Archives: Initiatives

The Education department is excited to host our 2023 Young Authors Reception on April 25 and the Festival on April 26th in the Ozinga Chapel.  The festival brings together a children’s author, over 250 elementary school students, thirty or so Education students, and celebrates writing for and by kids.

We are thrilled to announce this year’s author,  Laura Martin. She has several upper elementary adventure novels published by HarperCollins including the Edge of Extinction series, Float, Hoax for Hire, Glitch, Float, The Monster Missions, and Vanishing Act. Her most recent book, Glitch, was shortlisted for the Bluestem award.

But what is most exciting about Laura Martin is that when she was a young elementary school child, she came to Trinity Young Authors Festival. She is our first young author who grew up into an adult author!

We welcome the college community, friends and families to join us at the Young Authors Reception (April 25th at 6:30p) for a wonderful evening, as our author gives a short talk about how to write stories, and then the Trinprov team will turn some of the stories by kids into short hilarious skits.  Reception to follow.

Martin’s books will be available for purchase and to be signed at the reception.

Please contact the Education department with any questions at education@trnty.edu.

Welcome back, Education students. We hope you enjoyed your winter break. The Education Unit has an exciting semester planned and we’re happy to have you back. Please be sure to review all information below and add the important dates to your planners.

We wish you much success this semester and throughout 2023!

-The Education Unit

The 240 Tutoring Gives Back scholarship will award $1,000 to one teacher candidate. All current Education students can apply.

Candidates should apply at https://r1gr.scholarship.app.

You will need to provide:

-If they have taken their certification exams, we want to know how they prepared for the exams. (Essay)

-If they have not taken the exams, we want to know how they intend to prepare. (Essay)

-Proof of enrollment in the field of Education.

To learn more about 240 Tutoring, please visit https://www.240tutoring.com/about/. You can also access their free student resources at https://www.240tutoring.com/resources/.

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Bethsham Association seeks Trinity Students!

Bethsham is offering opportunities to volunteer, intern, and/or work during the Spring semester. Bethshan’s staff, interns, and volunteers provide support to people who have disabilities and come alongside them in ways that help them lead full and meaningful lives.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Spring 2023

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2023 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

Welcome back, Education students. We hope you enjoyed your winter break. The Education Unit has an exciting semester planned and we’re happy to have you back. Please be sure to review all information below and add the important dates to your planners.

We wish you much success this semester and throughout 2023!

-The Education Unit

The 240 Tutoring Gives Back scholarship will award $1,000 to one teacher candidate. All current Education students can apply.

Candidates should apply at https://r1gr.scholarship.app.

You will need to provide:

-If they have taken their certification exams, we want to know how they prepared for the exams. (Essay)

-If they have not taken the exams, we want to know how they intend to prepare. (Essay)

-Proof of enrollment in the field of Education.

To learn more about 240 Tutoring, please visit https://www.240tutoring.com/about/. You can also access their free student resources at https://www.240tutoring.com/resources/.

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Bethsham Association seeks Trinity Students!

Bethsham is offering opportunities to volunteer, intern, and/or work during the Spring semester. Bethshan’s staff, interns, and volunteers provide support to people who have disabilities and come alongside them in ways that help them lead full and meaningful lives.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Spring 2023

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2023 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

Welcome back, Education students. We hope you enjoyed your winter break. The Education Unit has an exciting semester planned and we’re happy to have you back. Please be sure to review all information below and add the important dates to your planners.

We wish you much success this semester and throughout 2023!

-The Education Unit

The 240 Tutoring Gives Back scholarship will award $1,000 to one teacher candidate. All current Education students can apply.

Candidates should apply at https://r1gr.scholarship.app.

You will need to provide:

-If they have taken their certification exams, we want to know how they prepared for the exams. (Essay)

-If they have not taken the exams, we want to know how they intend to prepare. (Essay)

-Proof of enrollment in the field of Education.

To learn more about 240 Tutoring, please visit https://www.240tutoring.com/about/. You can also access their free student resources at https://www.240tutoring.com/resources/.

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Bethsham Association seeks Trinity Students!

Bethsham is offering opportunities to volunteer, intern, and/or work during the Spring semester. Bethshan’s staff, interns, and volunteers provide support to people who have disabilities and come alongside them in ways that help them lead full and meaningful lives.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Spring 2023

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2023 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

Welcome back, Education students. We hope you enjoyed your winter break. The Education Unit has an exciting semester planned and we’re happy to have you back. Please be sure to review all information below and add the important dates to your planners.

