Published Monday, March 5th, 2018
Dr. Legler was one of eight teacher educators selected nationally to participate in the highly competitive 2018 ATE Emerging Scholars program.
Dr. Christian Legler, assistant professor in the School of Education and Counseling, was recently honored at the 2018 Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) annual meeting in Las Vegas. He was one of eight teacher educators selected nationally to participate in the highly competitive 2018 ATE Emerging Scholars program.
As part of the program, Legler presented research that stemmed from his doctoral dissertation titled, “E-Mentoring Novice Teachers Through University-Sponsored Online Induction: Implications for Practice.”
“I was honored to be selected as a 2018 ATE Emerging Scholar and represent Wayne State College at the 2018 ATE annual meeting,” said Legler. “As a beginning professor, the mentoring support from the Emerging Scholars program will help me balance the demands of teaching, service, and research.”
Legler was also selected to participate in the 2018 ATE Clinical Fellows program during the annual meeting. He was part of a select group of teacher educators who were invited nationally to participate in a special symposium. Legler collaborated with fellow teacher educators about issues centering on clinical practice facing educator preparation programs. He believes that “pre-service teachers need more authentic opportunities to apply course content to clinical practice. These experiences in local schools provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to hone their pedagogical and professional skills so that they are better prepared to teach diverse student populations in their own classrooms.”
Legler looks forward to applying what he learned at the symposium to enhance clinical practice in the Educational Foundations and Leadership Department at Wayne State.
Before becoming a college professor, Legler worked in the non-profit sector for eight years. He then changed careers and became a high school science and social studies teacher in Jacksonville, Fla., teaching for eight years. In 2013, he began working on his doctoral degree at the University of Florida, specializing in curriculum, teaching, and teacher education because of his aspirations to prepare future teachers. After completing his doctorate, Legler began teaching at Wayne State in August 2017.
“The School of Education and Counseling at Wayne State College is committed to providing student-centered and field-focused educator preparation,” said Legler. “This closely reflects my own teaching philosophy. I was excited about being part of a team of faculty members who share similar beliefs about teaching and learning. The students who I have taught over the last six months are motivated and engaged learners. I look forward to seeing them progress through the program and become teacher leaders.”
Dr. Nicholas Shudak, dean of the School of Education and Counseling at WSC, praised Legler’s work as part of Wayne State’s highly renowned education program.
“Dr. Legler’s work and interests are valued and help continue the storied tradition at Wayne State College of preparing excellent teachers and leaders in schools and communities,” said Shudak.