Fall 2024 FIREBird and BirdFEEDER Grant Winners Announced

A group of people look at images displayed in an art gallery.

The Office of Student Research (OSR) at Illinois State University announces the winners of the fall 2024 FIREBird and BirdFEEDER research grants. These small grants provide funding to support student research, scholarly inquiry, and innovation at Illinois State.

RSO Spotlight: Meet the Queer Ed Birds 

Five college students holding bowling balls stand in front of the lanes at a bowling alley.

“Be gay, do good” is the unofficial slogan of the Queer Ed Birds, a registered student organization (RSO) for teacher education majors who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.  
According to Dr. Christie Angleton (she/her), Assistant Professor in the School of Teaching and Learning and faculty advisor, this simple yet powerful slogan captures the essence of the organization.

Pekin PDS program cultivates powerful professional learning 

College students sit around two tables in a classroom having discussions

The Professional Development Schools (PDS) program offers student teachers a unique opportunity to experience a full year at one placement. The Pekin PDS site specifically has a 25-year history of welcoming interns into their community and sharing their commitment to professional learning. 

TCH rubber duckies get a ‘bird’s eye’ view of alumni classrooms

Twelve children stand in front of a classroom with four teachers and two red rubber duckies

This fall, 58 red rubber duckies sporting the School of Teaching and Learning’s logo are landing in schools across the country. As part of a social media campaign, titled “TCH Quackademics”, alumni from TCH programs were invited to request a duck for their classrooms. In under a week, the flock was full, and the campaign was underway.