Date: December 16, 2005
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, December 16, 2005 – On Monday, December 19, at 2:30 p.m., Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) will visit Governors State University to dedicate the Adventure of the American Mind Training Academy facility unit and celebrate the success of this two year old program at GSU.
With the support of Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) to secure funding, Governors State is one of only 26 universities in the nation to participate in the Adventure of the American Mind (AAM) program. The project, funded through the Library of Congress, is designed to train classroom teachers and college teacher education faculty members to access, use and produce curriculum utilizing the internet and the digitized primary source materials available from the collection of the Library of Congress.
Since the programs inception three years ago, 500 teachers have attended AAM workshops and 120 have completed extensive training. Each participating teacher in the in-depth course receives a laptop computer and digital camera, which they retain after completing the program, to help in their studies and classrooms. The teachers are responsible for producing a lesson plan using Library of Congress primary sources, available on-line for other teachers to access. Lesson plans are created for all grade levels in various subjects and on a variety of topics ranging from the Civil War to the double helix and from barnyard animals to baseball.
“We are very excited to have Senator Durbin come to the dedication. He has been instrumental in the creation of this Academy,” said Dr. Sondra Estep, director of the program at Governors State University. “Through the Adventure of the American Mind program, we are able to train many great teachers to use this exciting method of accessing information and share it with their students.”
Governors State University President Stuart Fagan said, “The Adventure of the American Mind program fits into the mission of the university to reach out to the community and to offer both innovative ways to learn and teach.”
Ceremonies dedicating the Adventure of the American Mind Training Academy will be held in room D34011 on the main campus of Governors State University. The room is specially equipped for AAM study with wireless access, electric and network connections, projection and production equipment, electric screen and special lighting.
For more information, please contact the Office of Public Affairs, 708.535.7090.