We wish you much success this semester and throughout 2023!

-The Education Unit

The 240 Tutoring Gives Back scholarship will award $1,000 to one teacher candidate. All current Education students can apply.

Candidates should apply at https://r1gr.scholarship.app.

You will need to provide:

-If they have taken their certification exams, we want to know how they prepared for the exams. (Essay)

-If they have not taken the exams, we want to know how they intend to prepare. (Essay)

-Proof of enrollment in the field of Education.

To learn more about 240 Tutoring, please visit https://www.240tutoring.com/about/. You can also access their free student resources at https://www.240tutoring.com/resources/.

Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.

Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.

Bethsham Association seeks Trinity Students!

Bethsham is offering opportunities to volunteer, intern, and/or work during the Spring semester. Bethshan’s staff, interns, and volunteers provide support to people who have disabilities and come alongside them in ways that help them lead full and meaningful lives.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Spring 2023

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2023 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception

-Christy Wolf ’10

For more than four decades, Professor John Bakker has been a leader and mentor in Trinity’s art department. From artist to department chair and everything in between, Bakker has seen the art program expand, succeed, and welcome thousands of talented students to grow in their own artistic abilities. What started as a scattering of studio spaces around campus grew into a spacious, creative facility known as the ArCC (Art and Communications Center) – which Bakker was the principle planner of, speaking into the department’s needs.

For years, Bakker’s role included recruiting faculty members. He shares, “My goal in recruiting faculty was to recruit people whose aesthetic commitments were different than mine, and people who I thought were better artists than me. That stance not only stretched my aesthetic, it meant that Trinity art students have studied with consistently superior faculty.”

Graduates from Trinity’s art department have worked with clients like McDonald’s, Crate and Barrel, NASCAR, and the Seattle tram system – to name a few. In the last five years, Bakker’s former students have been accepted into graduate programs at Parsons School of Design (New York City), Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore, MD), The Art Institute of Chicago, Otis College of Art and Design (Los Angeles, CA), and other top-tier art schools.

Bakker always enjoys hearing about what his students are up to – whether he comes across their name in the news or they reach out to him directly. Most recently, best friends Abby Christensen ‘11 and Emily Van Hoff ‘11 shared their good news with Bakker. Christensen recently took the position of Public Arts Collection Associate with the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. “Her previous position moving million dollar works of art was excellent training for her new position,” Bakker shares.

Van Hoff was featured on a local Chicago news station following an artist residency she held at a boutique hotel in downtown Chicago where she created wall hangings, quilt collages, and quilt patches on denim jackets. Check out the full release here.

“When my colleagues and I talk about student success like this, it seems to us that we are getting the job done. It’s very gratifying,” Bakker shares. “In 1982, I set out to make Trinity the obvious choice for students interested in art. We have a small school’s personal attention; no art student at Trinity falls through the cracks. The faculty knows what each of our students needs to get to the next level. Add to that Chicago’s world-class resources that schools ten times our size would envy.”

When Bakker isn’t investing in students, he’s likely working on his own art projects. One recent example is Art on Sedgwick, which uses “innovative art classes and collaborative events to teach creative reflection and expression, engage our diverse neighborhood, and help individuals and our community to connect with the best part of themselves” (Art on Sedgwick website). Bakker is a founding board member and has provided numerous Trinity alums with the opportunity to contribute to the mission through teaching and mentoring.

When you consider Trinity’s proximity to all Chicago has to offer, students and graduates alike have endless opportunities to grow in their artistic career. “Chicago is one the few 15-20 cities worldwide that can support its own art scene: artists, collectors, museums, critics. It’s a rare thing. We are the only Reformed college in a major metropolitan area that has a world-class art scene. It means that Trinity has been able to recruit artists to teach.”

Bakker goes on to say, “In the hallway outside the art offices there is our ‘Wall of Possible Futures.’ It tells the stories of 30 graduates, but there are dozens more, 70, 80+ stories that we could tell. Kaleb Dean ‘14, who came back to run Trinity’s graphic design program for the last five years, characterized our success in getting students into jobs and grad programs as ‘crazy good!’ He’s actually correct. We get the job done.”

As an associate professor in Trinity’s Education Unit, I have the wonderful opportunity to work with students across our undergraduate, adult, and graduate programs. One of my favorite activities is to guide our education graduate students as they engage in research.

Throughout the fall semester, our current master’s students have been working diligently on their thesis research projects. Within the thesis process, students develop a research question that they are interested in exploring, plan the research methodology, and complete the study with the support of faculty advisors. In Spring 2023, students will collect data on their topics, analyze the results, and present their thesis projects. On April 20th, 2023 the graduate students will be presenting their research as a part of our campus-wide OPUS Celebration of Scholarship: https://www.trnty.edu/opus/

This year we have the following projects to share with you!

Britta Slager (master’s student in our Curriculum and Instruction: General program) is interested in exploring educator perceptions of grading practices with a focus on how educators approach missing and incomplete work in the grade book. She will be recruiting participants to complete her brief survey or to engage in an interview on this topic this spring. Look out for a link to participate in an upcoming newsletter.

Nicole Carella (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is conducting a study to examine the efficacy of a staff training model called Behavior Skills Training to teach paraprofessionals how to accurately take data in the classroom setting.

Katherine Johnson (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is examining the impact of a group contingency intervention for elementary students to address student noise levels in the cafeteria.

Alexis Kelley (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is seeking to extend the current research base on the behavioral intervention, the Good Behavior Game, by implementing this in a high school setting.

Sara Saleh (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is addressing the topic of college study skills as she examines the efficacy of a modified version of an intervention to improve terminology fluency entitled: Say All Fast one Minute Each Day Shuffle (SAFMEDS).

Karen O’Connor, PhD, BCBA

Associate Professor of Education

The Education Unit wrapped up our final two professional development sessions of the Fall semester:

Tired Teachers in Trying Times: Ways to Address Exhaustion presented by Dr. Latonia Winston, Director of Learning & Teaching Success on November 16th
and
Creating a Collaborative Relationship with Families presented by Dr. Lyudmyla Ivanyuk, Assistant Professor of Education on December 7th.

These sessions were well received by education professionals and alumni from a variety of partnering school districts.  Please stay tuned as we announce our Spring Professional Development Series session dates.

Meet class of 2021 Trinity Education alum, Moira Garvey. Moira has spent the last year and a half employed at Lincoln-Way East High School as a Special Services teacher. This year she has had the opportunity of teaching a vocational class to a small self-contained group of students. Part of her curriculum is getting out and exploring the community. With that, she decided to take her students on a trip to Trinity to see what options they can pursue after they graduate high school. Leah Wideman, Assistant Director of Alumni and Family Engagement, and fellow ’21 alumnus, provided Moira and her class an amazing tour and her students enjoyed and benefitted from the experience!

“To current and future education students at Trinity, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try new things. Get as creative as you can with your lessons and seek all opportunities to provide your students with real world experiences.”               – Moira Garvey

Student Teaching with Chicago Semester

Will you be student teaching in fall 2023 or spring 2024?  Have you considered student teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) like Healy Elementary or Senn High school, or a private Christian school like Daystar Academy?

These options and many more are available through Trinity’s Chicago Semester program.  If you choose to student teach in CPS you will automatically be invited to participate in professional development opportunities, attend job fairs, and be updated about job openings in the district. As a Chicago Semester student you will live in an apartment in the Gold Coast neighborhood, student teach in the city, and enjoy the experiential city learning and arts events that Chicago Semester is known for. You might even qualify to receive a City Fellows stipend!

For fall 2023 or spring 2024 student teachers, you must first complete the Trinity Application for Off-Campus Study which is due by February 1.  Return it to Maria Hodapp, Director of Off-Campus Programs: maria.hodapp@trnty.edu

If you have another year or two before student teaching, just tuck this idea away for now, and keep in touch with Maria Hodapp next year, or with any questions that you have in the meantime.

To learn more, visit Chicago Semester.

Mokena Junior High School – Long-Term Substitute Teacher 6th Grade ELA

Mokena Junior High has an immediate opening for a 6th grade teacher, with ELA endorsement.

If interested in learning more or applying, please visit: https://mokena159.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=387

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School – Temporary teaching position (Math)

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School has an immediate opening for a temporary (Math) teaching position.

To learn more or to apply, please send your resume to Sean McNichols at smcnichols@d123.org.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Jan 4: Adult Program Orientation

Jan 9: Spring 2023 Student Teaching Orientation

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2022 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Education Commissioning & Celebration (new date)

As an associate professor in Trinity’s Education Unit, I have the wonderful opportunity to work with students across our undergraduate, adult, and graduate programs. One of my favorite activities is to guide our education graduate students as they engage in research.

