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Toni Tollerud to address building confidence, competence for classroom teachers, counselors

October 29, 2012
Toni Tollerud

Toni Tollerud

How do educators help students identify and develop their passion for their professional careers?

Professionals in the field of counseling, counselor education and teaching must nurture this desire to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to be competent educators.

So says Toni Tollerud, a Presidential Teaching Professor in the NIU College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education.

Her seminar, “Transformational Learning: Building Confidence and Competence with Counselors and Educators in the Classroom,” will take place at noon Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center.

Refreshments will be served at 11:30 a.m. The seminar is open to all; no registration is required

Tollerud, who won the PTP in 2008, will draw from her experiences and insight in the classroom to discuss ways she facilitates student learning to promote competence and confidence. This seminar will include a panel of doctoral students who will reflect on how interactions in the classroom contribute to their personal and professional growth.

Her passion for teaching began more than 40 years ago, starting her career as a middle school/high school music and physical education teacher.

‘Say It Out Loud’ logoFor the past 23 years, she has taught courses for the preparation of professional counselors in mental health, career and school settings. She has mentored numerous doctoral students and directed more than 20 dissertations. She has extended her work into the field by consulting and teaching classes for school districts, counseling agencies and state initiatives.

“Teaching energizes me,” Tollerud says. “Students in my classes are there because they want to do a better job as counselors, teachers or administrators, and my goal is to help them be more passionate about what they are doing.

She also has been president of the Illinois Counseling Association, as well as other state associations, and a state coach on social-emotional learning, helping to write the state standards in 2003.

The Nov. 1 presentation is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. For more information, call (815) 753-0595 or email facdev@niu.edu.