Projects
Ongoing Development of the Emotion Teaching Rating Scale
(EMOTERS) for Preschool Classrooms
Teachers frequently model emotions, respond to children's emotions,
and instruct about emotions. With grant funding from the Institute of
Education Sciences and in conjunction with Dr. Katherine Zinsser at
the University of Illinois at Chicago, we developed an observational
measure of emotion-focused teaching. The five-year study has produced
a measure for use in preschool classrooms that ranks the various
interactions from the least difficult to the most difficult making it
clear what teachers can do to improve. The measure is freely available
through a creative commons license (https://www.emoters.org/).
An Alternative Licensure Program for Preschool Teachers in
Chicago
We are working with a group of residents taking part in the
University of Illinois at Chicago's Alternative
Licensure Program. We aim to support teachers with coaching in their
supports for (a) children's developing emotional competence, (b)
STEM learning, and (c) diverse learners. In particular, we plan to
use the EMOTERS measure in the context of coaching and professional
learning communities to assist in the professional development of
residents.