University News

WIU Social Studies Announces 2025 Professional Development Symposium

April 7, 2025

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MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University is excited to announce a new spring 2025 professional development symposium for high school social studies teachers in the West Central Illinois region. The theme for the 2025 workshop is "Population and the Environment," and will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 18 in Morgan Hall 101B.

The Social Studies Symposium is a new professional development opportunity designed specifically for high school teachers of Sociology, Civics/Political Science and Geography. It aims to provide a high-quality, cost-effective and convenient Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunity for teachers in the area around WIU.

The sessions will provide teachers with hands-on experiences and learning materials that they can take directly into their own classrooms. In addition, each session will be explicitly aligned with specific Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) for Social Science.

Participants will:


  • Engage in expert-led sessions with faculty from Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science and Geography.

  • Access discipline-specific resources and instructional materials aligned with state learning standards for Illinois.

  • Explore innovative teaching strategies that emphasize hands-on learning, critical thinking and real-world applications.

  • Network and collaborate with fellow educators and university faculty to exchange ideas and best practices.


The symposium is presented by representatives of WIU's Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science and Geography faculty.

Funding for the development of the workshop was provided by alumnus Randall Lindsey and his wife, Delores. The Lindseys have been involved in K-12 education consulting for decades and Randall is a former junior high school teacher and district office administrator.

This event is also being held in coordination with the Regional Office of Education (ROE) 26 and the ROE 33 Professional Development Consortium for the registration and certification of professional development (PD) hours for teachers attending the event.

There is a $75 registration fee which includes lunch and workshop materials.
Registration and additional information are available at this link.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing