Teaching and Learning
Northern Illinois UniversityGabel 159
DeKalb, IL 60115
Phone: (815) 753-1619
Fax: (815) 753-8594
tlrn@niu.edu
The symposium will highlight benefits and challenges of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of Education for All. As the United States works toward universal access to preschool, there is an opportunity to exchange ideas with international educators about the purpose, value, and challenge of universal access to education. These challenges include enhancing resource capacity, appropriately preparing teachers for a high-demand environment, developing culturally appropriate curriculum, and grassroots organizing for community-based education.
The keynote speaker will be Dorothy Mwangangi of Machakos, Kenya. Ms. Mwangangi was the district director for Early Childhood Education (preprimary) during a time of rapid program expansion. She has trained thousands of teachers and supported the establishment of preprimary programs in scores of communities, from classrooms in large urban schools to programs held under trees in isolated rural areas. She explains to parents who question the wisdom of preprimary education: “I was educated at this age by my grandmother, who told me stories and taught me songs and games. The grandmothers are working now to feed their families. Who will educate the young ones if we don’t have these places for stories, songs, and games?”
The event is being sponsored by both the Department of Teaching and Learning and the School of Family, Consumer, and Nutrition Sciences.