Bradley PDS Partnership Spring Celebration

04/30/2013 11:10 AM

On Thursday, April 18, 2013 more than 175 people attended the Bradley Professional Development Schools Partnership Spring Celebration in Westlake Hall’s atrium and Owens Professional Development Center.

The event, funded by the William T. Kemper Foundation-Commerce Bank, Trustee and Bradley’s College of Education and Health Sciences, featured 18 interactive poster sessions and 20 roundtable discussions about recent PDS projects and compelling educational topics. The event provided an opportunity for pre-professionals, practitioners and professors to engage in lifelong learning and leadership on behalf of P-12 students. In all, 19 practicing teachers and administrators, five Bradley graduate students, two Bradley nursing students, 24 Bradley pre-service teachers, nine Bradley novice teachers, five Bradley student teachers and 16 Bradley faculty members presented at the event.

Reflecting on the experience, 95 percent of participants reported that they learned something new about teaching and learning and 85 percent learned something they can use in their classrooms. Moreover, nearly 90 percent had an opportunity to network with other professionals, and nearly 70 percent would like to present at a future Spring Celebration.

Ashley Horton, an elementary education major currently completing her novice teaching, stated, “Not only was this a great opportunity to network with different professionals, it was also a time to share experiences and hear advice and opinions from beginning and experienced educators.” Adele Wheeler, a graduate of Bradley’s STEM Education master’s program who co-presented a roundtable discussion at the event, commented, “The Spring Celebration was very well organized, informative, and fun. Thank you for an engaging opportunity to connect with others in education.”

The mission of the Bradley PDS Partnership is to promote academic and professional development for P-12 students, pre-professionals, practitioners, and professors. For more information, visit the Bradley PDS Partnership website.