Students, faculty member present at state social studies conferences

Northwest Missouri State University undergraduate students and a faculty member representing the School of Education recently presented at annual social studies conferences in Missouri and Kansas.

Megan Trussell, a junior elementary education major from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Alyssa Wright, a junior elementary education major from Kansas City, Missouri, presented at the Missouri Council for the Social Studies conference in Springfield; Jenna Stallo, a senior elementary education major from Kansas City, Missouri, presented at the Kansas Council for the Social Studies at Wichita State University.

The students presented at the conferences in February with Dr. Tina Ellsworth, an assistant professor of professional education.

Megan Trussell and Alyssa Wright presented at the Missouri Council for the Social Studies conference in Springfield. (Submitted photo)

“By presenting at these conferences, teacher candidates are developing leadership skills by designing high-quality instructional materials to a teacher audience,” Ellsworth said. “It’s my hope that they are inspired to elevate their own practice and see themselves as contributors and leaders in the larger field of education even prior to entering the classroom. It’s also my hope that they find value in creating their own professional learning network as they interact with professionals from across the state and the country.”

Trussell, Wright and Ellsworth presented a session at the Missouri conference, titled “Preparing for Contentious Issues.” The students designed and presented strategies to promote practices of civil discourse to PK-12 teachers.

“Contentious issues are all around us and consistently make their way into our classrooms,” Ellsworth said. “As social studies teachers we cannot avoid them, nor should we. We know our democracy hinges on civil discourse around public policy issues, so we must be proactive in creating a classroom community that is conclusive for such discussions.”  

Jenna Stallo presented at the Kansas Council for the Social Studies at Wichita State University.

At the Kansas conference, Stallo and Ellsworth presented “Promoting Historical Literacy with Primary Sources,” where participants learned innovative and engaging strategies for teaching with sources that promote historical literacy.

The students credit Northwest and the School of Education for offering a learning experience that prepares them for their careers as professional educators.

“I was able to further practice and get comfortable speaking with educators or administrators who have more experience than I do,” Trussell said. “I was able to have networking opportunities to put my name out there and show how serious and invested I am in my education and career. Additionally, this opportunity allowed me to think more deeply about how to integrate discussion and civil discourse in my future elementary classroom.”

Ellsworth joined the Northwest faculty in 2021 and teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework related to curriculum, multiculturalism, social studies and change management. She has master’s and bachelor’s degrees in social studies education from the University of Central Missouri and earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in social studies education from the University of Kansas.