The Illinois Association of Teacher Educators will hold its annual fall conference at Eastern for the first time in its 31-year existence.

The conference will be held Nov. 8 and 9 at the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“We are holding the event at Eastern this year because it is one of the premier teaching universities in the state,” said Veronica Stephen, IATE president.

Some of this year’s topics include school law, school violence, parental involvement in the schools, political dynamics in the schools and beginning and ending the school year successfully, Stephen said.

The keynote dinner speaker this year will be Barry Sweeny from Wheaton. He will discuss “Best Practice Resources.” Other speakers include Dennis Williams, of the Illinois Board of Education; Charles Rohn; Judith Briggs; and Nanette Carli, all from Eastern.

Registration is possible through the Eastern Web site and by contacting Stephen through e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 581-7896. The registration fee is $15 for both days, including only lunch, or $28 for registration and all meals.

The deadline to register for the conference is Oct. 1.

“The conference is open to the public, but it is geared toward teachers and pre-service teachers,” Stephen said.

Pre-service teachers are teachers who have completed their bachelor’s degrees and are just waiting for certification, said Mary Greenlaw, past IATE president.

The conference is a great time for current teachers to network on both statewide and national levels, Stephen said. For pre-service or student teachers, it allows them to meet and learn from others in the education field, she said.

“It teaches professionals how to be professionals in the organizational sense,” Greenlaw said.

It also allows them to get familiar with the journal and publication IATE puts out, Stephen said.

The conference also includes a “Bring and Brag” poster session for pre-service teachers to showcase “their teaching strategies and activities,” Greenlaw said.

This session may include an original seating arrangement, an inventive activity or a different teaching style, she said.

Teachers and pre-service teachers who are doing research or are interested in doing research also can sign up to win a mini-grant, Greenlaw said.

The mini-grant is $1,000, split between those selected, Greenlaw said. Last year, the mini-grant was split between five qualified people, she said.

“These conferences allow for professional development as well as improving student teaching standards,” Stephen said.