Teaching, at least in the classroom sense, wasn’t Laura Hedin’s intention. She liked the humanities and contemplated a career in creative writing, “but my dad kept telling me I’d never make any money.” Plan B: Her older sister, Teresa, worked as a
Read moreToni Van Laarhoven retires to new paths advocating for adults with special needs
Toni Van Laarhoven’s foremost “why” is named Steffanie. Van Laarhoven’s older sister, who is non-speaking and has severe intellectual disabilities, inspired more than the career of the Distinguished Teaching Professor in the NIU Department of Special and Early Education (SEED). Steffanie also
Read moreCollege of Ed counts four alumni, one student among Golden Apple finalists
Five of the finalists for the prestigious 2021 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching and for Excellence in Leadership claim the NIU College of Education in their pedigrees. NIU alumni Maddi Bodine, Anne McNamara and Virginia Valdez are among the 32
Read morePhoto Gallery: Idea Exchange
The NIU College of Education’s first Idea Exchange stirred curiosity and enthusiasm for innovative and effective practices in teaching among the March 29 participants. Modeled on speed-dating – or speed-networking for professionals – the fast-paced event put faculty, instructors and graduate teaching
Read moreSynch your stopwatches: Idea Exchange set to foster sharing of teaching strategies
Two minutes could change your world – or, at least, your teaching. Participants in the NIU College of Education’s first Idea Exchange, scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, March 29, will have the unique opportunity to share their best practices for
Read moreEducational Studies Colloquium Series to explore impactful teaching practices
Organizers of the Professor Jean W. Pierce Educational Studies Colloquium Series are hoping to expand the audience across campus. Daryl Dugas and Kelly Summers, members of the faculty in the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations, have scheduled faculty from both
Read moreResearchers study wearable technology to help students with anxiety disorders
Anxiety for people of all ages is on the rise in an interconnected, 24/7 world, one where cell phones go everywhere their users go, always on and constantly begging for attention. Research has indicated that up to 28 percent of K-12 students
Read moreCommunity Learning Series sheds light on autism, transition
Parents who attended the College of Education’s Spring 2018 Community Learning Series left with a loud-and-clear message. They must advocate strongly and continuously for their children with autism, especially when those children are in high school or nearing the age of 22
Read moreCommunity Learning Series will explore ‘transitions’ to adulthood for students on autism spectrum
During the first 21 years of their lives, individuals with autism are offered critical support services through their local public schools. By law, those services must include “transition” planning that begins when the students turn 14½, providing nearly seven years of preparation
Read moreGetting to Know You: SEED finds creative way to engage freshmen, transfer students
Angie Lobdell knows her way around schools. When her youngest child was born in 2001, she became a stay-at-home mom. And when that child began kindergarten, she maternally followed. “I decided to work at the school. I got a job as a
Read moreCream, sugar, skills: Café 432 coffee vendors strut their stuff for future special ed teachers
Every Monday and Wednesday, the crew of Somonauk Middle School’s Café 432 Coffee Cart makes the morning rounds, selling hot cups of joe to caffeine-craving faculty and staff. Mondays are for James R. Wood Elementary School. Wednesdays are for their own school,
Read moreThe postcards are in the mail
Even though technology has changed the game in college admissions, that doesn’t mean we’ve abandoned the time-honored method of communicating with future undergraduate students through the U.S. Postal Service. The College of Education’s Student Services embarked on a marketing project this spring
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