Cindie Cortinas-Vogt arrived late to the college game. She was 22, maybe, and all of her friends from high school already had graduated. While they all had apparently felt certain enough to enroll and select their majors as teenagers, Cortinas-Vogt had not.
Read moreNIU celebrates fall commencement
Congratulations to our newest NIU College of Education alumni! Two of our amazing graduates were featured a videos shown during the ceremonies. Meet Brooke Valentine, who earned her B.S.Ed. in Physical Education … … and Funmilayo “Funmi” Adeyemo, who earned her
Read moreSoon-to-graduate P.E. majors participate in mock job interviews with employers
Forty future P.E. teachers are out in the schools this fall gaining the hands-on experience to excel in their careers after they graduate next month. Jim Ressler is making sure they’re also ready to secure those careers. Ressler, professor of Physical Education
Read morePaul Wright co-edits book on research, evaluation of P.E., sport pedagogy topics
Paul Wright, an NIU Board of Trustees Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, is celebrating the recent publication of “Qualitative Research and Evaluation in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy.” Published by Jones & Bartlett Learning in conjunction with SHAPE
Read moreA life in ‘the middle’: Jenny Parker ready to travel, enjoy family time in retirement
Jenny Parker was teaching and coaching at Cheltenham Ladies’ College in the United Kingdom when she found something intriguing in her mail. “My mother sent me an ad from the local paper for an International Rotary Foundation scholarship. I don’t think she
Read moreLook them in the eye: P.E. majors gain valuable insight in interviewing for jobs
Earning a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education is only the first step. Standing between Anderson Hall and each K-12 gymnasium is a successful job interview. But future teachers in Jim Ressler’s classes have a leg up on their competition. Ressler, professor in
Read moreGoggles on, paddles in hand: NIU serves as pilot ‘metaversity’ to test VR teaching
Since joining the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education faculty in 2015, Zach Wahl-Alexander has taught in plenty of Anderson Hall spaces. None is remotely like where his KNPE 343 class is meeting this fall. Wahl-Alexander accepted the university’s invitation to teach
Read moreKNPE students enact Sport Ed model with Barb City STEAM Team children
Future teachers in KNPE 368: Sport Education typically practice their instructional ability on each other. Not this semester. Paul Wright, the EC Lane and MN Zimmerman Endowed Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, has partnered with NIU STEAM to
Read moreSHAPE America names Paul Wright chair of Research Council for 2022-23
Paul Wright is the new chair of the Research Council for SHAPE America. Wright, the EC Lane and MN Zimmerman Endowed Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, will lead the organization’s efforts during the next year to encourage and
Read moreDancing Queen: P.E. alumna Kelly Zerby thrives as teacher, colleague, advocate
Young Sullivan Zerby could barely contain his excitement. The 15-year-old Huntley High School freshman was in kindergarten then, his mother remembers, and had come home with news about something amazing that happened in his P.E. class that day. “Sully says, ‘Mom, we
Read moreLicensure candidates observe, practice pedagogy at P.E. Leadership Summits
Like many who enter the exercise field, Jordyn McFarlane was a three-sport athlete in high school. The St. Charles North graduate who’d played golf, hockey and lacrosse went on to play lacrosse at North Central College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree
Read moreKNPE students, faculty, alums converge for advocacy, networking at conference
One year after COVID canceled the annual conference of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD), members were more than eager to gather again Dec. 2 and 3. That includes students and faculty from the NIU Department of
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