Illinois State University’s Associate Dean for Accreditation & Operations Tamra Davis Connor and Assistant Professor of Accounting Madeline Trimble recently presented a workshop on Fun and Games: Teaching Career Skills Through Play at the 59th annual fall conference of the Illinois Business Education Association (IBEA): Adding Cultural Fluency to Your Briefcase. Over 100 business educators and other professionals from middle schools, high schools, community colleges, universities, and businesses across the state and beyond attended the annual event held virtually on November 4-5, where sessions were held to increase the knowledge and skills of school and district leaders and teachers.

Connor and Trimble introduced the participants to a variety of activities that can be used to build excitement in the classroom. Attendees were especially impressed by the two presenters’ knowledge and enthusiasm.

In addition to Connor and Trimble’s workshop, the two-day conference featured 5 attention-grabbing Spotlight speakers, 29 additional breakout sessions, a number of hands-on opportunities for earning industry certifications, teacher round tables, an award ceremony, and more. Educators are able to earn Professional Development hours as they deepened their content knowledge and learned research-backed instructional strategies for enhancing student learning.

IBEA is a professional organization whose members represent educational institutions throughout Illinois. Since its formation in the mid-1930s, IBEA (originally known as Illinois Commercial Education Association) has promoted the study, development, and teaching of business and vocational education in all educational and business settings. Members meet at annual conferences to share information, to support research efforts, and to promote the practice and teaching of all areas of business, technology, and vocational education. The cooperative and engaging atmosphere also provides opportunities to share applied, theoretical, and strategic ideas. For further information about the IBEA, visit www.ibea.org.