Teacher of the Year to Participate in CSUN Conference

Rebecca Mieliwocki ’96 (Teaching Credential), 2012 National Teacher of the Year.

Rebecca Mieliwocki ’96 (Teaching Credential), 2012 National Teacher of the Year.

Rebecca Mieliwocki ’96 (Teaching Credential), 2012 National Teacher of the Year, returns to California State University, Northridge for the “What Really Works in Education” conference on March 22 to offer insight on effective strategies in teaching at the school, administrative and parenting levels.

CSUN’s Center for Teaching and Learning in the Michael D. Eisner College of Education will host the conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the University Student Union’s Northridge Center. The conference, which will include a variety of strategy workshops and talks with experts in the field, aims to provide new strategies and tools for all who are involved in education.

“We want people to walk away knowing what really works and to use what they learned in their classrooms and homes immediately,” said Wendy Murawski, Eisner Endowed Chair of the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Mieliwocki, who was presented her National Teacher of the Year honor by President Barack Obama in April of last year, will give the keynote address at the conference. The conference will be composed of sessions on topics including early childhood, behavioral development, social skills, parenting tips, homework and classroom strategies, curriculum development and instruction tips.

Other presenters include Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus from the University of Southern California and expert on second language acquisition and English language development and national experts who will be Skyped in for sessions.

Extending the idea of learning beyond the classroom walls, presenters from the Autry Museum, the Skirball Cultural Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Getty Museum will cover such topics as teaching history with hands-on supplements, the utilization of visual arts when teaching language arts skills and methods of incorporating storytelling into course curriculum.

“This conference has been a dream of ours since the center was created

10 years ago,” said Richard Goldman, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Our work in professional development through the collaboration between local K–12 schools and university faculty has lead to this milestone event.”

The conference is geared toward those in education who wish to share and expand their “tricks of the trade,” as well as to students going into teaching and to parents. Registration for the full-day event, including breakfast and lunch, is $90. CSUN students, CTL partnership schools and groups of five or more can register for $60 per participant. Register for the event online by March 15. http://www.csun.edu/ctl/conference-registration.html

The CTL event is being co-sponsored by the University Student Union and local businesses. Vendor and exhibitor booths, advertisement space and other sponsorship opportunities are available for purchase.

For more information, visit the website or call the Center for Teaching and Learning at (818) 677-7494.

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