Amanda Surrusco hadn’t expected the freedom. Maria Almeida hadn’t expected the differentiation. Kyle Conway hadn’t expected the trust. Surrusco, Almeida and Conway, three of the four NIU College of Education student-travelers on the inaugural Educate Global trip to Finland this May, witnessed
Read moreEducate U.S., Engage U.S. celebrate second year of journeys to North Dakota, Colorado
Sometimes the second time around is just as sweet as the first. May 2019 saw the return of Educate U.S. in North Dakota and Engage U.S. in Colorado and Nebraska; both new options of the NIU College of Education programs debuted in
Read moreAlternative Spring BAE travelers absorb life lessons in teaching Belizean coaches
NIU’s inaugural travelers in the Alternative Spring BAE program arrived in Belize with a good idea that they would learn as much as would the 24 youth sport coaches they’d gone to teach. What they hadn’t realized was that their true objective
Read moreEducate Global travelers to visit Finland
Educate Global will send its first group of travelers to Finland this May for a two-week immersion in the Finnish Comprehensive School Curriculum, Content and Language Integrated Learning Method. Students will learn Finnish philosophies in classroom management, lesson planning and project work
Read moreNew Educate Local program transports Special Ed majors to try literacy projects in alternative Chana Education Center
For years, Mary Gardner has required her LTCY 300 students to create theoretical “listening center” projects on paper. Gardner, an instructor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, expects these assignments to propose good nonfiction texts to read aloud to children. She
Read moreAbove and beyond: Ten students earn right to wear Educate and Engage stoles
Ten graduates of the NIU College of Education sported something new when they crossed the stage during the Dec. 15 and 16 commencement ceremonies. Blue stoles emblazoned with the words “Educate” and “Engage” boldly conveyed that the students took full advantage of
Read moreEducate Global travelers leave China with perspective from another’s shoes
Educate Global 2.0 is history. China looms in the rearview mirror. A new semester of learning is underway in DeKalb. But the broadened perspectives Educate Global provided to NIU’s future teachers seem destined to persist in countless and unpredictable ways. Just ask
Read moreEngage Global debuts in Sri Lanka
Days after the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education’s Sri Lankan visitors left the NIU campus in late April, their hosts already were planning to book flights to Asia for August. That trip began Aug. 12 – and included four students who
Read moreEducate U.S. travelers ‘forever changed’ during week in tiny North Dakota school
Caleb Pursell simply wanted a taste of teaching in a rural area. And that’s exactly what he got in the Mandaree School District, located within North Dakota’s Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. The senior Elementary Education major joined three other NIU College of
Read moreEngage U.S. travelers return energized from U.S. Olympic Training Center visit
“Being in the presence of Olympic coaches and athletes was incredible. I even got to the see one of my favorite male gymnasts who has been to the past two Olympic Games! That was definitely a highlight for me. Training in the
Read moreGo East: Educate Global travelers ready for hands-on learning at Beijing Royal
Ten NIU College of Education undergraduates will travel to China this summer for Year Two of Educate Global, scheduled from early July through mid-August. Students will spend six weeks at the Beijing Royal School, where they will teach English to Chinese middle-
Read moreEducate U.S. program to offer unique glimpse of rural teaching inside North Dakota reservation
North Dakota’s Mandaree School District is a three-hour drive from the nearest airport in Bismarck. The closest hotel is at least 20 miles away, if not 30. Shopping for groceries – beyond those for sale at the tiny convenience store in town,
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