EducatorsAbroad Faculty and Staff
EducatorsAbroad (EA) faculty represent the world of education. They are highly qualified,
experienced, and talented educators who work in countries around the world serving
as program directors, host country coordinators, placement directors, and student
teaching supervisors.
These individuals are responsible for the admission, placement, and personal - academic
- and professional development of participants in EA programs. In cooperation with
school administrators and cooperating classroom teachers, they assure each participant
a valuable experience through which to develop their abilities. And, along with
host school administrators and cooperating teachers, they accept additional responsibility
for the well being of participants by offering advice and assisting participants
as they make decisions concerning travel and accommodation.
EA faculty take their responsibility to each student, host school, the student's
home college, and the teaching profession seriously and regularly meet to share
insights and improve program services.
EA faculty and staff welcome the opportunity to share information about our program
offerings with college, university, and school administrators and faculty worldwide
in oder to develop and maintain mutually beneficial affiliations through which to
broaden the global perspective of students and educators. Please contact any of
the following individuals for assistance:
Program Director: Craig Kissock (send
e-mail)
Program Associate Director: Jennifer McCleery (send
e-mail)
Program Manager: Erica Swenson (send
e-mail)
One of our regional partners in the U.S.:
One of our partners in the UK:
So you may come to know our faculty better, abstracts of their professional experience
are presented here. Complete vita are available to partner colleges upon request
in support of accreditation and/or program approval reviews.
Back to Front, Left to Right: Peter Smith (England), Richard Gordon (USA), Ethan
Quirt (USA), Kevin Hall (Australia), Tudor Jenkins (England), Peter Ferguson (Australia),
Craig Kissock (USA), Jim Greenberg (USA), Tony Richardson (England), Barbara Truitt-Petersen
(USA), Stuart May (England), Jill Allan (New Zealand), Kirsty McCartney (Australia),
Judy Kuechle (USA), Thomas Warren (USA), Bob de Latour (New Zealand), Val Banks
(England), Maria do Carmo (Brazil), Peg Lonnquist (USA), Maria Leonor Conjeros (Chile),
Jennifer Riley (USA), Robert O'Brien (New Zealand), Paula Richardson (England)
Not Pictured: Ann Smith (USA), Derrick O Sullivan (Ireland), Erica Swenson (USA),
Jennifer McCleery (USA), Leke Tambo (Cameroon), Norman Blackett (England), Orapin
Pojananon (Thailand), Sujata Srivastava (India), Viktorija-Nijole Stochkuvene (Lithuania)
Directors and Management Team
Craig Kissock Dr. Craig Kissock, Founder and Director of EducatorsAbroad Ltd. and University of Minnesota Emeritus Professor of Education. Beginning as a teacher educator in 1967 he has taught in the USA, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. He works with teacher educators in over 50 countries to foster use of a global perspective of teaching and teacher education in educational decision making.
Since 1987 he has directed programs through which over 2,300 students from Canada, UK, and USA completed in-school teaching practice and English as a Foreign Language Teaching Assistant placements in over 600 primary and secondary schools on six continents. He has directly supervised the teaching practice of student teachers in over 30 countries, including the first U.S. teachers in Russian and Lithuanian government schools, and has also guided the teaching practice of students from other countries in the USA.
He is active in national and international organizations of teacher educators, served as Chair of the Global and International Committee of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and has co-edited journals representing the viewpoints of teacher educators in several countries. |  |
Jennifer McCleery Dr. Jennifer McCleery, Associate Director of EducatorsAbroad, has been an educator for over twenty years as a teacher and administrator. She began her career teaching at the elementary and middle school levels in California and has also taught in Oregon and Washington. After receiving her doctoral degree and administrator’s certificate from the University of Oregon, she moved on to become a P-12 school central office administrator in Central Oregon and now directs teacher education admissions and field experiences for a university.