Throughout the fall semester, our current master’s students have been working diligently on their thesis research projects. Within the thesis process, students develop a research question that they are interested in exploring, plan the research methodology, and complete the study with the support of faculty advisors. In Spring 2023, students will collect data on their topics, analyze the results, and present their thesis projects. On April 20th, 2023 the graduate students will be presenting their research as a part of our campus-wide OPUS Celebration of Scholarship: https://www.trnty.edu/opus/

This year we have the following projects to share with you!

Britta Slager (master’s student in our Curriculum and Instruction: General program) is interested in exploring educator perceptions of grading practices with a focus on how educators approach missing and incomplete work in the grade book. She will be recruiting participants to complete her brief survey or to engage in an interview on this topic this spring. Look out for a link to participate in an upcoming newsletter.

Nicole Carella (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is conducting a study to examine the efficacy of a staff training model called Behavior Skills Training to teach paraprofessionals how to accurately take data in the classroom setting.

Katherine Johnson (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is examining the impact of a group contingency intervention for elementary students to address student noise levels in the cafeteria.

Alexis Kelley (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is seeking to extend the current research base on the behavioral intervention, the Good Behavior Game, by implementing this in a high school setting.

Sara Saleh (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is addressing the topic of college study skills as she examines the efficacy of a modified version of an intervention to improve terminology fluency entitled: Say All Fast one Minute Each Day Shuffle (SAFMEDS).

Karen O’Connor, PhD, BCBA

Associate Professor of Education

The Education Unit wrapped up our final two professional development sessions of the Fall semester:

Tired Teachers in Trying Times: Ways to Address Exhaustion presented by Dr. Latonia Winston, Director of Learning & Teaching Success on November 16th
and
Creating a Collaborative Relationship with Families presented by Dr. Lyudmyla Ivanyuk, Assistant Professor of Education on December 7th.

These sessions were well received by education professionals and alumni from a variety of partnering school districts.  Please stay tuned as we announce our Spring Professional Development Series session dates.

Meet class of 2021 Trinity Education alum, Moira Garvey. Moira has spent the last year and a half employed at Lincoln-Way East High School as a Special Services teacher. This year she has had the opportunity of teaching a vocational class to a small self-contained group of students. Part of her curriculum is getting out and exploring the community. With that, she decided to take her students on a trip to Trinity to see what options they can pursue after they graduate high school. Leah Wideman, Assistant Director of Alumni and Family Engagement, and fellow ’21 alumnus, provided Moira and her class an amazing tour and her students enjoyed and benefitted from the experience!

“To current and future education students at Trinity, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try new things. Get as creative as you can with your lessons and seek all opportunities to provide your students with real world experiences.”               – Moira Garvey

Student Teaching with Chicago Semester

Will you be student teaching in fall 2023 or spring 2024?  Have you considered student teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) like Healy Elementary or Senn High school, or a private Christian school like Daystar Academy?

These options and many more are available through Trinity’s Chicago Semester program.  If you choose to student teach in CPS you will automatically be invited to participate in professional development opportunities, attend job fairs, and be updated about job openings in the district. As a Chicago Semester student you will live in an apartment in the Gold Coast neighborhood, student teach in the city, and enjoy the experiential city learning and arts events that Chicago Semester is known for. You might even qualify to receive a City Fellows stipend!

For fall 2023 or spring 2024 student teachers, you must first complete the Trinity Application for Off-Campus Study which is due by February 1.  Return it to Maria Hodapp, Director of Off-Campus Programs: maria.hodapp@trnty.edu

If you have another year or two before student teaching, just tuck this idea away for now, and keep in touch with Maria Hodapp next year, or with any questions that you have in the meantime.

To learn more, visit Chicago Semester.

Mokena Junior High School – Long-Term Substitute Teacher 6th Grade ELA

Mokena Junior High has an immediate opening for a 6th grade teacher, with ELA endorsement.

If interested in learning more or applying, please visit: https://mokena159.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=387

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School – Temporary teaching position (Math)

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School has an immediate opening for a temporary (Math) teaching position.

To learn more or to apply, please send your resume to Sean McNichols at smcnichols@d123.org.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Jan 4: Adult Program Orientation

Jan 9: Spring 2023 Student Teaching Orientation

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2022 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Education Commissioning & Celebration (new date)

As an associate professor in Trinity’s Education Unit, I have the wonderful opportunity to work with students across our undergraduate, adult, and graduate programs. One of my favorite activities is to guide our education graduate students as they engage in research.

