ABERDEEN, S.D. (NSU) – Northern State University’s Teacher Education Department has launched a new Math Clinic, offering NSU teacher candidates practical teaching experience while providing local K-12 students with targeted math support.

Structured similarly to Northern’s long-running Reading Clinic, the Math Clinic pairs future educators with community students to strengthen math skills through one-on-one tutoring. The clinic takes place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in JSC 133. This semester, the Math Clinic began on Feb. 11, and the final session will be held on Apr. 3.

“Our newly developed Math Clinic is a win-win for both our teacher candidates and the K-12 students in our community,” said Nicole Schutter, chair of the Teacher Education Department. “By providing hands-on tutoring experiences, our candidates gain invaluable skills in lesson delivery, student engagement and reflection on their teaching practices while young learners receive the support they need to build their math abilities. This initiative embodies NSU’s commitment to excellence in teacher preparation and community service.”

Monte Meyerink, assistant professor of mathematics education, director of the NSU Math Clinic and coordinator of M.S.Ed. in educational studies: individualized interdisciplinary studies, also highlighted the impact of the program:

“The NSU Math Clinic is an exciting new addition to Northern’s arsenal of service-based, experiential learning opportunities. In the clinic, teacher candidates from Northern lead one local K-12 student through a set of mathematics lessons. Teacher candidates gain valuable experience implementing research-based teaching practices in a supervised environment while K-12 students are provided with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of mathematics concepts in a setting tailored to their individual needs.”

The NSU Math Clinic supports Northern’s broader mission of preparing future educators through experiential learning while serving the needs of the Aberdeen community.