She has taught teacher education courses, supervised student teaching interns, conducted education research and published articles, and is dedicated to supporting the learning of all teachers. She is committed to social justice and enhancing the international connection across educators in both P-12 and higher education settings. |  |
Ethan Quirt Ethan Quirt, EA WWW Master, has been a professional Website and database developer for over 10 years. He has been affiliated with the EducatorsAbroad team since he participated in an English as a Foreign Language program in 1998. He also has a degree in Elementary Education for which he completed his student teaching in New Zealand via EducatorsAbroad. |  |
Erica Swenson Erica Swenson, Program Manager, has over 15 years of accounting,
business and customer service experience. She also has a degree in
Accounting and has worked abroad. Erica has always been interested in
international travel and has had the opportunity to visit many countries. |  |
Program Coordinators and Student Teaching Supervisors
Greg Allison Mr. Greg Allison (Student Teaching supervisor based in Australia). Greg worked for over 30 years in a number of secondary schools in metropolitan Melbourne and in regional Victoria. He worked as a year level manager, head of faculty and assistant principal. One of his responsibilities as assistant principal was teacher education including the Student Teaching Program students placed at Brauer College. Greg has always had a keen interest in international education and his masters of education degree specialized in this area. |  |
Val Banks Ms. Valerie Banks (Internship supervisor and course instructor based in England) is a specialist in school inspection having served as member of over 125 Ofsted inspections in all types of schools including denominational and multicultural schools in the UK. She is an Elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She has extensive teaching experience with emphases in geography and information technology and specialties in equal opportunities, curriculum, assessment, and special educational needs. She has published curriculum materials and been active in pre-service and in-service teacher development and education. She has served as a consultant to schools and education authorities on issues related to school inspections and teacher in-service. |  |
Ian Benson Mr. Ian Benson (Internship supervisor and course instructor based in England) has been a teacher since 1965. He has held posts in a range of schools - including secondary modern, bilateral, selective and comprehensive schools. He has also worked in a range of countries, including England, Singapore and Germany teaching in the English medium classes. He has taught pupils across the age range, from 5 to 19 years, as an assistant, head of subject and faculty as well as senior master in schools both at home and abroad. He is a humanities and social science subject specialist. Through his interest in teaching and learning he has directed innovative classroom based projects and undertaken evaluation and reporting of the outcomes that gained, in the case of the Humanities Curriculum Project, national recognition. Ian has also been a GCSE examiner and moderator as well as Chief Examiner, reviser and moderator at GCE Advanced level.
As a senior, then principal inspector of schools in the largest local education authority in England Ian implemented The Essex Project in The Humanities that involved progression and continuity in pupils' learning from age 5 years up to university entry in geography, history and religious studies. He also provided subject guidance in the humanities and social science subjects for all 780 establishments in Essex, including primary, secondary and special schools as well as further education and tertiary colleges.
As well as being a teacher, Ian has also been a school inspector and trainer of post-graduate and in-service teachers as well as of senior managers, including headteachers / principals. He has also undertaken detailed research into the work governors / school board members. He has led over 300 inspections of aspects of the work of schools, as well as whole school inspections - within the local education authority and for OFSTED. In addition he advises a publishing house on its educational output and writes guidance / manuals on inspection, inclusion, teaching and learning as well as leadership and management. When he is not in the classroom with teachers and their pupils, Ian is said to suffer from "withdrawal symptoms". |  |
Norman Blackett Dr. Norman Blackett (UK Student Teaching Programme Director and Internship supervisor and course instructor based in England) has held several positions in education including mathematics teacher, department head, curriculum manager, senior lecturer in mathematics and mathematics education, course director in education management, Her Majesty's Inspector (HMI) for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and mathematics, and most recently manager of ITT for the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). In this role he was responsible for the delivery, quality, impact and value for money of the inspection of initial teacher training in England. He is still involved in advising government agencies and universities on initial teacher education policy and practice. |  |
Michael Cooper Mr. Michael Cooper (Internship supervisor and course instructor based in England). Following 23 years of employment at secondary schools in and around Liverpool, UK, predominantly in the Head of History role, Mike went on to work, from 1996-2007, at International Schools in Portugal , Egypt and Thailand , in posts which included Head of Humanities, Student Welfare Co-ordinator and, most recently, Head of Secondary at The Regent's School, Bangkok. These positions provided a wide range of experiences and responsibilities, including curriculum development, pastoral care, school management, leadership and forward planning. Eleven years as an ex-pat offered valuable insights into teaching and living abroad. Supporting and mentoring student teachers, including Student Teachings, has been a valued element in every phase of Mike’s teaching career. My website is at http://mmceducationconsultancy.com/ |  |
