This summer ACI’s Center, under the auspices of the Diversity at the Blackboard initiative, will be sponsoring two summer academies oriented to teacher education. These academies, developed specifically for rising high school juniors and seniors, are week-long events designed to give young people an opportunity to explore teaching both the profession and the contemporary issues facing public education. These two residential camps are open to students throughout Illinois and are free of charge to students who are seriously considering teaching as a professional career.  The 2008 Diversity at the Blackboard Summer Academies will be held at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest and at the University of St. Francis in Joliet.

The academy at Lake Forest College, July 6-12, will explore images of teaching and learning in movies. Students will examine movies and other texts to explore teaching roles and student responsibilities in learning.  As a capstone undertaking students will create a final multimedia project exploring the question, “Why Do I Want to Teach?”  The second academy, hosted by the University of St. Francis, will be held July 27- August 1 in Joliet. This academy will provide students with an opportunity to explore teaching as a profession, delve into issues in the teaching profession, present basic elements of the educational system, and provide an opportunity for a hands-on teaching experience.  Participants who successfully complete the Summer Academy at University of St. Francis will earn one college credit.

This is the second year that ACI has sponsored academies geared specifically to exploration of the teaching profession, the first being the 2007 summer academy at the University of St. Francis which attracted 42 students from across the state.  Exit interviews showed that student interest and knowledge in teaching increased and these students were more likely to pursue teaching after graduation than they were before participating in the program.  For more information regarding the 2008 summer academies please contact Charles Mininger (tel. 312-516-2577).