Current Projects

Dynamic Formative Assessment of Mathematical Thinking

Faculty Member: Susan Empson

Project Description: This project provides an online formative assessment system to help preservice teachers learn to make instructional decisions based on their students' mathematical understanding. The system supports thinking about students' solutions to a set of problems in the domain of elementary school fractions - a particularly difficult area for preservice teachers.

Interactive Repository of Student Writing Samples

Faculty Member: Nancy Roser

Project Description: This project is creating the infrastructure to support an expandable database of writing samples. The writing samples will be retrieved from the site and used in our Language Arts classes in various ways. For example, we can retrieve samples: 1) to quickly demonstrate differences across children of the same age; 2) to show a progression of control over writing conventions; 3) to provide text samples for classroom mini-lessons (or craft-lessons) that give evidence of various children's written "gems" - whether gripping leads, precise word choice, fresh comparisons, audience awareness, etc. Over time, we can use this database to show the progression of a piece of writing.

Physical Education Teacher Education Systematic Teaching Analysis, Recording and Tracking (PETE-START)

Faculty Member: Tere Ramírez

Project Description: The goal of this project is to develop electronic systematic observation instruments that can be used on a laptop or iPad to readily observe and track intern and student teachers' teaching behaviors over time. This system will essentially provide a real-time dashboard for monitoring teaching effectiveness.

Video Library of Teaching Modules for Exercise Program Development

Faculty Member: Dixie Stanforth

Project Description: The goal of this project is to develop video content for teaching exercise programming to students in KIN 332 (Techniques of Fitness Leadership) and KIN 327 (Fieldwork in Personal Training). The video modules help students learn how to develop different components of safe and effective workouts. Modules cover dynamic warm up, core training, cardio training, resistance training, and flexibility training. Each reflects best practices within the health and fitness industry and models appropriate instruction, cueing, feedback, modifications, and motivational techniques. The completed modules are available via UT's iTunesU site, making them available across UT and to the general public.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/personal-training-specialization/id534564685