Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
Sonya Hayes is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee. A native Texan, she received her PhD in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University, her MEd in Educational Administration from Texas State, and her BA in English from Lamar University. Prior to entering the professoriate, Hayes served in public education as a high school English teacher, an Assistant Principal, and a Principal for 23 years. She held a faculty position at LSU in Baton Rouge prior to joining the ELPS department at UT. Her research interests include leadership development and support for both pre and post service school principals, principal preparation, and leadership for learning. Specifically, she is interested in how principals improve teaching and learning for all students and how principals are prepared for instructional leadership. She is an active member in UCEA and AERA and currently serves as the Editor for the LTEL SIG newsletter. Hayes is the 2017 Kottcamp winner for the LTEL Sig’s dissertation of the year award.
Hayes has publications in several peer-reviewed journals. She serves on the Editorial Review Board for Mentoring and Tutoring Journal, and she is a reviewer for the Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Journal of Higher Education, International Journal of Leadership in Education, and Education Leadership Review. Additionally, she has published book chapters and feature articles in practitioner magazines.
Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies
Jared Porter is an assistant professor of Motor Learning in the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies. He received his BS from the University of Central Missouri in Kinesiology and Biology and his PhD from Louisiana State University in Motor Behavior and Cognitive Psychology.
Porter’s research investigates how humans learn/re-learn motor skills, and how the human nervous system controls the body to generate skillful movements. He investigates how factors such as practice schedule design, skill level, motor/cognitive impairments, cognitive load, decision making, human factors, instruction/feedback, and focusing of attention interact with motor skill learning and performance. He is an active member of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA), and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is also an Associate Editor for the scientific journal Frontiers in Movement Science and Sport Psychology, and he is an editorial board member for the Journal of Motor Learning and Development and the International Journal of Motor Control and Learning.
Theory and Practice in Teacher Education
Joy Bertling is a clinical assistant professor of Art Education in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee, where she serves as program leader of the art education program. She received her PhD in art education from the University of Georgia. Her research engages with place-based art education and the intersections between arts-based research and art teacher education.
Bertling has published articles in several peer-reviewed journals, including the & International Journal of Education through Art, International Journal of Education & the Arts, Art Education, and the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy. Prior to joining the University of Tennessee faculty, she taught art in public schools for over a decade as a National Board Certified Teacher.
Dan (Dana) Hoffman is a clinical assistant professor in the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Educational Interpreting Programs in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education (TPTE). He received his AA in Computer Engineering from Remington College, his BA in Communication Studies from Gallaudet, and an MS and EdD in Deaf Studies/Deaf Education from Lamar University. Prior to joining the staff in TPTE, Dana worked as ASL & Deaf Studies assistant professor and program director for Utah Valley University.
Yolanda Kirkpatrick is a clinical assistant professor in STEM Education/Science in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education and also works with our VolsTeach program.She received her BS in Biology from Austin Peay State University, her MS in Microbiology and her PhD in Theory and Practice in Teacher Education with our college.
Her teaching and research interests are biological sciences, science education, and the cultural border crossing of teachers and students in these areas. She has volunteered with a number of organizations including AmeriCorps and the Children’s Defense Fund.
Yolanda began her career as a research assistant at Vanderbilt University. Her teaching experiences include teaching of science classes at a math and science center, as a graduate teaching assistant, and thirteen years at a community college in Tennessee. She has taught general biology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, and a biology concepts course for education majors.
Elizabeth MacTavish is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Teaching Science from UTK in 2000. The following year, she completed a professional internship and her Masters of Science at UTK. MacTavish moved to Orlando, Florida following graduation and taught middle school science for 3 years. In 2004, she returned to Knoxville and taught science for the next 12 years at Farragut Middle School. In 2016, MacTavish completed her Ph.D. in Teacher Education with a specialty in science education. Upon graduation, she joined the TPTE faculty.
MacTavish teaches several courses in the teacher licensure program including education technology, science education, and math education. She also serves as an intern supervisor supporting students as they navigate through the university and state eligibility requirements for licensure.
MacTavish’s research focuses on the science identity construction of K-12 students through the lens of their science experiences in both their personal lives and the science classroom. Her research studies have primarily targeted underrepresented groups in middle grades science with specific attention on female identity construction. Additionally, her research has revolved around recognizing successful blueprints of STEM programs in middle schools and supporting schools in the development and implementation of their own STEM programs.
Joshua Rosenberg is an assistant professor in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education. He received his BS in Biology and Professional Teaching Licensure from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2010. Rosenberg then received his MA in Education in 2012, his Graduate Certificate in Science Education in 2016, and is completing his Phd in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology this year, all from Michigan State University.
In his research, Rosenberg focuses on understanding how learners work with data as a context for learning, particularly in science content areas. He is particularly interested in how learners come to use data to answer scientific questions that are personally meaningful to them. He uses a variety of methods to carry out this research, including design-based research and quantitative research methods, such as the experience sampling method and multi-level (or hierarchical linear) models. He has published his research in venues such as the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education.
Zoi Traga-Philipppakos is an assistant professor in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education. She received her BS in Primary Education in 2001 from the University of Thrace, Greece and completed her MEd as a reading specialist followed by her Phd in 2012 in Education/Literacy from the University of Delaware.
Her research interests include reading and writing instruction for students in the elementary grades, strategy instruction and self-regulation, and approaches to professional development for classroom teachers. Her dissertation research examined the effects of reviewing using genre-specific criteria on fourth- and fifth-grade students’ persuasive writing. She has worked as an elementary school teacher and literacy coach, and she provides professional development to teachers on effective reading and writing strategies. She is the co-author of the book Developing strategic writers through genre instruction: Resources for grades 3-5 (2015) with Charles Macarthur and David Coker, the co-author of the book Effective Read-alouds for early literacy: A teacher’s guide for PreK-1 (2012) with Katherine Beauchat and Katrin Blamey, the co-author of the book Differentiated Reading Instruction in Grades 4 and 5: Strategies and Resources (2011) with Sharon Walpole and Michael McKenna, and she is currently the coauthor of the book Developing strategic writers through genre instruction: Resources for grades K to 2 (tentative title, in press). She has codeveloped and she organizes since 2010 the Writing Research Study Group at the Literacy Research Association (LRA), and she is the Chair of the Writing Task Force at the International Literacy Association (ILA). She has also published several articles and chapters on strategy instruction in writing. So far she has published 14 peer-reviewed articles, 4 book chapters, and 3 books. She has several articles under review and in preparation on writing strategy instruction with self-regulation and on reading and writing connections. Further, she has presented in 37 international and national conferences. Her knowledge and expertise on writing instruction indicates that she is has strong knowledge on components of effective PD, research methodologies, and pedagogy.