Nominate an outstanding Cooperating Teacher for the
UW-Madison School of Education’s Rockwell Awards 2021
The nomination deadline is October 27, 2021.
The Rockwell Awards recognize excellent teachers who have chosen to pass on their expertise by providing professional experiences for UW-Madison student teachers. Through the generosity of Roland and Ruth Rockwell, UW-Madison is pleased to offer four $1000 awards to outstanding cooperating teachers. Recognition will be held during American Teacher Education Week on Tuesday, November 16th at the Memorial Union from 5-8 p.m.
Cooperating teachers may be nominated by their administrators, peers, university faculty and supervisors or former student teachers. Award recipients will have had at least five (5) UW-Madison student teachers and will have demonstrated an ability to:
- Establish an inclusive environment that instills a desire for all students to learn, bring enthusiasm into the classroom and putting into practice quality and successful teaching techniques, methods, and goals.
- Effective mentoring of student teachers by modeling and transmitting skills, professional attitudes, and the love of the profession to the next teaching generation.
- Provide effective guidance, feedback, and opportunities for student teachers to reflect on their teaching experience, encouraging student teachers to try new ideas and develop new curriculum.
Nominations are invited from colleagues, university supervisors, program faculty, school administrators, and former (not current) student teachers. Selection of award recipients will be made by a committee of teachers and University staff from the UW-Madison School of Education.
NOMINATION PACKET MUST INCLUDE:
A completed nomination form including the signature of the candidate’s principal, at least three and no more than five additional letters of support from different participants in the student teaching experience–administrators, university supervisors, peers, and former (not current) student teachers. No more than two letters should be from individuals in any one category. a brief letter of endorsement from the program coordinator in the student teaching area if s/he is not the nominator or does not submit a letter of support.
IMPORTANT: This application requires that items in the nomination packet be completed and documents uploaded in a single sitting. If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Kuehn, Field Experience Coordinator at nkuehn@wisc.edu or 262-3773.
Participants should make clear their relationship to the candidate in the nominating statement or letter of support. Please note that letters from former student teachers have been especially persuasive. A strong nomination packet describes in detail how candidates have met the selection criteria and provides examples and anecdotes. Nominees from previous years will be reconsidered by written request.
QUESTIONS:
Contact Nancy Kuehn by phone at 262-3773 or by email at nkuehn@wisc.edu to learn whether your potential candidate has a file already established, to determine the candidate’s number of student teachers and/or program coordinator, or other relevant information.
Nominations will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday October 27, 2021.