About Jan

Janice Holter Kittok is a sought after presenter whose lively and thought-provoking seminars consistently receive raving reviews. She is a knowledgeable and intuitive master teacher who knows how to engage her audience throughout the whole day.

Jan speaks from her 25 years of experience as a K-12 Teacher, College Instructor, Curriculum Resource Teacher, Dean, and Educational Leader. Doing national-level presentations (ACTFL, TPRS) and testifying as a World Languages Advocate before the Minnesota Senate and House Educational Committees are two highlight achievements of her career.

Numerous honors and awards bear witness to the caliber of Jan’s work. The AATSP-MN chose her as the 1995 recipient of the Narvaéz Award, the Minnesota Spanish Teacher of the Year. The Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (MCTLC) and the Central States Conference awarded the “Best of Minnesota” and the “Best of Central States” to her TPRS demonstration Swedish lesson. The University of Minnesota selected Jan to mentor teachers doing graduate work in a language immersion and content-based instruction (CBI) methods course. As a graduate student herself, Jan wrote a content-based thematic unit entitled “Los Maya y El Norte”, later published as a model unit in Proficiency-Oriented Language Instruction and Assessment: A Curriculum Handbook for Teachers published by CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition), Diane J. Tedick, editor, Minneapolis, MN.

Jan holds a BA degree in Spanish and Education from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction-Teaching Second Languages and Cultures from the University of Minnesota. She is currently pursuing graduate work at Hamline University toward a Minnesota K-12 Principal’s License. Always in the forefront of her profession, Jan has attended training seminars in Cognitive Coaching, Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, Understanding by Design, Differentiated Instruction, Dimensions of Learning brain research and International Baccalaureate Programs.

Workshop Presenter

A frequent presenter at professional conferences across the country, Jan also contracts to provide workshops for organizations and school districts. She has presented in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Nevada, Iowa, and Maryland.

Organizations hosting Jan’s workshops include:

Minnesota Department of Education
CARLA (Center for Advanced Research in Language Acquisition, one of the U.S. Department of Education's National Language Resource Centers)
Minneapolis Public Schools Professional Pay Course
Middle Tennessee State University
Ohio Foreign Language Teachers Associatio
Blaine Ray Workshops

Motivated both personally and professionally, Jan founded Educator in Service to share her expertise and passion for the teaching and learning of other languages.

Professional Memberships

ASCD: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

NNELL: National Network for Early Language Learning

AATSP: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese

CSC: Central States Conference Advisory Board

MCTLC: Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures

Leadership in Professional Organizations

Membership Services Chair (MCTLC)
Fall Conference Registration Chair (MCTLC)
AATSP Representative to the MCTLC Board
President (AATSP-MN)
Vice President (AATSP-MN)
National Spanish Exam State Coordinator (AATSP-MN)
State Spanish Contest and Festival Quijote Coordinator (AATSP-MN)
Advisory Board Member (Central States Conference)
Exhibitor's Liaison for 2003 Central States Conference