Throughout the fall semester, our current master’s students have been working diligently on their thesis research projects. Within the thesis process, students develop a research question that they are interested in exploring, plan the research methodology, and complete the study with the support of faculty advisors. In Spring 2023, students will collect data on their topics, analyze the results, and present their thesis projects. On April 20th, 2023 the graduate students will be presenting their research as a part of our campus-wide OPUS Celebration of Scholarship: https://www.trnty.edu/opus/

This year we have the following projects to share with you!

Britta Slager (master’s student in our Curriculum and Instruction: General program) is interested in exploring educator perceptions of grading practices with a focus on how educators approach missing and incomplete work in the grade book. She will be recruiting participants to complete her brief survey or to engage in an interview on this topic this spring. Look out for a link to participate in an upcoming newsletter.

Nicole Carella (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is conducting a study to examine the efficacy of a staff training model called Behavior Skills Training to teach paraprofessionals how to accurately take data in the classroom setting.

Katherine Johnson (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is examining the impact of a group contingency intervention for elementary students to address student noise levels in the cafeteria.

Alexis Kelley (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is seeking to extend the current research base on the behavioral intervention, the Good Behavior Game, by implementing this in a high school setting.

Sara Saleh (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is addressing the topic of college study skills as she examines the efficacy of a modified version of an intervention to improve terminology fluency entitled: Say All Fast one Minute Each Day Shuffle (SAFMEDS).

Karen O’Connor, PhD, BCBA

Associate Professor of Education

The Education Unit wrapped up our final two professional development sessions of the Fall semester:

Tired Teachers in Trying Times: Ways to Address Exhaustion presented by Dr. Latonia Winston, Director of Learning & Teaching Success on November 16th
and
Creating a Collaborative Relationship with Families presented by Dr. Lyudmyla Ivanyuk, Assistant Professor of Education on December 7th.

These sessions were well received by education professionals and alumni from a variety of partnering school districts.  Please stay tuned as we announce our Spring Professional Development Series session dates.

Meet class of 2021 Trinity Education alum, Moira Garvey. Moira has spent the last year and a half employed at Lincoln-Way East High School as a Special Services teacher. This year she has had the opportunity of teaching a vocational class to a small self-contained group of students. Part of her curriculum is getting out and exploring the community. With that, she decided to take her students on a trip to Trinity to see what options they can pursue after they graduate high school. Leah Wideman, Assistant Director of Alumni and Family Engagement, and fellow ’21 alumnus, provided Moira and her class an amazing tour and her students enjoyed and benefitted from the experience!

“To current and future education students at Trinity, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try new things. Get as creative as you can with your lessons and seek all opportunities to provide your students with real world experiences.”               – Moira Garvey

Student Teaching with Chicago Semester

Will you be student teaching in fall 2023 or spring 2024?  Have you considered student teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) like Healy Elementary or Senn High school, or a private Christian school like Daystar Academy?

These options and many more are available through Trinity’s Chicago Semester program.  If you choose to student teach in CPS you will automatically be invited to participate in professional development opportunities, attend job fairs, and be updated about job openings in the district. As a Chicago Semester student you will live in an apartment in the Gold Coast neighborhood, student teach in the city, and enjoy the experiential city learning and arts events that Chicago Semester is known for. You might even qualify to receive a City Fellows stipend!

For fall 2023 or spring 2024 student teachers, you must first complete the Trinity Application for Off-Campus Study which is due by February 1.  Return it to Maria Hodapp, Director of Off-Campus Programs: maria.hodapp@trnty.edu

If you have another year or two before student teaching, just tuck this idea away for now, and keep in touch with Maria Hodapp next year, or with any questions that you have in the meantime.

To learn more, visit Chicago Semester.

Mokena Junior High School – Long-Term Substitute Teacher 6th Grade ELA

Mokena Junior High has an immediate opening for a 6th grade teacher, with ELA endorsement.

If interested in learning more or applying, please visit: https://mokena159.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=387

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School – Temporary teaching position (Math)

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School has an immediate opening for a temporary (Math) teaching position.

To learn more or to apply, please send your resume to Sean McNichols at smcnichols@d123.org.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Jan 4: Adult Program Orientation

Jan 9: Spring 2023 Student Teaching Orientation

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2022 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Education Commissioning & Celebration (new date)

As an associate professor in Trinity’s Education Unit, I have the wonderful opportunity to work with students across our undergraduate, adult, and graduate programs. One of my favorite activities is to guide our education graduate students as they engage in research.

