of Buffalo Grove and Long Grove but also the
Read moreKeep learning, keep teaching – Part 4: Educators detail COVID-19 adjustments
Katie Pasternak is maintaining a face-to-face connection with her students, even during the challenging separation of COVID-19. At 9 a.m. Monday through Thursday, the senior Elementary Education major from Yorkville sits in front of her computer’s camera to teach math – live
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