July 31, 2012 (Bronx, NY) - Hostos Community College recently hosted over 100 education professionals from nine countries and four continents during the International Learning Styles Conference held from July 9 through July 12 in various rooms around campus.

The four-day learning event turned teachers and professionals into students who learned about the latest teaching techniques, trends and tools.

It was the first time the 32-year-old conference was held at Hostos and professionals came from as far away as the Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, Denmark, Cebu, Colombia, Mauritius, Kenya, and South Africa to attend. Educators from the U.S. represented Oklahoma, Virginia, Louisiana and Michigan.

The event includes nearly 50 different sessions and a variety of dynamic keynote speakers, including Dr. Christine Mangino, the Associate Dean of the Division of Academic Affairs at Hostos Community College, who helped ensure the event ran smoothly.

Professor Mangino came to Hostos Community College in Fall 2004. She holds a doctorate in Instructional Leadership and a Masters in Elementary Education and her research interests are in learning styles and distance education.

“The participants were very impressed with the quality of the presentations and left the conference already talking about attending next year’s institute. One participant from the Bahamas commented on how she has walked away with so much more instructional arsenal,” said Mangino. “This conference was a great opportunity for Hostos faculty to share their wealth of knowledge as well as to learn from others around the globe on how they are accommodating students’ learning styles and thereby increasing student achievement.”

Mangino also credited the Hostos Center for Teaching and Learning for their job organizing the conference and making all the participants feel like they are part of the Hostos family.

Some topics covered during the sessions included, “How to Support Adult Students’ Learning Preferences via Coaching and Counseling when Using Problem-Based Learning,” “Bricks and Mortar: The Integral Relationships between Universal Design for Learning and Learning Styles” and “Learning Pre-Algebra and Algebra Concepts with Virtual Manipulatives.”

Morten Aagaard Borg, an education coordinator at a business college, traveled from Denmark to participate. He said he planned to take back a lot of information he collected over the four days.

Borg said in particular he enjoyed a lecture given by Mathew Swedloff of the Hendrick Hudson School District in Montrose, NY. Swedloff’s session was called, “Innovation and Learning With Technology: Using Technology Tools to Support Academic Achievement and Student Engagement,” and Borg lauded its hand-on approach and tips for finding cheap and even free programs, software and other resources that could be implemented immediately for students at all levels.

“He pointed out so much institutional online material that was new to me that I can recommend at really no cost. Things like Google Apps and other materials can do so much in the educational process,” Borg said.

It was Borg’s first time on the Hostos campus and he said he was impressed by the facilities and staff during his learning retreat.

“Everything has been great. I am glad I came and got to see this part of New York City and all that Hostos has to offer here.”

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY) system, was founded in 1968.  In addition to associate degree programs that facilitate easy transfer to CUNY’s four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions, Hostos also has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies that offers courses for professional development and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. In four decades, Hostos has grown from a class of 623 in the fall of 1970 to the spring 2012 enrollment of over 7,000 students.  The college also serves an additional 12,000 students through its Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. For more news and stories about Hostos Community College, visit www.hostos.cuny.edu.

Media Contact:
Soldanela Rivera - srlopez@hostos.cuny.edu
Rich Pietras – rpietras@hostos.cuny.edu
Phone: 718-518-6872 or 917-627-9097 or 718-518-6513

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