Sandra Cowan Dr. Sandra Cowan (Student Teaching supervisor based in Australia) |  |
Bob De Lautour Mr. Robert De Lautour (Student Teaching supervisor based in New Zealand) was principal of Trident High School where several Student Teaching students have completed student teaching and then secured their first teaching positions. He is primary and secondary qualified and visited the University of Minnesota, Morris to work with Student Teaching colleagues from around the world. Robert was a high school teacher for years before serving as school principal in three schools in different social/cultural settings for over twenty years. Since 1999 he has been responsible for student teaching placements and supervision in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. |  |
Leigh Golding Ms Leigh Golding - Supervisor and Host Country Co-ordinator for NZ. Leigh has taught both in NZ and Australia and is currently teaching two days a week at a primary school in Napier. She has hosted many teacher trainees in her classroom over the years and now enjoys the role of placing and supervising international students within the NZ education system. |  |
Richard Gordon Dr. Richard Gordon (Student Teaching and EFLTA supervisor based in the USA) served on the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Global and International Teacher Education Committee and provides leadership for the Japan U.S. Teacher Education Consortium (JUSTEC) through which joint research in teacher education is fostered and shared. At the invitation of Japanese teacher educators he has lived and worked in Japan assisting with determining answers to issues they face. His commitment to international teacher education, publications, experience as professor of Education at California State University - Dominquez Hills, and work in schools in the U.S. and other countries offers program faculty and participants valuable insights. |  |
Jim Greenberg Dr. James D. Greenberg (Student Teaching and EFLTA supervisor and coordinator East coast collegiate relationships based in the USA) is Director of the University of Maryland College of Education K-16 Partnership Development Center and founding director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Honors programs. He has been a faculty member and administrator in Education for 35 years, and served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar, Senior Fellow at the Center for Urban Partnerships, Visiting Fellow at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and invited keynote speaker and workshop leader at the University of Concepcion in Chile and the University of Lima in Peru.
He has published on a variety of educational topics, made numerous presentations from local to international levels, and served as a consultant to educational institutions though corporate and agency sponsorship in several foreign countries. He served as co-Chair of the Professional Experience Design Team of the Maryland Task Force on Teacher Education Redesign, is regional Secretary for North America of the International Society for Teacher Education, has served as external evaluator for NCATE and other accreditation teams for teacher education program approval, and he is a member of the leadership team of the new Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education with particular responsibility for school-university collaboration. |  |
Kevin Hall Mr. Kevin Hall (Student Teaching Country Coordinator and supervisor based in Australia) has been involved in education for over 45 years, first as a high school teacher then as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Education at The University of Melbourne. He has been part of the Student Teaching program since 1990, coordinating and supervising the placement of student-teachers in schools in Melbourne and surrounding areas. He has presented papers at many international conferences, conducted research and published articles, mostly related to his special interest areas of assessment, and the practicum in teacher education. Along with his extensive experience in teaching, research and administration, Kevin’s formal qualifications include an undergraduate degree in Commerce and two post-graduate Masters Degrees in Education. |  |
Tudor Jenkins Mr. Tudor Jenkins (Internship supervisor and course instructor based in England) is a primary school teacher who has worked in four contrasting schools in the London Borough of Croydon. He was a Head Teacher of a large Junion School (pupil ages 7 - 11 years) for twenty years before moving on to work as a part time Education Advisor for the education service in the London Borough of Islington. Tudor also works in a supporting role for the governing bodies of schools in Croydon. He has worked for the Student Teaching pogramme since 2003 and is committed to supporting aspiring teachers to achieve success. |  |
John Meade Mr. John Meade (Student Teaching supervisor based in New Zealand) | |
Derrick O'Sullivan Dr. Derrick O'Sullivan (Student Teaching Country Coordinator and supervisor based in Ireland) began his teaching career in 1969 as a primary school teacher and went on to secondary school teaching in 1974. In 1978 he became a secondary school principal transferring to St. Fergal's Senior National School in Bray, Ireland in 1980 where many Student Teaching students have successfully completed student teaching requirements under his guidance. Derrick also serves as part time lecturer for the Open University, has published, and currently reviews books on education for Paul Chapman Publishers, London. |  |
Peter Smith Peter R. Smith (Internship supervisor and course instructor based in England) has served as Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools, [HMI] at the DES, DfEE, Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) from 1980 – 2004.
