April 25, 2011

Teacher Education Program is topic of roundtable

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Educators from around the region will gather for the Southern Illinois University Carbondale 2011 Teacher/Administrator Roundtable on Friday, April 29.

The roundtable begins at 1 p.m. at the Carbondale Elementary School District 95 administrative center. It brings together teachers and administrators from the area schools that partner with the University, along with SIUC program faculty in those same areas of study, to discuss the effectiveness of the SIUC Teacher Education Program, according to Jan Waggoner, associate dean for teacher education. Cooperating teachers who currently host teacher candidates in their classrooms will meet with faculty and center coordinators to exchange information about classes, methods, field experiences, procedures and general student issues.

The goal is increasing communication and acquiring recommendations to help the SIUC Teacher Education Program continue to be responsive to the needs of the host schools and their students.

Likewise, school administrators will meet with Kenneth Teitelbaum, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, and Andrea Evans, chair of the educational administration and higher education department, regarding issues relevant to them with regard to the preparation of school professionals at all levels.

Waggoner said about three dozen cooperating teachers who currently have student teachers, along with 16 local school administrators, will meet with faculty from more than a dozen SIUC undergraduate majors, all sharing ideas and information to assure the SIUC program continues to use the best practices in preparing teacher candidates for their careers.