Throughout the fall semester, our current master’s students have been working diligently on their thesis research projects. Within the thesis process, students develop a research question that they are interested in exploring, plan the research methodology, and complete the study with the support of faculty advisors. In Spring 2023, students will collect data on their topics, analyze the results, and present their thesis projects. On April 20th, 2023 the graduate students will be presenting their research as a part of our campus-wide OPUS Celebration of Scholarship: https://www.trnty.edu/opus/

This year we have the following projects to share with you!

Britta Slager (master’s student in our Curriculum and Instruction: General program) is interested in exploring educator perceptions of grading practices with a focus on how educators approach missing and incomplete work in the grade book. She will be recruiting participants to complete her brief survey or to engage in an interview on this topic this spring. Look out for a link to participate in an upcoming newsletter.

Nicole Carella (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is conducting a study to examine the efficacy of a staff training model called Behavior Skills Training to teach paraprofessionals how to accurately take data in the classroom setting.

Katherine Johnson (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is examining the impact of a group contingency intervention for elementary students to address student noise levels in the cafeteria.

Alexis Kelley (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is seeking to extend the current research base on the behavioral intervention, the Good Behavior Game, by implementing this in a high school setting.

Sara Saleh (master’s student in our Behavior Intervention Specialist program) is addressing the topic of college study skills as she examines the efficacy of a modified version of an intervention to improve terminology fluency entitled: Say All Fast one Minute Each Day Shuffle (SAFMEDS).

Karen O’Connor, PhD, BCBA

Associate Professor of Education

The Education Unit wrapped up our final two professional development sessions of the Fall semester:

Tired Teachers in Trying Times: Ways to Address Exhaustion presented by Dr. Latonia Winston, Director of Learning & Teaching Success on November 16th
and
Creating a Collaborative Relationship with Families presented by Dr. Lyudmyla Ivanyuk, Assistant Professor of Education on December 7th.

These sessions were well received by education professionals and alumni from a variety of partnering school districts.  Please stay tuned as we announce our Spring Professional Development Series session dates.

Meet class of 2021 Trinity Education alum, Moira Garvey. Moira has spent the last year and a half employed at Lincoln-Way East High School as a Special Services teacher. This year she has had the opportunity of teaching a vocational class to a small self-contained group of students. Part of her curriculum is getting out and exploring the community. With that, she decided to take her students on a trip to Trinity to see what options they can pursue after they graduate high school. Leah Wideman, Assistant Director of Alumni and Family Engagement, and fellow ’21 alumnus, provided Moira and her class an amazing tour and her students enjoyed and benefitted from the experience!

“To current and future education students at Trinity, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try new things. Get as creative as you can with your lessons and seek all opportunities to provide your students with real world experiences.”               – Moira Garvey

Student Teaching with Chicago Semester

Will you be student teaching in fall 2023 or spring 2024?  Have you considered student teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) like Healy Elementary or Senn High school, or a private Christian school like Daystar Academy?

These options and many more are available through Trinity’s Chicago Semester program.  If you choose to student teach in CPS you will automatically be invited to participate in professional development opportunities, attend job fairs, and be updated about job openings in the district. As a Chicago Semester student you will live in an apartment in the Gold Coast neighborhood, student teach in the city, and enjoy the experiential city learning and arts events that Chicago Semester is known for. You might even qualify to receive a City Fellows stipend!

For fall 2023 or spring 2024 student teachers, you must first complete the Trinity Application for Off-Campus Study which is due by February 1.  Return it to Maria Hodapp, Director of Off-Campus Programs: maria.hodapp@trnty.edu

If you have another year or two before student teaching, just tuck this idea away for now, and keep in touch with Maria Hodapp next year, or with any questions that you have in the meantime.

To learn more, visit Chicago Semester.

Mokena Junior High School – Long-Term Substitute Teacher 6th Grade ELA

Mokena Junior High has an immediate opening for a 6th grade teacher, with ELA endorsement.

If interested in learning more or applying, please visit: https://mokena159.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=387

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School – Temporary teaching position (Math)

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School has an immediate opening for a temporary (Math) teaching position.

To learn more or to apply, please send your resume to Sean McNichols at smcnichols@d123.org.

If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.

We’d love to hear from you.

Jan 4: Adult Program Orientation

Jan 9: Spring 2023 Student Teaching Orientation

Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2022 Connections Education Event

Apr 25: Young Authors Reception

Apr 26: Young Authors Festival

May 1: Education Commissioning & Celebration (new date)