Julie Sarama

Organization/Institution
University of Denver (DU)
About Me (Bio)
Julie Sarama is the Kennedy Endowed Chair in Innovative Learning Technologies and professor at the University of Denver. She conducts research on young children's development of mathematical concepts and competencies, implementation and scale-up of educational reform, professional development models and their influence on student learning, and implementation and effects of software environments (including those she has created) in mathematics classrooms. These studies have been published in more than 65 refereed articles, 5 books, 53 chapters, and 70 additional publications. Sarama has directed over 24 projects funded by NSF, IES, and NIH. She was principal investigator on her latest NSF award, Early Childhood Education in the Context of Mathematics, Science, and Literacy. She co-directed three large-scale studies funded by IES: (1) Scaling Up TRIAD: Teaching Early Mathematics for Understanding with Trajectories and Technologies; (2) a longitudinal extension of that work, Longitudinal Study of a Successful Scaling Up Project: Extending TRIAD; and (3) an efficacy study, Increasing the Efficacy of an Early Mathematics Curriculum with Scaffolding Designed to Promote Self-Regulation. Another recent project, funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Gates Foundation, Scalable Professional Development in Early Mathematics: The Learning and Teaching with Learning Trajectories Tool, is updating and disseminating a professional development software application empirically supported in previous projects.
Keywords
Mathematics

Developing Teaching Expertise in K-5 Mathematics

University of Michigan (UM), University of Denver (DU)
09/01/2011

This project designs materials and an accompanying support system to enable the development of expertise in the teaching of mathematics at the elementary level. The project has four main components: online professional development modules; practice-based assessments; resources for facilitators; and web-based technologies to deliver module content to diverse settings. Three modules are being developed and focus on fractions, reasoning and explanation, and geometry. Each module is organized into ten 1.5 hour sessions.

Early Childhood Education in the Context of Mathematics, Science, and Literacy

University of Denver (DU)
09/01/2012

This curriculum project is using empirically-tested mathematics and science programs and research-based approaches to develop a six module interdisciplinary curriculum for pre-K students. Mathematics and science content is included with literacy/language and social-emotional development. The curriculum is being designed to counter the frequent situation of devoting most pre-school instructional time to literacy by having activities that join literacy with mathematics and science.

Learning Trajectories as a Complete Early Mathematics Intervention: Achieving Efficacies of Economies at Scale

University of Denver (DU)
07/01/2019

The purpose of this project is to test the efficacy of the Learning and Teaching with Learning Trajectories (LT2) program with the goal of improving mathematics teaching and thereby increasing young students' math learning. LT2 is a professional development tool and a curriculum resource intended for teachers to be used to support early math instruction and includes the mathematical learning goal, the developmental progression, and relevant instructional activities.

Learning Trajectories to Support the Growth of Measurement Knowledge: Pre-K Through Middle School

Illinois State University (ISU)
08/01/2012

This project is studying measurement practices from pre-K to Grade 8, as a coordination of the STEM disciplines of mathematics and science. This research project tests, revises and extends learning trajectories for children's knowledge of geometric measurement across a ten-year span of human development. The goal will be to validate all components of each learning trajectory, goal, developmental progression, and instruction tasks, as well as revising each LT to reflect the outcomes of the experiments.

Making the Building Blocks of Early Math Scalable, Accessible, and Viable for All Young Children and Their Teachers

University of Denver (DU)
09/01/2023

This project will build an interactive and integrated curricular and professional development technological system: the Building Blocks Toolset (BBToolset). The BBToolset is designed to benefit all early childhood educators and their students. Young children will learn from engaging, effective digital educational games and face-to-face activities. Teachers will receive just-in-time professional development related to their students' development and guidance on curricular choices and culturally sensitive pedagogical strategies.