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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (April 5, 2005) — Local childcare educators will learn creative teaching methods at an upcoming conference entitled, “School Age Rocks!” The April 9 conference at Milligan College will emphasize how to make after-school programs both educational and fun, using non-traditional styles of education, such as music, games, art and drama.
Designed for directors and supervisors of after-school programs in the area, which provide supervision and enrichment for children in the hours before and after school, the Northeast Tennessee School Age Child Care Conference (NETSACC) will be hosted by Milligan College’s Teacher Education program.
“Milligan is hosting the NETSACC conference because of its commitment to supporting after-school programs in the area. After-school programs are very important and closely related to our early childhood and elementary education missions,” said Dr. Beverly Schmalzried, area chair and professor of education.
Schmalzried directed more than 140 after school programs in her previous assignment with the United States Air Force. Under her guidance, the Air Force’s early childhood education programs were designated as a “model for the nation” by the United States Congress and the National Women’s Law Center. She also set the standard for the Department of Defense by requiring and helping all Air Force school-age programs to achieve national accreditation.
Dr. Billye Joyce Fine, director of teacher education and assistant professor of early childhood education at Milligan, will be one of the featured presenters at the conference. She taught in the Florida public school system for nine years and was a principal for 31 years prior to her tenure at Milligan College. She has published numerous articles and manuals concerning education and society and has authored a book titled, “Teachers Are Made, Not Born.”
Dr. Norma J. Morrison, professor of education at Milligan College, will join with several Milligan graduate students to present a workshop on the “Reggio Approach” to learning. The “Reggio Approach,” founded in the Northern Italian town of Reggio Emilia, is often called “the education based on relationships.” It focuses strongly on projects, the fine arts and the child’s relationships with those whom he or she interacts with.
Milligan offers undergraduate teacher education programs in early childhood, middle grades, secondary and select K-12 specialty fields, such as music, theatre and physical education. The college also offers a Master of Education program at both the initial licensure and advanced levels.
For more information on the NETSACC Conference or the education program at Milligan College, call 423.461.8745.