He is an elected Council member, Chartered Geographer and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He served as HMI National Specialist Advisor for Geography and Environmental Education for England, and held several leadership and administrative posts within Ofsted, including the management of the division inspecting Local Education Authories. He helped design the current Section 5 inspection model for English schools.
He has been a keynote speaker at national and international education conferences, participated in National Curriculum development projects, and taught at high school and university levels. He has travelled widely, including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and throughout East and West Europe; conducted research, and published extensively in journals. He is a trustee of several environmental organisations, president of the National Association of Field Studies Officers and continues to take young people on expeditions, especially for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
He recently edited and co-authored 'Off the Premises: a Handbook', designed to assist schools and teachers to plan and manage safe and effective visits away from school, for whatever purpose. |  |
Leonor Conejeros Solar Dr. Leonor Conejeros Solar (Student Teaching and EFLTA Country Coordinator and supervisor based in Chile) is an Educational Psychologist and I worked at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de ValparaÃso in Chile. I´m in charged of an Educational Program for gifted and talented students and I also teach at the education department. |  |
Jill Tait Ms. Jill Tait (Student Teaching supervisor based in New Zealand) has been involved in every area of education for 30 years with the last 20 years in the field of teacher training. Jill brings wide experience with, and knowledge of, New Zealand schools and curriculum. She has worked extensively with the Student Teaching programme for the past 15 years. Jill has traveled extensively on every continent and when appropriate and applicable has researched the educational facilities of the many countries she has visited. |  |
Barbara Truitt-Petersen Ms. Barbara Truitt-Petersen (Student Teaching and EFLTA supervisor and coordinator Minnesota collegiate relationships based in the USA) started her teaching career in Costa Rica in 1963 and continued with teaching positions in Georgia, Alabama, and Minnesota where she completed thirty years as a teacher of Spanish in the Burnsville school system. She was selected Burnsville teacher of the year; is fluent in Spanish, has studied German, and Portuguese; earned a Masters degree from a the Instituto Tecnológico in Monterrey, Mexico. She provides extensive leadership in professional organizations and through community volunteer activities. Barbara has traveled throughout Asia, Europe, Central and South America and has organized student exchange groups for high school students in Costa Rica and the U.S.A. |  |
Honorary Retirees
Briar Diamond Ms. Briar Diamond (Student Teaching Country Coordinator and supervisor based in New Zealand) retired as Assistant Principal at Aotea College and now serves as Student Teaching programme coordinator for New Zealand. She has worked in senior management in multicultural secondary schools for 24 years with particular responsibility for guidance structures, and pastoral care. She has travelled widely and while on a Woolfe Fisher Fellowship she studied behavioral strategies for difficult students in USA and the British Isles. |  |
Peter Ferguson Dr. Peter Ferguson (Student Teaching Country Coordinator and supervisor based in Australia) has been responsible for over 300 Student Teaching students completing student teaching assignments in Australia since 1991. He has served as teacher in secondary science and primary schools; lecturer in teacher education in Australia, USA and Thailand; coordinator of the Bachelor of Education (postgraduate) program; and supervisor of masters & doctoral candidates at Deakin University. He has supervised several hundred teachers in their teaching practice, developed, taught and evaluated over 50 successful adult education and training courses, designed and coordinated Postgraduate Education courses, authored/co-authored 13 books, numerous articles and invited speeches, mentored the research studies of over 50 Masters and Doctoral students, established the Council for the Practicum in Teacher Education (CPTE), been elected to four three-year terms as Executive Officer of the CPTE, elected member of the international board of Practical Experiences in Professional Education (PEPE), and elected chair of the VTAC Postgraduate Education Committee. |  |
Stuart May Mr. Stuart May (Internship supervisor and course instructor based in England) |  |
Bob O'Brien Mr. Robert O’Brien, retired after arranging and/or supervising Student Teaching placements for over 400 USA/Canadian students in New Zealand from 1989 to 2007. He began his teaching career in 1954, served as school principal for fourteen years, created and directed teacher education programs for seven years, and served as director of the School of Secondary Education at the Wellington College of Education for nine years. He has published and presented several papers on teacher education and provides leadership for initiatives of the International Society for Teacher Education. He has been responsible for the care and supervision of over 400 Student Teaching student teachers in New Zealand. |  |