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Thousands of teachers from the Garden State know that the annual New Jersey Education Association Convention is much more than a chance to walk the rows and rows of booths on the floor of the Atlantic City Convention Center to accumulate sundry logo-embossed tchotchkes like tote bags and rulers.

The NJEA Convention also represents an opportunity to attend workshops detailing the exciting, yet challenging, commitment to engage today’s learners effectively, and Rider’s School of Education wants to be the professional mentor for today’s teacher.

Rider faculty and alumni will provide unique professional development opportunities on November 4 and 5 at the Rider booth, Nos. 1208 and 1210, on the convention center floor in Atlantic City. These sessions will focus on such topics as Response to Intervention, Connecting Student Achievement to Teacher Performance, Early Childhood and Special Education, and lesson planning with today's most innovative technology tools including SMART Board and Web 2.0. The Convention Center is located at 2 Miss America Way in Atlantic City.

“Our faculty are among the finest educators and instructors in New Jersey. What we are doing is giving teachers the tools and the forum to further develop their skills and collaborate with their colleagues in the areas that affect their practice,” said Dr. Sharon Sherman, dean of Rider’s School of Education.

Sherman added that these areas include the acquisition of deep content knowledge, rich database decision-making strategies, a blueprint for student-learning strategies and a conduit to embed technology use into their classrooms.

Rider’s interactive NJEA booth will also feature alumni/faculty meet-and-greets and information on the new С����Ƶ technology certificate, distance learning opportunities and information about graduate programs individually tailored to today’s educators. Educators will have the opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) by attending these professional development sessions. 

Members from the newly formed Teacher Leadership Community, a С����Ƶ educator and alumni collaboration, will also be available to speak with teachers about the Summer Institute for 21st Century Teachers. Based on Rider’s Lawrenceville campus, this year’s Summer Institute will begin June 28 and 29 and run throughout the summer.

The Summer Institute for 21st Century Teachers will once again incorporate interactive sessions that implement state and national standards through graduate courses and workshops, facilitated by Rider faculty and partnering teachers. Topics include embedding technology, building interdisciplinary connections and infusing global perspectives in the classroom. 

“I think that teacher professional development programs are among the most vitally important parts of education,” said Damian Bariexca ’08, a special services school psychologist at North Hunterdon High School, who will present a workshop on Friday, November 5. “It’s where higher education, P-12 ed, theory, and practice all come together, and can mean the difference between preparing innovative, reflective professionals for a career in education and simply graduating education majors, 50 percent of whom will leave the profession within five years.”

The С����Ƶ School of Education provides opportunities for lifelong learning through courses and workshops geared toward today’s teacher.  For more information on the Rider School of Education NJEA Booth and schedule of workshops visit .