About

The programs in the Elementary Education Department are designed to prepare thoughtful, knowledgeable, and effective educators for a diverse society. We encourage our students to solve problems, make good decisions, and show respect.

Impact

Your gift to the Elementary Education Department will help fund travel to conferences, international exchanges, professional trainings, and other kinds of professional development for our students. 

Past Professional Development 

NW Council for Computer Education

Graduate teaching assistants Lindsay Little and Sarah Dorfler, who teach Instructional Technology courses for the Elementary Department, attended the 2020 Northwest Council for Computer Education conference in Seattle. 

"The conference continues to impact the way I think about teaching and learning. I can’t wait to graduate and incorporate what I learned into my classroom, and I’m sharing it all with my undergraduates students and classmates in my cohort. I am so grateful I got to attend, and I hope I can continue to do so when I get my teaching certificate."

                  -- Lindsay Little, Instructional Technology TA 

Partnerships With Southwest University 

Elementary Education sent a group of Early Childhood Education (ECE) students, faculty, and preschool teachers to Southwest University (SWU) in Chongqing, China in December 2017. The non-credit global exchange was part of a larger partnership with SWU. Two of the ECE students on the trip had acted as cultural ambassadors for a group of SWU students and faculty who visited Western's campus the previous summer.

Sweden Trip

Students who went on the trip learned about how another country supports refugee- and immigrant-students in the K-12 school system. They visited several schools and met with school, district, and regional education leaders. They were able also able to teach and participate in some high school classes.  The students learned about the Sami people--their history, customs, and relationships with the Swedish government. They also studied Swedish history, the Swedish language, and Swedish customs.  

Project GLAD Training

In 2017 Elementary Education faculty and student interns had the opportunity to participate in a OCDE Project Glad training. 

OCDE Project Glad is a professional training for teachers working with bilingual learners. It provides teachers with strategies to help all students, including native English speakers, develop their academic English skills in an environment that is considerate of students' native languages and cultures. 

Trainer, Dawn Christiana, coaches training participants while they observe Trainer, and Elementary Department Faculty member, Dr. Marsha Riddle Buly teaching students using GLAD strategies.

Second grade teachers and their Western student interns discussing GLAD strategies.