John Alcalde

I was born in Vilafranca del Penedès, Catalonia. I pursued my undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Barcelona, Catalonia, and attained my Master of Arts in history in 1998. After college, I relocated to England to acquire proficiency in the English language. A year later, I traversed the Atlantic to Illinois to become a visiting teacher in the Bilingual Education program at East Aurora High School.

Over the course of a decade, I served as a secondary teacher in the East Aurora school district. I taught in bilingual, mainstream and honors programs at both the high school and middle school levels. I was also a bilingual team leader at the middle school level.

I began work on my Ph.D. in history at Northern Illinois University, driven by the intersection of my interests in legal history, labor history, ethnic history and immigration history. My research examines court interpretation and English language fluency in U.S. law from the Revolution to the Progressive Era.

During my time at NIU, I undertook diverse roles, including serving as an assistant curator at the Regional History Center, undergraduate advisor and assistant director of History and Social Sciences Secondary Educator Licensure Programs. Presently, I hold the position of director of History and Social Sciences Secondary Educator Licensure Programs.

Teaching Interests

My teaching duties and interests are focused on licensure courses and clinical experiences. While my main goal is to provide my students with the tools and skills necessary to become successful teachers, I also want them to be able to address and support the ever-increasing diversity of students in the American education system to ensure all students feel safe and accepted in their classrooms.

Since arriving at the licensure program, I have taught or co-taught all clinical levels and methods of the History and Social Sciences Secondary Educator Licensure Program. I have introduced some new assignments and techniques, discarding outdated and extraneous elements, to adapt clinical courses to the evolving realities of contemporary classrooms.

Courses Taught

• ILAS 201
• ILAS 301
• HIST 359
• HIST 401
• HIST 400
• HIST 496