This fall, Notre Dame will welcome K-12 educators from all around the country to the 16^th annual Excellence in Teaching Conference. This year’s conference takes place Oct. 9-11, and will focus on the individuality of children.

Professor Dennis Jacobs will be the keynote speaker at this year’s conference. Shortly after joining the faculty at Notre Dame in 1988, Jacobs was named a Sloan research fellow. In 1999, Jacobs was selected as a Carnegie Scholar. In 2002, he was named the U.S. Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Jacobs is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and serves as vice president and associate provost for the University.

His keynote address is titled “Educating the Heart and Mind,” and refers to the quote by Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the order of priests that started Notre Dame: “the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.” Jacobs will focus on his experience with encouraging students to apply their knowledge to confront problems of significance in their communities. Specifically, he will discuss how his students collect and analyze soil, dust, and water samples from South Bend homes where children have become lead poisoned. Guided by the principles of Catholic social tradition and community-based learning, his students apply their laboratory skills to help create a healthier home environment for disadvantaged youth, and work for positive change in an underserved community.

This year’s conference workshops will be presented by Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., an award- winning author and speaker with more than 30 years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level. An experienced speaker, Armstrong’s clients range from Sesame Street to the Republic of Singapore. He will discuss the theory of multiple intelligences, walk participants through a self-assessment, and detail how teachers can constructively identify the multiple intelligences of their students. Seminars offered at the conference will include “Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom” and “Awakening the Genius in Every Child.”

Once again, ND clubs are encouraged to sponsor area teachers to attend the Excellence in Teaching Conference. If you belong to an ND club and would like more information about sponsoring a teacher, visit the conference website to learn more.