Mari Beth Coleman, Ph.D.
Biography
I love teaching teachers and preservice teachers! The idea that I might have a small impact on teachers’ attitudes toward working with students who have disabilities and their abilities to provide instruction that will maximize their students’ potential is exciting to me. Prior to joining the amazing faculty in Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, I taught P-12 students for 13 years in Georgia and then worked at Georgia State University for four years while I finished my PhD program. During my years of P-12 classroom instruction, I taught middle school students with moderate to profound mental retardation, special needs preschool, and elementary students with physical disabilities. I left the classroom to work as the Assistant Project Director for the Georgia Bureau for Students with Physical and Health Impairments where I was able to help teachers across the state provide appropriate literacy instruction for students with physical disabilities. I then worked as a Clinical Instructor where I taught an undergraduate introduction to special education course and a graduate level course in assistive technology. I also supervised practicum students in the areas of early childhood special education, mental retardation, and physical disabilities. I really enjoy working with teachers and preservice teachers in classrooms to help them make the connection between knowledge acquired in university coursework and application of effective instructional practices. I am currently the President of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Physical and Health Disabilities. My research interests focus on effective instructional strategies and the use of assistive technology to promote academic learning for students with a wide range of abilities.
For more information, please see my curriculum vita and/or my web site.
Dr. Mari Beth Coleman
Assistant Professor
Special Education
A416 Jane and David Bailey Education Complex
1126 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee
37996-3442
Phone: 865-974-4456
Fax: 865-974-8718
mbc@utk.edu
Contact the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education
A204 Jane and David Bailey Education Complex
1126 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee
37996-3442
Phone: 865-974-6228
Fax: 865-974-6302
tallmon@utk.edu